12:36 (Though the sun is in the wrong position, odd)
Location still unknown
By this point waiting should have been normal, Rudolf should have been an expert. Waiting for what felt like forever was part in parcel of being a soldier. The grinding gears of bureaucracy, the sickly cogs of communication, he could've sworn that it sapped away the very life force from someone, taking not minutes but whole years off of their life span. He'd been subjected to it so much that by his own metrics he should have been dead, yet here he was, still waiting, still alive, still sitting on his thumbs.
"Holy shit can we go now" groaned Rudolf, who at this point had been waiting for a good ten minutes.
"Hold on, no need to rush" Lutz said, his voice echoing slightly from within the hull.
Though the sun had been nice at first, taking away aches and the general freezing feeling, it had quickly grown into a source of pain for the pale Rudolf as the sun started to singe the tips of his ears. Rudolf thought that the Heer would have had their shit together during and or after Africa, but it appeared that no one had ever thought a wide brimmed hat would be needed, no no no your dainty M43 cap is all a good German needs, your Übermensch skin will simply reflect the sun and blind those silly Bolshevik scum.
"Alrighty… Rudolf what snacks do you want" Lutz called out
"What do we have"
"Ummm… some Erbwurst, some rock candies, oh and some Vivil"
"Pah, I'm sick of Erbwurst, bring the Vivil. Wait, how long do you expect us to be out there?" Rudolf replied, somewhat surprised at the small stash that Lutz had managed to conjure.
"Maybe… two hours, five at most. Depends on if we find anything cool."
Lutz finally poked his head out of the loaders hatch, grinning ear to ear, his hand full of packaged lollies and other goodies.
"Did you grab a rifle?" Lutz asked stuffing the snacks into his daypack.
"Yup, ammo as well" Rudolf said gesturing to the two K98k's that leaned against the damaged side skirts.
Giving Rudolf an acknowledging nod as he slipped out of his hatch and onto the engine deck, leaping down and landing with a solid thump next to Rudolf.
"Keep doing that and your knees will be aching by the time your thirty!" Claus called out from somewhere in front of the tank, in a tone reminiscent of a father scolding a child.
Lutz looked towards where Claus' voice was, before looking back at Rudolf, a grimace etched across his face.
"I think they already do"
"Probably…" Rudolf chuckled out "now come on, I've got a sword to collect"
"You two, be back by sunset and don't get lost!" Claus shouted, now from somewhere underneath the tank
Rudolf and Lutz each picked up their respective bags and rifles. Lutz bag consisted of food and water and his pair of binoculars, whilst Rudolfs pack contained a mix of maps, pencils and the radio.
"Y'know, I'm really surprised that the guns survived all of this" Lutz said as he examined his weapon, "being strapped to the outside and all"
Lutz looked at Rudolf who wore a somewhat guilty look "Yeah… well… don't tell Gunther but um… his rifle… and scope are beyond fucked"
Rudolf then flicked a large piece of shrapnel towards him. Lutz caught in both hands, glancing down at it held a fair weight,
"That went and smashed right through the thing" Rudolf said as he pointed down at the lump in Lutz palms.
"Oh, spoke to soon"
"It was the only one"
"Oh… oh no" Lutz chuckled out, barely stifling his growing laughter. causing Rudolf to also begin giggling alongside him.
"Poor bastard"
Gunther had a somewhat special attachment to that rifle, taking it from a dead sharpshooter that was attached to the unit. He constantly made it a point to give it an extreme amount of care, such as extra padding around it and a little 'coffin' fashioned out of a bedframe. Putting it in positions that would give it the maximum protection at the expense of the other rifles of the tank. He would also brag about his accuracy, both inside and outside the tank. So, the fact that the only gun out of service was Gunther's, well one couldn't help but laugh a little.
Both men set out, walking at a brisk pace away from the tank heading in the direction Rudolf had previously gone. Other than the sun burrowing into the back of his neck the day was quite pleasant, the light breeze that had a slight nip to it and a nice ambient heat, the perfect weather for a hike. The original plan was to walk north for about four kilometres before turning west and walking another four kilometers, repeating this until they eventually circled back to the tank, but that wouldn't be interesting now, would it. They continued for some time, each taking in the vast landscape around them. Though Rudolf had walked this way before, the strangeness of no longer being knee deep in snow was quite jarring, every time he blinked, he was somewhat scared of waking up in the depths of a bunker. For another five minutes they hiked in silence before finding the yawning maw of the cave that Rudolf had described.
"Huh, cool… Anything actually down there though?"
Rudolf shrugged "No clue, but…" He reached into his pack and rummaged around for a bit before finally revealing a Daimon telko flashlight "We will soon have an idea".
Lutz raised his eyebrow "Are you sure you want to go down there"
He gestured to the sword "Could always just take that and go"
"C'mon you're a little curious aren't you" Rudolf said as he removed the hood from the torch.
Lutz looked around, and then back down to the Jagdpanther which was now a white speck in fields of gold. Clenching his rifle, he felt a little guilty, but truly a little exploration wouldn't hurt anyone. Rudolf was already prepping, dumping his radio pack beside the entrance.
"Alright, ten minutes and then we leave.
"Wonderful, and if the cave looks unstable at all we'll bug out"
Lutz nodded, leaving his pack at the entrance, alongside Rudolf's pack. Turning the torch on a soft yellow hue enveloped the caves walls, it appeared that the entrance was partially collapsed judging by how the soil looked like it was filling in the hole rather than just existing around it. The two men slowly descended into the cave, trying not to slide on the steep soil. The air was stale and dusty, they were probably the first people to come down here in a long time judging by the layers of dust on the craggy surfaces around them.
"Don't miners tend to bring canaries with them when doing this stuff?" Rudolf asked, scanning the area in front of him for any indication of danger.
"What, getting scared already" Lutz returned snarkily, "And yes they do, usually to check for gas that they can't smell themselves"
Rudolf didn't want to admit it, but being underground was out of his league and actually was terrifying. But Lutz was behind him, to flee now would just be plain embarrassing so naturally he carried on with it. The two walked deeper and deeper, finding nothing but rock and more rock, to be frank it was far more boring than both had anticipated, and the fear that either the cave would collapse with them in it or somehow Claus would figure out what they were up to began to eat at them.
"Nope… I am not going any further, this is bullshit, you win" Lutz said defeatedly, throwing up his hands in a mock surrender "I am not dying in a hole in the middle of nowhere"
Rudolf upon hearing the news of his victory quickly turned around, unaware of the loose rock underneath him. Falling on his ass he began to tumble further into the cavern, slipping all over the loose dirt and rocks, over and over again he felt his body roll around before finally coming to a rest on smooth stone.
"Holy… are you alright!" Lutz voice echoed from above.
"Ughh… uh… huh" Rudolf grunted, his face slightly smushed into the cold rock.
Rudolf laid there for a moment, just letting the cold stone ease some of the new aches that emanated from his body. He could hear Lutz clamber down the loose rubble before finally making to where Rudolf lay.
"And they call me uncoordinated, dumb fuck… C'mon up we get" the loader chuckled, brushing his unlucky friend off.
Once on his feet again Rudolf began to look around, he had dropped his torch in the fall, though he hadn't dropped it too far away it seemed. It had clattered a few meters away illuminating much of the cave in a warm yellow light, however, this room was different. The rock walls were no longer jagged rather they were… polished?
"Hey, is that rock polished?" Rudolf asked pointing at the far wall.
Lutz, who was now staring back up at the entrance to the cave, turned back around his face painted with mild annoyance
"Why would a rando- oh… yeah, no its polished… I think"
The two men stood there for a moment, unsure of what their next move was. Slowly, Rudolf crept forward, picking up his flashlight, he began to shine it around a little more. It wasn't only that wall that was polished it was the entire cavern around them, excluding the jumbled rock that was now sitting behind them. The walls, whilst shiny, were adorned with scratches, chips, and splattered with deep brown stains. The smell down here was also far different, no longer just the smell of earth and dust, but the scent of must and rot. The walls continued away from them, the light tapering off from Rudolf's torch entering a dark abyssal void. Rudolf turned around with a grin on his face but before he could say anything Lutz spoke up.
"No, no, no, we are going, I'm sick of this tunnel, we are leaving".
"C'moonn, we find something interesting and then you decide to leave"
"No, I wanted to leave earlier, but some idiot decided to fall down a fucking hole"
"Pfftp, so what, let's go it's only been five minutes"
"Five minutes downhill! How long do you reckon to walk back up, huh… we go now"
"No, we're here now and I have the light"
"Can't you smell that? Something obviously lives in here"
"Probably just an animal that wandered down here and fell, no worries"
"Or maybe it's a bear". Lutz replied curtly.
"Oh no, a bear, whatever shall I do" Rudolf scoffed as he gestured to his rifle.
Deep down Lutz knew it was wrong, they had a job to do, but… a cool adventure underground did sound interesting, maybe he could be on the verge of a big discovery, a new civilization or perhaps an undiscovered temple. But why would a civilization live in a hole in the ground? Lutz face contorted into a strange, strained look, both sides of his psyche trying to vie for control.
"Asshole… fine… another ten minutes but not a moment more!"
"Wonderful, now let's go".
The two began to wander deeper into the chamber, the gray walls still holding their sheen deeper and deeper into the cavern. It seemed Lutz's curiosity had one out in the end, though it did have him thinking… would curiosity kill the cat this time, ah probably not. He rubbed the bridge of his nose; he'd be fine wouldn't he.
Rudolf was not worrying in the slightest, in fact he was ecstatic, making a little fist pump before walking away. The fear he had felt earlier had seemingly vanished. Further down the corridor the gray and lifeless walls gave way to intricate art pieces that featured, spirals, knots, and depictions of female warriors with vanquished enemies. Though the strangest part was the lack of men, or better yet, the men that weren't beheaded and or in chains.
"What's with all the rabbit imagery?" Rudolf asked, perplexed at the multitude of rabbits and rabbit ears drawn onto many of the figures.
"Maybe they just really liked rabbits, or perhaps they couldn't draw horns" Lutz replied "Honestly, looks reminiscent of those…" He stopped to remember, scratching his chin for a moment before continuing "Celtic paintings"
Rudolf wouldn't have any clue what Celtic paintings looked like, he never really bothered to study art. So instead, he just nodded in agreement.
"Also why are there no… males?" Rudolf struggled to word what he was trying to say, trying to think of an eloquent way to get his point across "Why are all the guys being stepped on?"
"That… um… I couldn't rightfully tell you" Lutz once again pondered for a second before finishing "Maybe it's like the Sistine chapel with the naked people and the church… kind of like a middle finger to whoever commissioned the art… who knows though".
After the two gawked at the art some more the two walked down the lonely path, the walls around here were marked with gouges and grooves, none of which were in any sort of artistic arrangement. The the smell became stronger the further they walked and the more brown stains marked both the wall and the ground, some in large patches and others strewn high up onto both the walls and the ceiling.
"Blood, you reckon?" Rudolf inquired, his thoughts pondering how many people would have been required for the amount he was seeing.
"I think, yeah… lots of it don't you think?" Lutz responded.
"Indeed" Rudolf responded flatly, his eyes now set further down the cave.
Continuing on though, the sheer amount of what they thought to be blood was quite disconcerting, both loader and radio operator clung to their weapons as the eerie silence of the cave became increasingly loud. They both walked for a bit longer, but eventually the cave opened up into a large room, so large that the torch couldn't punch through all the darkness leaving much of it obscured. Here the stench was almost unbearable, a mix of sickly sweet and strong fecal smell permeated the room. Rudolf threatened to gag, unfortunately Lutz had already lost whatever was in his stomach, both men started to wear their undershirts over their noses hopefully to block out some of the smell. Slowly they edged around the room until a large thing came into view, it wasn't any discernable shape, only that it was, Big, so big in fact that it could hide a Jagdpanther underneath it, maybe two. Rudolf slowly walked up to it, but it was clear, in fact it was kind of obvious, it was a mound of bodies.
"Oh… fuck…" Rudolf gagged, who with great difficultly managed to keep his breakfast down.
He heard Lutz murmur something in disgust before making the sign of the cross, but it was too quiet for him to hear.
The bodies themselves were a mix of bones and aged meat, though there was a distinct lack of maggots and insects, odd but not impossible going by the solitary nature of the area. Notably, however, they were all missing heads, as shiny white vertebrae and a rotting hole where there should have been heads. Scanning around the bodies, another smaller pile came into view, skulls, hundreds upon hundreds of skulls, once again in varying states of decay. Both Lutz and Rudolf watched it, in stunned horrified silence. Rudolf attempted to step away from the grotesque lump of fleshy mess to flee back into the tunnel and back to the surface, but he bumped into something hard. He yelped and whipped his head around, not a meter from his face was a large crucifix, with an aged and decrepit corpse still attached.
By this point even his stomach couldn't take it, he attempted to hold firm as he spewed through his hands but there was no point. Rudolf keeled over, his breakfast now with the smooth stone floors of this mausoleum. His stomach continued to churn until it was all out and even then, he still felt crook. He remained hunched over for some time before standing upright again, he looked up and down at the crucifix, the poor bastard nailed to it had been there for quite a while it seemed, being almost skeletal in nature. The dried shriveled skin still clung to the bones and long white wispy hair dangled down in clumps from the scalp, threatening to fall and tear at the slightest touch, the dead hollow sockets staring down at him, begging for an end. Looking around the crucifix it became clear that it wasn't the only one, another row stood behind the one Rudolf had crashed into, forming a v formation. Some had collapsed, the flesh finally giving out. Some held together, with bone and rotting sinew being the only thing that held the poor souls together.
It was a truly monstrous sight, the bodies, the rot, the crucifixes, it was all too much. Rudolf had seen massacres, the carnage after a battle, but this was different, this was something you'd hear about, something in a history book or something that your grandfather or his grandfather experienced, not you. Rudolf simply stood there, eyes hanging out of his head, the skeletal husks in front of him staring right back at him. Rudolf didn't notice the bulb on his torch grow dimmer nor did Rudolf hear Lutz walking over.
Lutz pushed something into his hands, looking down; it was a short sword. Ornate and beautiful, it was embroidered with the same blue swirling patterns that littered much of the walls and laced with a fine golden silk. The hilt was adorned with a blood red ruby, uncut and rough, though his fingers slotted nicely into the grip feeling quite reassuring in his hand.
"We should go" Lutz said softly as he patted the disturbed radio operator on the back "ten minutes is up" he said with a smile trying to get some sort of reaction out of his friend.
Rudolf simply nodded and the two men began to walk back down the lonely halls.
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Klhy Gvyghs
Jhu fvb ilsplcl aolzl svjhsz, if aol nvkz aolf ilsplcl lclyfaopun. P'cl illu nlaapun tbsapwsl ylwvyaz vm tlahs ilhzaz aoha tvcl aoltzlsclz dpaovba ovyzlz vy zshclz huk zayhunl tlu pu nylf huk nyllu bupmvytz yvhtpun aol shuk, fla uva vul vm tf tlu ohcl zllu pa uvy ohcl jvumpytlk pa. P alss fvb aolf nla kbtily aol mbyaoly fvb nla hdhf myvt Zhklyh. Vu hu buylshalk uval zayhunl vjjbyhujlz ohcl illu ohwwlupun hyvbuk olyl, Yvukls pujsbklk. P'cl ohk h mld zjvbapun whyaplz nv tpzzpun vcly aol tvuaoz huk uv ylhzvuz dof. Mhbzabz yljrvuz pa'z lsclz iba jhu'a il jlyahpu. Hufdhf, wslhzl ylhk aol haahjolk ylwvya mvy hss aol shalza kpzwhajolz huk bwkhalz myvt Vzayvp huk Gvyhjh.
Fvby Mypluk
Ybmbz
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