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Seth awoke to the sound of footsteps. He didn't dare move in case it was... well in case it was anyone really. He noticed that they were coming from the direction of the clearing. 'Did they follow me? No, I was too carful for that.' he thought to himself. There was no way for whoever it was to know Seth was there, he was too high up to see through the leaves, plus he scattered the remains of the fire from last night into the woods and covered the pit with leaves. He was a bit worried, however, when he realized that he hadn't policed his brass. 'Shit... I hope they didn't notice it was Basitin ammo.' After they were gone, he jumped down and headed out for another day.

Seth decided he should probably go back and collect his brass, better late than never. When he crested the hill he saw a figure lying on the ground and quickly concealed himself behind a tree. He poked his head around the trunk and saw that he wasn't moving; it appeared he had noose around his neck. Seth surveyed the surroundings and when he saw no one he approached the man. It was a human, and based on the fact that he wasn't still hanging, he didn't do it to himself. 'Wait a minute' Seth thought to himself. He could have sworn he saw the man move. When the man did move Seth jumped nearly a foot, but quickly took the still very tight noose from around his neck. Sure enough, the man was still breathing, but unconscious. He couldn't figure out why, but something told Seth he couldn't just leave him there. Using the same rope he tied the man's hands in case he woke up, and then carried him into the woods. Seth later came back for the man's rifle.

It was some time before the man, whose nametag said R. JOHNSON, woke up. By this time Seth had made another fire and was boiling water for the MREs since he didn't have the magic to boil it himself.

"*cough cough* ugh, huh, where am I..." Then he noticed Seth, "You fucking furfag, untie me right now or-"

"Or what? Hmm? Just shut up and be thankful you're alive."

"How did you get past the guards and knock me out without drawing attention?"

"What are you talking about? When I found you, you were left for dead with a noose around your neck. It looks like human grade rope too."

"They did it, they actually did it. They said someone would have to take the blame for the death of those scouts, I didn't think this is what they meant..."

Seth felt responsible for this, but at the same time he couldn't hold back a laugh.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?"

"We are in the same boat here buddy: Wanted dead by our own people." Taking a bite of his meal, Seth continued, "You, however, have the luxury of being dead. They won't be looking for you."

"No, fuck that. I'll just go to my CO and tell him what really happened."

"I'm sure he already knows. If you go back, they'll just kill you... again."

He was quiet for a while after that. When he finally did speak again he seemed to be less aggressive. "So... what's your story then?"

"Almost the same. Missing private, charged with treason. A good friend of mine let me escape the night before I was to be executed. I have a feeling I was deliberately framed though. Someone really doesn't like me."

Again there was a long silence.

Soon Johnson was starting to nod off. Seth figured this was as good of a time as any to leave. He waited for him to fall asleep completely before untying him. He left him with a few MREs and the man's side arm. Seth took his rifle, however, and all the ammo for it. 'Sorry buddy, I need this more than you, I think.' When he was a safe distance away, he stopped to examine the rifle. The Basitin military gave everyone a crash course in enemy firearms, but it focused mainly on how they incorporated magic into them. This one was simple though: just a standard assault rifle, no attachments or optics. He cycled a few rounds to get a feeling for how it functioned and made sure he knew how to turn the safety off. The human rifle shot a much smaller round than the Basitin's, and Seth hoped the rate of fire and accuracy would make up for it. After he had reassembled it, Seth slung it over his shoulder and headed out in search of who knows what.