-22-"Whoa! That thing's huge." Elk stared with wide eyes at the mountain-like structure to his front.Before Elk was a mound so wide it shaped into a plateau. And on that plateau stood the Barricade. The place that filled anyone who ever heard of it as a child with wonder. A dark, dreary, terrible wonder.The fortress-city loomed above the plateau like one whole edifice. Encircled by stone walls that slowly curved the further they extended left and right. Atop those stone walls were watchtowers and lookouts. Soldiers patrolled the ramparts, carrying their spears with the tips high in the air.Five stone-paved roads led through the maws of the five gates that led into the Barricade. Each wide enough for ten or more wagons to run abreast. Multitudes of people, animals, wagons, carriages and coaches crowded the roads, either entering or leaving the gates and the same - if not more - amount of people loitered outside the Barricade, both near and far.Crows stalked the sky above, which morphed from the natural blue sky into a bleak grey-white blanket littered with clouds that covered the Barricade. The clouds beyond it grew darker and darker.Elk breathed in and then exhaled."Let's go!" He pumped his fist in the air.Here was the place he would make a name for himself.Here, he would be a hero.-"Man, that kid can sure eat."Elk turned to where the kid Sord mentioned sat. The kid sat alone on a wooden bench in the mess hall, gorging down the plethora of food-filled plates in front of him on the long table. It made Elk hungry as well, so he dipped his rice ball into the broth and ate it with bliss."Can't believe you can stomach this crap." Sord said as he stared at Elk gnawing on another rice ball."It's good. Really good. Way better than eating wheat and leaves everyday." Elk continued, "Wish we had more meat though." After the rice balls, he moved on to the beans and potatoes."You eating that?" With his mouth full, he leered at Sord's half-full plate with ravenous eyes."Eat it all you farm animal." Sord pushed his plate in front of Elk, who made short work of it.After Elk was done with the plates, he lifted the broth bowl and finished it all."This is so good! Is this fish broth? It is, right, Sord?""Don't ask me, I ain't seen any fish either." Sord replied. He shook his head as he watched Elk pat his belly with a blissful smile on his face."Say, ain't that kid from our unit?" Sord asked Elk."Hm? Lemme see." Elk replied. He put his palm above his eyes and stared intently at the kid, who was still wolfing down food."Might be. Remember that black hair. Not his name though. What was it again? Ark? Ariel?" Elk tilted his head and frowned as he racked his brain, then burped and smiled as he patted his belly."Ah! Got it!." Sord slammed his fist on the table, "It's Mark. He was there at that briefing we had this morning.""He was? Must've missed 'im." Elk replied. He burped again. "Thought he was from somewhere else.""Think he'll be fine here? Looks a bit scrawny if you ask me." Sord said."He's only as scrawny as you. He'll be fine. At least he's eating to bulk up. You'll be scrawny for life." Elk laughed.If he were to compare the three of them, the two would end up right beside each other. Sord was taller, so that made him look more scrawny. And Elk may well be bulkier than the two together."If you're worried, we can bring 'im with us to train after this. Though it's odd a city rat like you cares."Elk was certain that Sord was a city rat from his hollow cheeks, dull eyes, pale skin, grey hair and thin figure. Also, Sord told him."I care 'cause I'm a city rat, dumbass. We either watch each other's backs or we croak." Sord replied.That, Elk understood. He hailed from a farming town where the town owned the farms and not the people. Everyone cared for it like theirs and even if they disagreed on some stuff, they fixed it peacefully. Everyone worked together and cared for one another."So, what you wanna do head rat? Gather all the kids in our unit?" Elk asked."There's no other kids in our unit dumbass. There's barely five of them other than three of us if you count the kid." Sord replied."Oh. Well unlucky you then." Elk laughed and patted Sord's back. A bit hard maybe, since Sord winced when he did. "Look, the kid's done. Let's go over to 'im and head to the training ground." Elk said.Mark had just finished his meal and was stacking his plates and bowls."Best be quick. Sheesh. I've never seen a hall so full in my life. And it's this big!" Elk stood and turned around the hall. It was wider than any of the barns in his town. It might just be wider than three or four barns together."Stop staring like an idiot and go put our plates black. I'll go get the kid" Sord rose and tried to put the plates in Elk's hands.Elk moved away before he could."Nuh-uh. I'll go get the kid. You go put the plates."Elk laughed as he ran towards Mark.-Many people gathered in the training ground. It was smaller than a farm plot back at Elk's town. But large enough - it seemed - to fit this group of people in it, which included Elk."So, you a volunteer too, kid? I can smell the farm off you. It's fresh." Elk looked at the black haired boy standing to his right.The boy barely reached his shoulder, his dark brown eyes had dark areas under them and he was not focusing on the captain addressing them all.The boy nodded his head."Sheesh, kid. You gotta speak more. You don't got to be nervous, we're in the same unit Mark. I'm Elk and this is Sord." Elk pointed his finger at himself, then at Sord standing to his left. There three of them were among many others listening to the captain speak."Or you can keep ignoring this dumbass, which would be fine." Sord replied."'Ey, don't go giving 'im ideas like that." Elk scowled at Sord."Or you can tell me 'bit 'bout yourself, kid. Why'd ya volunteer?" Elk glanced at Mark with the side of his eyes.Mark kept staring forward and did not respond."Fair enough." Elk nodded and stared at the captain who was still speaking to them.After the captain was done, he moved to the log behind him and addressed the crowd."Now, have any of you noticed how the log seems different?" He shouted.Elk squinted his eyes but could not tell the difference.One of the people raised his hand and shouted, "It's more white than yellow.""Correct!" The captain shouted, "Now, this log is painted white for your sakes! But do not mistake the bastards when you meet them! Consider this their belly! Their whites! Their unguarded flesh!! This is where you aim!""And this is what you do when you see it!" The captain unhooked a flask from his belt and threw it on the log.But nothing happened."Hmm?" Elk leaned closer but he couldn't see what happened, if anything even happened. And he was not the only one, many were gawking at the log."The flask was empty! Dimwits!" The captain shouted, "But this is what will happen when it isn't!"A soldier brought him what seemed to be a tiny wood piece. The captain unhooked another flask, uncorked it and dripped one drop of the liquid onto the wood.Then, the wood piece burned with a white flame. Elk almost couldn't see it because of the sunlight."This flame will not burn anything else! That also means it won't spread to other bastards."The captain swung his hand and the liquid in the flask spread all over the crowd."Aah!" They screamed and tumbled. Elk shrieked. A moment later, they realised nothing happened."Neither will the oil burn anything but the bastards, you dimwits!" The captain shouted."This is wood-oil! Each flask costs a week of your wages! You will always carry two in your belt! Lose or break any and it's the mess hall for you!"He continued, "And this wood piece is burning-wood! After the bastards are done burning, some of them leave burning-wood pieces! Hand them to logistics and you will be rewarded!"Elk's eyes sparkled when he heard there would be a reward."Now," The captain shouted, "There will be leaf-covered and bark-covered bastards. The leaves burn, so throw your flasks! The barks don't burn, so don't throw your flask! Break the bark to show the whites beneath, then burn them! Clear!?"Another soldier arrived and handed the captain a rope."Many of these ropes have hooks or weights at the end! Throw them over the bastards, cooperate and restrain them! Clear!?""The weights and hooks can be easily detached if you know how! On the northern edge of the barricade, are many rope wheels and rope blocks! Secure your ropes at these machines to better restrain the bastards! Or secure them however you can!""These flasks and ropes will be your bread and butter! You can bring and use anything else so long as it works!""That will be all! You will be given your flasks at a later time! Now train like your lives depend on it! Because they do!"Elk could barely hide his eagerness when the captain left. He shook Sord to his left and Mark to his right. He would definitely make a name for himself!