Chapter nine: A new assignment
A day had passed since Harry and Rachel exchanged information about their respective worlds of origin. After they were done talking, she had made him his own bed to sleep in (the bed she put him in after finding him unconscious was actually her own). Harry was amazed by how good its quality was; he wasn't really used to a mattress so soft. Or to the hospitality Rachel offered him, for that matter.
The corporal had been exploring the small town a bit. It was rather small and simple, having only two regular houses (including Rachel's), two huts, a butcher, a library, two farms, some kind of small mining facility, a blacksmith and a structure that looked like a church. According to Rachel, most people lived at their workplaces. The only exceptions were herself, a guy named Lambert who lived in the other house, Arthur who lived in a hut and Freya the priestess, who worked in the church during the day.
Harry was wandering through the village when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder. The soldier turned around and came face to face with Stephen, the miner whose height and strength could rival the general's. The difference between the two was that Scott was stern and cold, whereas Stephen was more of a gentle giant.
"Hey, Steve," Harry said. "What's going on?"
Corporal Foreman practically ran into Lambert's house/infirmary. Stephen, or Steve, just informed him that general Boone was awake. They managed to remove the alcohol in his blood and 'repair' the damage to his body. He had no idea how they did it, although he had caught wind of certain potions they use to heal and cure the patients.
Scott was alone when Harry entered the infirmary. The general was sitting on his bed, holding his head in his hands. He didn't react when the subordinate came in, but he spoke once the younger man approached him.
"I know I messed up."
The corporal stood still and looked at his superior, a serene expression visible in his eyes. He wasn't sure what to say to the general, but he could tell that Scott felt guilty about the fight they had before they were brought here.
Had he already been informed? Did he know that they weren't in the same world? And if he didn't it would probably be pretty difficult to convince him. Scott never really believed in paranormal phenomena such as magic or stuff like that, and Harry couldn't blame him. However, the latter's skepticism had diminished quite a bit during his time in Koïtia. They had been inexplicably transported to a whole other place, after all.
And then there were those potions they used for their patients…
"Sir," he began. "I will save you the trouble of apologizing; everything has been forgiven."
Scott looked up at him, and Harry could swear that he saw the slightest bit of disbelief and relief in the older man's cold eyes. Then, the general stood up.
"You're too good, corporal," he softly said. "To be able to forgive someone for such a thing can't be easy. But then again… I guess you had a lot of opportunities to practice on some other assholes."
The younger man chuckled a bit. "I guess," he said. He then gave the general a questioning look.
"Have you been informed on our current position?" he asked. The general shook his head.
"No," he replied. "But judging from their way of living, I'd say we've somehow landed in some kind of primitive society. I have no idea how we got here, though. We were at the Resistance base when I blacked out, weren't we?"
"When we blacked out actually, sir," Harry responded, seeming slightly ashamed. "Right after you fell to the ground, I felt a dizziness like never before. I lost consciousness before I could get help."
The general frowned. "Did these people tell you anything?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes sir," the younger man said. "But… it's not really something we hear every day."
He explained about how this was a whole other world with very different characteristics. He told about the magic that was apparently present there and that humans weren't the only intelligent race around. He told about the malevolent beings known as mobs and how their abilities exceeded human limits.
Scott was conflicted during and after the story. Magic? Another world? That's not possible, is it? But then again… how'd they get here at all?
"Sir," Harry said, snapping the general out of his thoughts. "There's something I need to ask of you."
"Sure, what is it?" the general replied. The least I can do to set things right with this kid is to listen to what he has to say, he thought. Even if it's about a personal favor.
The younger man swallowed. He didn't know why he was so nervous about asking this. Maybe it just felt too… selfish to do so.
"Well…" he began. "You see, I promised someone to help with their mob problem." He looked up at Scott. "We don't really know where these mobs hide, but if they're as powerful and malevolent as I was told, the two of us could be in danger as well. However, such a task is even more difficult than it already is if I have to pull it off on my own. And since we have more advanced weapons than these people…"
He stopped, giving the general some time to think. He wanted to help too, but how could they do anything if they didn't even know where their targets were?
"How, exactly, are we going to do this, corporal?" he asked. "If we have no clue as to their whereabouts, we're at a dead end before we even start." Harry sighed. The old man was right… but that wouldn't stop him from keeping his word.
"You're right, sir," he answered. "But we need to do something. We should go as a searching party of two if that's what it takes. Sooner or later, the mobs will mess up and make our job a whole lot easier."
A silence fell, allowing Scott to think once more.
"Fine," he eventually said. "Let's inform the village that we're leaving. And that we need our weapons back."
