Spodilicious
  • News
    • Home
    • Contents
  • Rage Virus
    • Part 1 - A police story
    • Part 2 - Attrition
    • Part 3 - Going nowhere
    • Part 4 - Special Weapons and Tactics
    • Part 5 - Tactical retrograde
    • Part 6 - Mission accomplished
    • Part 7 - It's pretty much all downhill from here
    • Part 8 - Hollerton Field
    • Part 9 - Out of the frying-pan
    • Part 10 - How few remain
  • Five Men in Ukraine
    • Five Men in Ukraine: 30 October 1943
    • Five Men in Ukraine: 05 November 1943
    • Five Men in Ukraine: 14 November 1943
    • Five Men in Ukraine: 29 November 1943
    • Five Men in Ukraine: 13 December 1943
  • First Bishops' War
  • DBA
    • Mongols v Georgians
    • Timurids v Georgians
    • Mongols v Il-khanids
    • Mongols v Il-khanids II
    • Pre-feudal Scots v Anglo-Danish
    • Caledonians v Scots-Irish
    • Vikings v Saxons
    • Mongol campaign
    • Ming v Mongols campaign
    • Picts v Strathclyde Britons
    • Mongols v Russians
    • Russians v Swedes
    • Danes v Prussians
    • Kaykhusraw & the Mongols
    • Köse Dağ
    • Mongols in Korea
    • Mongols in Korea II
    • Yuan v Koreans
    • The Danes in Estonia
    • Danes v Estonians
    • Norwegians v Scots 1263
  • SF
    • Sladden >
      • Sladden - chapter 0
      • Sladden - chapter 1
      • Sladden - chapter 2
      • Sladden - interlude I
      • Sladden - chapter 3
      • Sladden - chapter 4
      • Sladden - chapter 5
      • Sladden - interlude II
      • Sladden - chapter 6
    • Dunhold >
      • Dunhold I - the raid
      • Dunhold II - the Guffinsson device
      • Dunhold III - a walk in the country
      • Dunhold IV - assassin's greed
      • Dunhold V - assault on precinct XIII
      • Dunhold VI - hostage & rescue
      • Dunhold VII - the gun
      • Dunhold VIII - tank shock
      • Dunhold IX - raid on Beteneb
      • Dunhold X - firebase Ragnhild
      • Dunhold XI - hit and run
      • Dunhold XII - just-in-time logistics
      • Dunhold XIII - infiltration
      • Dunhold XIV - Applewhite & Nettles
      • Dunhold XV - 'They've got a cave troll!'
      • Dunhold XVI - The bridges at Itrook
    • Dalek Invasion >
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 1
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 2
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 3
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 4
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 5: Bob's story
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 6: Bob's story (2)
      • Dalek invasion - chapter 7: Dalek hunters
      • Dalek invasion - cast
    • Voyage of the USS Minotaur
    • Mutants & Death Ray Guns >
      • From Dust: Introduction >
        • From Dust: Prologue
        • From Dust: Chapter 1 - the Trademaster
        • From Dust: Chapter 2 - the Wretched
        • From Dust: Chapter 3 - the Device
        • From Dust: Chapter 4 - Tucamari
      • Big Dode in the wastelands >
        • 1 - The ordeal
        • 2 - The rats
        • 3 - An ally
        • 4 - Scorpion!
        • 5 - Water! Water!
        • 6 - Cornered rats
        • 7 - The river
        • 8 - R-10-T
        • 9 - The pilgrims
        • 10 Hostile contacts
        • Appendix 1 - Bestiary
      • Don Chimpanzino
      • Therianthropes are go!
      • Against the Wretched >
        • Against the Wretched - 1
        • Against the Wretched - 2
        • Against the Wretched - 3
      • Rangers of the wasteland >
        • RotW scene I
        • RotW scene II
    • Five Parsecs from Home: The Independent Scout part 1
    • Five Parsecs from Home: The Independent Scout part 2
    • Five Parsecs from Home: Squall's Legacy
    • Five Parsecs from Home: Jot the Jawa
    • Five Parsecs from Home - Arcadian Phoenix
    • Schar's World
    • Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Goats, Rats and Pigs >
      • Chapter 1
    • Marines v Aliens
    • Fallout >
      • Fallout - part 1
      • Fallout - part 2
      • Fallout - Resistance part 1
      • Fallout - Resistance part 2
    • England Invaded! >
      • Ottoman airship raiders
      • A sharp action at Fawkham
      • On the road to Canterbury
    • Gangs of New Neasden >
      • Gangs of New Neasden part 2
    • Post-Brexit Gangs of Middlesborough
    • Operation Last Train
    • Silver Thorn
    • Goblin Civil War
  • Dark Ages skirmish
    • Dark Ages skirmish: Chapter 1
    • Dark Ages skirmish: Chapter 2
    • Dark Ages skirmish: Chapter 3
  • Douglas of the 92nd.
    • Douglas of the 92nd. - the supply column
    • Douglas of the 92nd. - the heliograph station
  • The First World War
    • Mesopotamia
    • Trench raiding
    • Panzer Angst September 15th 1916
    • Freikorps
    • Biplane Barmy
    • 1914
    • 1914 - Opening Moves
    • Night falls over Jutland
    • 1919
    • Zeppelin L33 over England
    • Journey's End
  • Horse & Musket
    • Meyvaci Ali and the British invasion
    • Meyvaci Ali and the troublesome dervish
    • Meyvaci Ali and the Albanian raiders
    • Meyvaci Ali and the caravan
    • Meyvaci Ali and the tax collector
    • Meyvaci Ali and the customs-house
    • Meyvaci Ali and the revolting Martolos
    • Meyvaci Ali and the Albanian menace
    • Napoleonic Ottomans
    • Late 17th century >
      • Kirk o Shotts
      • Covenanters at Pitlochry
      • Auchtermuchty
    • Jacobites
    • O Brien's Farm
    • Turks v Russians
    • Turks v Russians 2
    • The Peninsula
    • Altdorf April 23rd 1813
    • Alcuesta
    • The Old West
  • Samurai
    • Lord Sugiyama and the ten ronin
    • Neshikocho 1618
    • Ikko-ikki
  • Arty farty
    • Aberlemno
    • Acharn
    • Aikey Brae
    • Balgorkar (Castle Fraser)
    • Barra Hill
    • Brandsbutt stone
    • Broomend of Crichie
    • Clune
    • Croft Moraig
    • Cullerlie
    • Cuween Hill
    • Dunnideer
    • Clach an Tiompain / Eagle Stone
    • Cnoc Freiceadain
    • Eassie
    • Easter Aquhorthies
    • Glassel
    • Inveravon
    • Kilmartin Glen
    • Kintore stone
    • Kirkton of Bourtie
    • Lenabo
    • Leuchar Moss
    • Loanhead of Daviot
    • Loch Kinord
    • Machrie Moor
    • Maiden Stone
    • Meigle
    • Midmar Kirk
    • Migvie
    • Mulloch
    • Sunhoney
    • Tollohill
    • Tomnaverie
    • Auchindoun
    • Fedderate castle
    • Fowlsheugh
    • Slains castle
    • Bullers o Buchan
    • Camster
    • Coire Fraoichidh / Corrichie
    • Cruden Bay
    • Gourdon
    • Kinclaven
    • Loch Eich
    • Nairn beach
    • Newburgh
    • Perwinnes Moss (Scotstown Moor)
    • St. Fillans
    • Cairn o Mounth
    • Animals
    • Interesting rocks
    • And quiet flows the Dee
    • Enchanted Forest, Pitlochry
    • Strange skies
    • Covid-19 lockdown
    • One tree, one year
    • The trees
  • Fantasy
    • Song of Blades & Heroes >
      • A cautionary tale
      • Song of Arthur & Merlin
      • Succession
      • The short-lived adventures of Yark the kobold
      • Gondor v Orcs
      • Cormyr - introduction >
        • Cormyr - the watchtower
        • Cormyr - the ambush
        • Cormyr - the outpost
      • The adventures of Zou Kov >
        • The palace of Covidius I
        • The palace of Covidius II
        • The palace of Covidius III
        • The palace of Covidius IV
        • The howling
        • The beacon
        • The castle
        • Assassination
        • Run out of town
        • A new start
        • Kobold caves
      • The Dark Company
      • Theophylact the Tendentious
      • Alquin of Barrowdale
      • The Young Kingdoms
      • Zothique
      • Hyperborea
      • Vadagh
    • Lord of the Rings >
      • Mahud & Haradrim v Gondor
      • Hobbits v goblins
      • Rohan v Dunlendings
      • Gondor v Haradrim & Mahud
      • Gondor v Dunlendings
      • Faramir at Osgiliath
    • Five Leagues from the Borderlands
  • Second World War
    • Atlantic Convoy SC41
    • Burma 1943
    • Martelange
    • Dzyatlava
    • Monopoly Blitz
    • Ten minutes on a Burmese afternoon
    • Neil Thomas
    • Manchuria
    • D-Day
    • Bolt Action >
      • Encounter at Villages Pas Vrai
      • Manhunt
      • The secret agent
      • Envelopment
  • Irish independence
  • Who thought this was a good idea?
  • Modern
    • Afghanistan 2009
    • AK47 Republic
  • Terrain
    • Terrain showcase
  • Back catalogue
    • Aberdeen Beyond 2000
    • MDRG four-way scrap
    • Published articles
  • Le salon des spods
    • Semi-random scenario generation
  • Extended universe
    • Spodlight
    • Spodcast
    • There Will Be Spods
    • Spodify
  • All Under One Banner
    • All Under One Banner 03 June 2017
    • All Under One Banner 05 May 2018
    • All Under One Banner 04 May 2019
    • All Under One Banner 17 August 2019
    • All Under One Banner 07 October 2019
    • All Under One Banner 11 January 2020
    • All Under One Banner 02 April 2022
  • China 1937
  • Scrapbook
  • Fear & Faith

Bullock and his squad marched upriver for several days until they were near the official administrative border of the republic. As they went Nantsen, who had grown up in the area, pointed out landmarks and told anecdotes from his childhood, and the others began to share his appreciation of the rolling hills, quite different from the flatter land nearer the coast. The next day they proceeded with a higher level of vigilance, ready for action at short notice.  Late in the day they saw smoke and cautiously approached what turned out to be a cluster of houses. Speaking to the people there they learned that they had not seen any Wretched for years.  After spending the night there they pushed on up the riverbank.  Two days later they came upon an isolated house sited close to the river and saw outside it several bodies lying on the ground.  Very cautiously, and after donning their respirators and protective gloves they investigated the area and found two dead people inside the building and four dead Wretched outside.  The people, they assumed, had defended their home against the Wretched and been overpowered. Their weapons were missing, the house had been ransacked, and the people had been dead, they estimated, about two weeks..  Clearly more of the Wretched had survived and had moved on.  They examined the area and found very faint tracks heading not downstream towards more settled areas or upstram to where - they assumed - the Wretched had come from but away from the river into rough, overgrown land,  The rangers followed the tracks as far as they could but soon lost them. 

With no obvious trail to follow they returned to the farmouse, to find a man standing there.  After  wary standoff they found that his name was Reed, and that he was a neighbour - his family farm lay at the other side of the river. He indicated his small boat moored nearby and said that would check on the Bakers - the people who had died defending their farm - every so often and they checked on him.  Reed offered to accompany them as long as they were in territory he was familiar with.  First they buried the Bakers, leaving the Wretched lying, and followed the trail into the scrubland again.  Baker was able to follow the Wretched's path further than the rangers had, but also lost them after a time.  He suggested that the Wretched had been deliberately covering their tracks, a sign of more intelligence than the rangers usually attributed to Wretched. 





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