The Source of Corruption (Part 1)

Along the entire front line, huge bonfires blazed along the fortifications, while tens of thousands of campfires glowed between them.

Overhead, scattered clouds dotted the slowly turning night sky.

The night was stiflingly hot.

Around their campfire, beneath the drooping banners, the revelers took turns drinking and laughing.

"So Ragnar's alive too?"

Regiment Commander Ersos asked with a smile. Mountbatten beside him took the bottle, gulped down a mouthful, and nodded.

"Like mine, he's alive."

"Not bad for an old bastard."

Tinker, one of Ersos's captains, laughed.

"Nothing's going to take Ragnar down."

Mountbatten nodded, took another drink, then passed the bottle on.

Somewhere behind him, someone was playing a tune on a hand drum and other instruments.

They threw some pinewood onto the fire, filling the smoke with a cloyingly sweet fragrance.

Though he was a division commander, Mountbatten was accustomed to staying with his soldiers rather than sitting in a tidy office and enjoying drinks brewed by a secretary.

For three days straight, he had practically stood watch alongside the men.

After tonight, the 1st Independent Division would be transferred to the rear for rest and recuperation. The long hours of guard duty and patrols had exhausted the soldiers, not to mention the constant threat of Ork infiltration.

But Mountbatten remained wary.

Could the war really end so abruptly?

He did not think so. Orks were not creatures that retreated in the face of difficulty. Could floodwaters really make them back down?

Mountbatten himself was not entirely certain.

"Ah, it's good to get safely through the last day, Division Commander."

Ersos said as he took a swig of hard liquor, then let out a triumphant belch.

"I feel the same way, old friend."

Mountbatten smiled.

"What happens afterward?"

Mountbatten shrugged.

"Who knows? Other troops will come relieve us,