Mario absently scratched his his cheek as he looked around the camp. Soldiers were walking around, all in full body armor. Some wore chainmail armor, some others chose to wear leather armor, while a few chose to go for metal plates covering their bodies. He himself was wearing a simple set of leather armor that had the Henshaw Dynasty's insignia emblazoned on the front and back. The Insignia was simple. It simply depicted the image of a dragon rising to the sky while breathing out a pillar of fire ahead of it.
Mario was enlisted into the Henshaw Dynasty's military a week ago. He wasn't sure why, but one thing he was sure of was that he did not want to go to war. Especially against demi-humans. He did not see the point. Demi-humans were just another race of sentient beings. They lived lives just like humans, albeit a bit differently. Just because they were covered in fur and had a resemblance to animals did not give anyone the right to freely hunt them.
But alas, he had no choice in the matter. He was just an ordinary low ranking member of the militia that was urged to join the march to the demi-human pack just south of the dynasty's territory. In a few days, they would be reaching the lands of the pack, and a huge battle would break out.
"This is stupid..." A voice spoke up beside Mario. He looked up to see who it was before sighing.
"You said it all, Fabio. This is stupid. Why do we have to fight the demi-humans who have been living peacefully in the wilderness for so long? They have not done anything to us." Mario shook his head as he discussed with one of his closest friends, Fabio. They both shared the same views on the treatment of demi-humans.
When the both of them were younger, they had attended the demi-human games out of curiosity. They could not even sit through one match. What they saw disgusted them. Pitting two demi-humans against each other in a bloody death match, all just to satisfy the sick desires you had was disgusting. They could not stand the sight of the demi-humans tearing into each other like mad men, all just to survive to until the next match. It was sickening.
*Ring*
A bell rang through the camp. Everyone's ears perked up. It was lunch time. Most of the soldiers here were once civilians. They numbered around a hundred, while the rest were spread out amongst other battalions. Each battalion numbered from a hundred to one hundred and fifty men. They were split up because it was unwise to gather over a thousand soldiers in one place, especially when your enemies were demi-humans. Who knew what plan the demi-humans might cook up. It would be better if only a couple of the battalions were attacked at first. That way, the rest would be able to prepare and help out in whatever way they could.
Mario and Fabio made their way over to the large makeshift cooking area where food was being shared around. They might not have been here of their own volition, but that did not mean they would starve themselves. Only an idiot would do that to prove a point. They would rather have enough energy in their system to put up a fight when necessary.
"Herbivore food again." Fabio scrunched his nose when he saw the green paste that was put into his bowl. "Can't they serve some meat for a change? We are in the damn wilderness for crying out loud. Lots of wild animals to hunt."
Mario grinned. "Eat healthy for a change. I'm sure your sister would tell you that."
"Oh, shut up. You need to eat more meat. You and Faye are always yapping about eating healthy. More meat is healthy, I tell ya." Fabio pointed his spoon at Mario.
Mario raised a brow and crossed his arms. "You sound like your grandfather."
"Which one?" Fabio eyed him slowly. "I have a lot, so be careful."
"Pff." Mario scoffed before turning back to his bowl of food. "More than one. They all started to sound the same the older they got. You're supposed to take in less meat the older you get, but those men were all about meat. Meat this, meat that. All you carnivores."
Mario slid his spoon into the paste, scooping up a spoonful and downing it. Fabio just stared at him, before turning to his own bowl. He dipped the spoon inside the paste, and a squelching sound reached his ears.
"Good Heavens... What I do for my country." He shook his head before taking a spoonful of the paste.
"You are being patriotic. We fight for our country." Mario patted him on the back before returning to shoveling the paste down his throat. Even he was tired of the food here. It was the same thing ever since they had left the borders of their dynasty. He liked to eat vegetables, but some meat would be nice once in a while.
When they were done eating, they returned their bowls back to where it would be washed up, and retreated to their tents. They didn't share the same tent, but it was not a problem. They would just stay outside until they needed to sleep. They weren't on night duty and they were glad about that.
The two of them continued to speak, completely clueless about the real threat they were about to face. While they knew demi-humans were strong, they had not yet seen the true might of demi-humans. The demi-humans that were used in the demi-humans were of the weaker end. Most of them were lower ranks, with a few middle ranking demi-humans mixed in between. They had never seen the power of a high ranking demi-human, not to mention a dominant.
If only they knew how many dominants were preparing for war, then they would immediately desert.
"Let's get some sleep, Fabio. I have a feeling we'll be up early tomorrow."