[done]Reinforcements Have Arrived [moved]

[Xennavor]

Keith stood in front of the commander near the gate with the other reinforcements. "So why are we here? Why did you want reiforcements?" Keith asked.

"Oh. A few of our soldiers went missing at their posts and nobody knows where they went. Simple." The commander replied, somewhat calm.

"They just... went missing?"

"That's what I said, yes."

"And, you're not going to look into it?"

"No. No, not really."

Keith looked at the other recruits, a little curious as to what the others were thinking.

[Treijim]

Commander Lucas Scott was staring out over the dull land until Keith had finished.

"All right Reminton, that's enough." He brushed past him and stood before the soldier at the gate. "If any soldiers go missing, you search for them. That's The Code. Why did you go against this?"

"We didn't," the soldier replied. "We did search for a while - about two weeks - and nothing has come up. You're here to replace them. Those are your orders."

Scott turned back around to look at the handful of men he was sent with. "Mhmm. Are there any Commanders present at this Fortress?"

"Yes, sir. But he is always busy. If you like I could try to arrange a mee-"

"That's not necessary. My men will set ourselves up in your living quarters. I'll begin organising an expedition to search for the lost troops tonight."

"A search?" the soldier gasped. "No, you can't do that!"

But Scott just walked past him and into the Fort. "Come on, men," he said. "Let's get moving."

[Xennavor]

Keith followed this somewhat rowdy commander into the fort along with the other troops. The fort was a little cold inside as it was made entirely out of stone and was far south. They found the living quarters and the troops found their own bed in the large room.

Keith found one by the corner next to one another soldier had picked. He felt a little awkward having to sleep in a bed that another soldier that may be dead had slept in. Something didn't feel right. Keith went through everything in his mind. He thought it a little wierd that some soldiers just went missing and they didn't find any sign of them. Someone must have seen something. He also wondered why or how they went missing.

[Treijim]

Scott set up his things in a secluded corner of the L-shaped room and then summoned his troops around a table he dragged in from another room. He sat at the head of it and the first couple of minutes were silent.

"Hmm. Well, as you know, we have an expedition to set out on in the morning," he suddenly said.

"We're supposed to be enforcing the fort!" one of his men complained. "That's why we're here."

"Untrue," Scott replied. "If the men here really had their companions disappear without a trace, they would continue searching until they were found or some trace of them at least. Two weeks isn't long. Our orders were specifically to 'fortify' this fortress, which means they're planning to defend against something. This means the people here know what took the other soldiers, but they won't tell us."

The soldiers were silent. Most seemed to be marvelling at Scott's perception. Nobody could dare guess how his mind works.

"Reminton. You spoke to the man at the gate. Don't you agree that the people here are hiding something? If they want us to stay here they obviously don't need more men, do they?"

[Xennavor]

The noise around Keith drowned out. A moment later he heard his name and looked up at Scott.

"Hm? Oh, yes. I agree. You heard him, he told me something different to what he told you. I guess that was because I am a soldier and you are a captain." Keith said, not really listening to himself. "But let me ask you something, sir. If it is true that something got those men out there then isn't it a possibility that they could be dead? Will we even find any trace of them? If not, then arn't we searching for the thing that got them instead."

Keith took a moment to breathe before continuing. "You'd also think they would be prepared for something like this when establishing an economy this far south. Who knows what's out there..."

[Treijim]

"We're looking for them, first," Scott said. "If we don't find anything, we begin looking for the cause of their disappearance. We're bound to find some trace of them, though. This island is big, but it's not busy. Things get left lying around for years. The island is basically static."

"But sir," a soldier said. "We're still going against the orders of the other commander stationed here."

"If he's as busy as they say he is, we have nothing to worry about. Really, he and I have equal authority. The soldiers will follow whoever they see as the smartest and strongest." He paused and looked around. "At the moment, it's obvious that that person is me. Reminton. You're a smart guy... so far. You're second in command."

"But there's only five of us," a guard said.

Scott shrugged, "There can easily be four if you would rather skip your pay this week. All right, we know what we're doing. Let's go get some rest."

[Xennavor]

Keith left the table and resumed his position at his bed. He got it in it and tried to get to too sleep. It still didn't feel right but in the end he fell asleep with no troubles, though it was quite cold through the night.

The next morning Keith awoke with the other soldiers and started to get ready for their expidition. He turned to the soldier next to him when he was ready. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm just about done."

"See you out there then, soldier." Keith left the fort and looked around for Scott. He probably went out there by himself he thought. He laughed at the idea and then he felt someone watching him.

[Treijim]

Scott ran up the hill to the castle with his I'm-the-scout-leader look on his face. He was in full uniform, with his weapon at his side, and seemed quite ready to go. He wasn't even out of breath as he ran to the small collection of soldiers waiting for him.

"All ready then? Good. I've spoken to a few guards and done some scouting, and..." He stopped and glanced up at the walls towering over them, and then he lowered his voice. "I think something attacked the guards and now these people can only think of defending themselves. These cowards are going to sit behind their walls. They won't even go out to check on the village by the sea. In fact, neither will we. We're going to travel deep into the wasteland. Any objections...?"

[Xennavor]

Keith looked at everyone else and then back at Scott. "No, I don't think there is any objections" Keith said. "Me, however, think that's an excellent idea. If something did attack those soldiers, which is the most likely solution, why would we find it in a village? It would be wandering around in the wasteland somewhere. Wouldn't it?"

[Treijim]

"Exactly right, Reminton," Scott said, leading his troop down the hill.

They walked out in a straight line into the wilderness, silent all the while. It seemed like Scott knew where he was going, as though he'd already drawn the area on the back of his hand with a piece of coal. The land was dead quiet. The dirt was grey, the trees were scraggly, and the mountains loomed in the distance. There was no sign of anyone at all.

"It's very quiet," Scott said. "Isn't it a little bit too quiet? Has anyone heard a single bird or insect upon arrival here?"

[Xennavor]

Keith looked around at what appeared to be not much other than the occasional tree, rock, maybe even some dead grass. His breath started to get heavier as the cold air around the troop grew colder. Before Keith realised Scott asked a question he thought he saw something move in a small cluster of trees not too far from where they were. He kept his gaze on the trees while ansewring the question.

"Yes... it is a little too quiet for my liking," Keith said. "Although, I saw something over there just a moment ago," He said, nodding towards the trees. "Almost like a flicker."

[Treijim]

[Moved to The Wilderness]