The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 1
The Meeting --- Mud and ash. Those were the only words that could describe this dreary excuse of a city. The rotting wooden facades of the creaking, decrepit buildings slouched over the puddle-strewn roads, the melting snow and ice upon their...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 2
The Job --- Martin stared at himself in the mirror, which reflected the lavish hallway that he stood in. The floors, walls, and ceilings were all made up of a decorative light-brown marble. Decorative chandeliers lined the ceiling down the hallway,...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 3
The Departure --- Following our little meeting with Hawthorne, to our collective surprise and delight, he provided us each with a small chunk of our promised payment: five thousand salir each, in cash, or more than enough to get us as far as Oslost,...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 11
Betrayal --- I woke up, but kept my eyes closed. I drew in a large breath, and could feel Larissa's arm over my chest. For a moment, all was tranquil, but then I noticed the throbbing pain in my head and remembered everything that had occurred the...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 4
A Day to Remember --- “What do you mean _delayed_?" I awoke to a hushed, whispery snap. It sounded like Novka. “The've sta'ed shellin' the front line 'aight where we need to cross," I heard Henrich snap back quietly. During the...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 10
Paths Converge --- I made my way through the dark streets. Despite the late hour, all seemed busy around me. People strode by, talked, walked in and out of the restaurants and stores that were all around…No one took any notice of the hunched over,...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 5
The Crossing --- I was woken up the next morning by Martin. I opened my eyes to see him standing over me, staring down with his characteristiclly indifferent look. I felt embarrassed for being sprawled out across the floor in such an...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 7
The Front Never Sleeps --- Something fell to the ground with a thud – it sounded like the end table that was next to my narrow, white bed. How long had I been asleep? A few hours, maybe? I didn't feel very tired. Perhaps I was only out for a few...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 8
Silence Precedes Violence --- “Papers," the unshaven border agent stated with indifference as I reached into my coat for the fake documents. Our train had pulled into the station at the Janvelt-Oslost border right around late morning, but it was...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 6
The Road to Oslost --- We had decided to walk straight for the next town, Yestloblast, to catch the train to the Easternmost border of the Northern Territories, where we could board another engine for Oslost. The whole journey would take...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 12
Second Chance --- The broom that I had shoved under the door snapped in two the third time I slammed my boot down heavily upon it. I braced myself for the wave of pain that would follow, cursing as I did so – it was getting to the point that...
The Other Side of the Front - Chapter 9
A Very New, Familiar Acquaintance --- The streets of the old Royal Park – an odd name, considering that Oslost was, as far as I had gathered, traditionally ruled by a duke or duchess, for some strange reason – were bustling with activity. It was a...