Diary of a Soldier

The Diary of a Soldier is one of the Tales of Arkain.

## Synopsis

Claire maintained a diary to write her experiences during her stint in the Ironfist.

## Story

Elrin told me to start writing a diary to gather my thoughts. I guess it's worth a try.

3rd December, 531 E. F.

Thanok looked at me, his face grim. He was General Bloodclaw's right hand in all Ironfist matters. He ensured that everyone stood in line and that our enemies were being confronted with all the cruelty and trickery we could come up with. The officer's whole existance and past was a secret, he had been with General Bloodclaw from the very beginning. Not even the Imperials knew anything about him. The spellcasters say they feel uncomfortable when talking with him. Perhaps those wannabe-great wizards don't like his aura or something. They're useful in battle, I give them that, but they're just insane. Guess there's a reason for them to prefer sticking together. A simple soldier can't even have a nice conversation with one of them. They're behaving pretty weird. Lately, it has become even worse.
Perhaps that's just me, though. As daughter of a farmer in Lor, I never got to know any mage before the Demons came. I will always remember father shouting at us, ordering us to run away. I wonder, sometimes, if there's anything I could have done to save him, my brother or my mother. In my dreams, I can still hear them scream as the Demons catch them, one by one. I joined the army to avenge my family. Only a few weeks later, the Ironfist recruited me. I didn't mind too much, my troop was unable to accept a woman in their little man-group. I heard that they died when the accursed Orcs broke through General Selior's defenses. While they were no friends of mine, they and I were fighting for the same cause. I pity them and hope they took some of the green-skinned bastards with them before they went down.
A scout had returned, I had just brought him to talk with Thanok. The scout reported that the rest of his group had been slain by the rebels. The scum had blocked the whole pass ahead of us with countless defenses and barricades. The villages in this area had joined them and supported the rebels with both men and food. Thanok grinned when the scout told him details about the enemies' gear. It was a dark, evil and cruel grin. It was the third time I've seen it and I still have trouble getting this... thing out of my head. His grin... This horrible, horrible grin... It made Thanok look more like a Demon than a Human. No, not even a Demon, something far more scary. I never talked with anyone about it, but I KNOW that the others feel the same whenever they see it.

Thanok enjoyed hearing that the rebels, while outnumbering us twenty to one, were no real enemies. They were farmers using scythes and throwing stones to fight well-trained soldiers with swords and heavy armor. Not to mention the spellcasters and golems we were using. Thanok said that the Golden Guard should have no problem butchering the villagers and farmers. According to our spies, we'd even be able to make the rebels fight themselves, he told us. Then, he ordered us to leave.
Tomorrow we'll be fighting the rebels along with the Golden Guard. I hope those arrogant bootlickers can fight.

10th December, 531 E. F.

It took us an entire week to get through that damn pass. Considering the huge amount of rebels fighting us, it's hard to believe, but we lost only twenty soldiers. The Golden Guard did better than I expected. It appears that they're getting closer to us. Without that High Lord Inquisitor asshole watching them, their arrogance and bootlicking has become way better. They not only greet us, no, they see us as equals. I guess fighting through the same hell creates bonds, even between Golden Guards and Royal Soldiers. They've proven something very importen: They are, just like us, soldiers who lost friends and families, and fight for their cause. Most of them didn't agree with leaving this continent, that's most likely the reason why they were to join forces with us in the first place. I feel like there was a huge misunderstanding in the beginning, when we disliked each other. We're all the same. That's why we're here. That damnable pass.... The rebels there were countless, attacking us at every opportunity. Most of them were no enemies, easily to be defeated. Only a few of them were true warriors and they were outnumbered by us as soon as their weaker companions were slain. We've shown no mercy when we encountered the first village. All of them were attacking us, even women and children. We killed every single one of them. Only the babies and very young children were spared, General Bloodclaw ordered some of the scouts to return them to loyal villages. It was bloody work, but it had to be done. We burned the whole village to the ground after Thanok had personally executed the treacherous mayor. Afterwards, the attacks had become worse. One of Lord Retka's armies had arrived and set up camp on the other side of the pass. Retka's Army was as strong as the army of a king, their equipment was only slightly inferior to ours. Before they arrived, we had lost not a single soldier. Then, they attacked us when we were close to the next village. We were prepared for them, but they knew how to hit us hard. Lady Redfist, that noble mage accompanying us, was able to slow them down and summoned huge waves to drown them. Then she called for lightnings and threw them at the soldiers. That, combined with the water the wave had left behind, caused many of our foes to die instantly. However, it was not enough. Some of Lord Retka's elite soldiers were part of that army. They were still able to attack us swiftly and with their full might. We outnumbered them, but they were more powerful than most warriors I had encountered before. I was part of a group of five, fighting one of them. Three of us died quickly. The only reason why I survived was the member of the Golden Guard, who sacrificed himself by defending me when the elite was about to finish me off. He threw himself before me and impaled the elite while getting stabbed himself. I will never forget what he did for me. I know that he had a wife and children. As soon as I get an opportunity to do so, I shall send them a letter about her husband and their father to have died a hero's death. It won't change it, but perhaps it will ease their pain... Dealing with the second village wasn't too difficult. Unlike the other villagers, the ones living here were forced by the infamous Kajon Marauders, some group of criminals working for Retka, to join the rebels. As soon as General Bloodclaw killed the leader of the Kajon Marauders in this area, the villagers switched sides and joined us in our battle. Despite them fighting us mere minutes ago, General Bloodclaw ordered Thanok to give the villagers better weapons and armor. While the villagers were busy getting equipped, General Bloodclaw whispered to Thanok that he should "deal with them" as soon as this was over. As far as I know, none of the villagers survived the battle against Retka's army on the other side of the pass. I don't think it'd be wise to think about this anymore. Thanok is watching every single one of us and I can't get rid of the feeling that my mind is like an open book to him when he looks at me. If I didn't know better, I'd think that he's a damn mind-reading sorcerer!
After the second village was taken care of, we encountered almost no resistance in the pass. They all had run away like cowards. The camp of Retka's soldiers was the only obstacle left in our way and, since they had lost most of their units when they attacked us, the remaining soldiers hardly brought up a real fight. General Bloodclaw slew their leader in single-combat. We finally did it.

11th December, 531 E. F.

I learned that, after the camp of Retka's forces had been burned to the ground, General Bloodclaw, Thanok and Lady Redfist "had a talk". As far as I can tell, Lady Redfist was running off suddenly, leaving General Bloodclaw and Thanok behind. I don't know what the talk was about, but I had seen how Thanok gazed after Lady Redfist. His face.... So much hate and violence. I bet that he'd have loved to run after Lady Refist and... I don't even want to write down what I think he might've been doing with her. I start wondering... Is he really just Bloodclaw's right hand or is he.... something more? I should hide my diary. If the wrong person ever gets his or her hands on it... I don't think I'd want that to happen

\*the sentence suddenly ends and a few strange lines, as if the writer was interrupted, appear before the normal writing continues without picking up the old entry\* I should stop writing such things, they're just funny nonsense. I'm part of the best army in the Empire, it's my honor to serve Thanok and General Bloodclaw. Doubting them is a mistake, standing in their way is betrayal. I will fight to death for my great general. I have been appointed to one of Thanok's personal guards, so I will no longer have the time to write any diary entries. I, Claire Greendale, will burn it to prevent it from poisoning anyone's thoughts. For the glory of General Bloodclaw!