Roden Island, Year 1032
The afternoon sun cast long, jagged shadows across the rugged terrain of Roden Island. General Kasow stood atop a weathered stone outcrop, his voice rasping like grinding gravel.
"Listen up, warriors! We have been chosen by the Great King for a single purpose: to purge this island of our enemies. Our primary goal is the evacuation of at least five hundred civilians from this shithole. We will divide into twelve teams. Team Eagle will strike the eastern flank to halt the invasion. Team Bunny will..."
"This old man... he just keeps yapping," Wolf whispered, leaning casually against his spear. "He's said the same thing five times today already."
"Shhh! Quiet, man," Bunny hissed, not taking his eyes off the General. "I'm trying to listen. He's explaining the details so we don't forget. If you keep running your mouth, the General will toss you onto the frontlines just to get rid of you."
Wolf let out a dry chuckle. "Oh, so now we're afraid of him? You're a team leader, Bunny. He can't force you into anything you don't want to do. Besides, we're all putting our lives on the line anyway."
"Quiet, he has more power than all of us combined," Bunny repeated, his jaw tight.
"That is all!" the General roared, dismissively waving a hand. "Captains, brief your men immediately!"
As the assembly broke, Wolf walked alongside Bunny. The bravado in his voice dipped into something more sincere. "Hey, Bunny. We've known each other for years. Tell me the truth, are you afraid of this operation?"
Bunny sighed, adjusted his gear, and looked toward the village. "It is what it is. Fear makes you weak, Wolf. Don't let it take root."
"Funny," Wolf smirked. "People call you 'Bunny' because you're fast, but bunnies are cowards by nature. They should have named you Dragon or Bison. Something strong; you seem like you don't know how to fear, or at least it seems so. You're the head of the rescue team, after all."
"Wolf, listen," Bunny said, stopping in his tracks. "Preserve your energy for the fight. I won't waste my breath bickering this time. But... I'm glad your team is nearby. Good luck to us both. And Wolf? Make sure you come back alive."
"Count on me, but I won't help you if you are being useless, Bunny," Wolf replied."I won't, hahah. I'm not a coward bunny," Bunny replied.
The Operation
As evening approached, Team Bunny entered the village. They moved with clinical efficiency, helping villagers pack their meager belongings onto horseback. They deployed in an "arrow" formation: of the sixty-five members, fifteen assisted the civilians while the remaining fifty divided into ten squads, scattered across the village to maintain a perimeter.
Nearby, at the edge of the dark forest, Wolf's team stood as a silent wall of wood and iron. His fifty men were ready. Thirty-eight infantrymen stood in a disciplined line, locked behind wooden shields with spears leveled. In front of them, twelve horsemen sat atop their mounts, longswords drawn, acting as the vanguard to intercept the first wave of the enemy. The silence was absolute; no one dared to make a sound.
Midnight
The village was gone.Silence had returned, but it was the silence of a graveyard. The streets were littered with corpses: villagers and soldiers alike. Mothers, children, and the men of Team Wolf and Team Bunny lay torn to pieces.Through the thick gloom, grotesque silhouettes moved among the ruins. They looked like animals, yet they stood too tall, their proportions warped and alien. They feasted on the fallen, the sound of snapping bone echoing through the hollowed-out houses.
Suddenly, the frantic rhythm of hooves broke the stillness. Ten horses galloped desperately toward the distant command camp. At the lead were Bunny and Wolf, their armor shattered and stained. Behind them followed the only survivors of the nightmare a mere eighteen people left out of hundreds.