The battle weary soldier stood solemn. Sweat and blood mixed and dried on his face and body. Cuts and wounds, now fresh, in time would become scars and the story tellers of the battles of yesterdays gone by. The war was far from over, but this brief lull in fighting brought much needed respite to the worn and battered body of the Veteran; not so much that he could lie down and rest, but enough to search for a moment some peace of mind to focus on the battle that still lay ahead.
Many brave men and women followed the Veteran. Many were lost in the fighting. Many more remained at his side and fought just as bravely as he. All would receive the promised reward.
Many brave men and women followed the Veteran. Many were lost in the fighting. Many more remained at his side and fought just as bravely as he. All would receive the promised reward.
Behind him stood those who continued with him -- bloody, exhausted, determined, valiant to a person. All were here not just by choice but because they were chosen, handpicked by the General himself to go to war against an enemy known as the Plague.
Memories of battles and strategies for war, always on the forefront of the Veteran's mind, were set aside for this brief moment as he looked heavenward and breathed out a prayer.
"What would you have us to do?"
The General's answer came quickly, silently, as if whispered in the Veteran's ear: "Draw them into the valley. Meet them there while you still have the advantage of the higher ground. Fight them and you will win."
Silence, as the calm before a very bloody and gruesome storm, hung heavy in the air, an almost tangible substance, as the Veteran turned toward the host of heaven.
"It is time," he said in a tone that was somber, though not defeated, but rather seasoned in wisdom in the face of the reality of the confrontation that awaited him and his men. Many would die. Many more would continue on to fight many more battles to come. All would receive the promised reward.
Memories of battles and strategies for war, always on the forefront of the Veteran's mind, were set aside for this brief moment as he looked heavenward and breathed out a prayer.
"What would you have us to do?"
The General's answer came quickly, silently, as if whispered in the Veteran's ear: "Draw them into the valley. Meet them there while you still have the advantage of the higher ground. Fight them and you will win."
Silence, as the calm before a very bloody and gruesome storm, hung heavy in the air, an almost tangible substance, as the Veteran turned toward the host of heaven.
"It is time," he said in a tone that was somber, though not defeated, but rather seasoned in wisdom in the face of the reality of the confrontation that awaited him and his men. Many would die. Many more would continue on to fight many more battles to come. All would receive the promised reward.
Dathan Stephens
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