Nightmare journey

Once in the trees, they ran forward in doubletime, hurried past Jask and Tedesco's post and on toward the open end of the meadow, as if their enemy lay that way.
    Tedesco lowered his rifle and said, “Did you see them? Dressed in bright blue clothes, carrying blue rifles? I don't think they even know we're here.”
    “Then what-”
    At that moment half a dozen red-clad soldiers, toting red weapons, clambered into the limestone ring where Jask and Tedesco had made camp. They paid no heed to the espers, trod across the bulging rucksack and the fresh fruit that had been picked earlier in the day. Pears, apples and berries squashed beneath their feet. They took up positions at breaks in the limestone and began firing on the blue soldiers.
    “INADEQUACY OF FORWARD MOVEMENT NOW PUTS BLUE ON DEFENSIVE AND RED ON OFFENSIVE.''
    “I don't understand at all,” Jask said.
    “I think I do,” Tedesco said. He walked up to the nearest red soldier and tapped him on the shoulder.
    The soldier kept shooting at the enemy.
    Tedesco tapped harder.
    The soldier ignored him.
    Tedesco lifted the steel barrel of his rifle and slammed it down on the top of the soldier's head.
    The soldier didn't flinch.
    Jask walked over and inspected the shallow dent in the top of the red soldier's head. He said, “They're just machines.”
    “Unquestionably,” Tedesco said.
    At that moment half a dozen blue soldiers appeared from the open end of the field, entered the limestone-circled camp behind the red troops holding it, and deactivated the enemy with several bursts of violet light. The six red troopers tottered a moment, without uttering a word of surprise or pain, then fell over with loud, metallic clanging noises. These triumphant intruders, Jask realized, were those who had earlier split from the main body of the blue army, had entered the woods and circled behind the advancing red soldiers.
    “BLUE CAPTURES A VITAL STRONGHOLD AND STRENGTHENS ITS POSITION ON THE SOUTH END.”
    “Some ancient form of entertainment?” Jask asked.
    “More likely, a training ground for military strategists,” the bruin said. “The disembodied giant's voice you hear is to call observers' attention to special points of interest. The machines are set up to fire only at their own kind, with beams that probably wouldn't hurt a man. And since they ignore us altogether, while carefully avoiding us, we are able to walk among them for firsthand observation.”
    A blue soldier, bent over to avoid the crisscrossing plentitude of purple lightning bolts, dashed for the opening to the limestone formation, gingerly sidestepped Jask and Tedesco as if they were not there, and joined his clockwork comrades behind the palisades. His face was set in a caricature of courage and determination, the steel lips tight, the glittering eyes staring straight ahead.
    “HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT INITIATED BY RED COMMANDO UNIT AT SOUTHWEST CORNER. THREE BLUE MECHANICALS INACTIVATED. RED LOSSES: ONE.”
    “But what started all this going?” Jask wondered.
    “Perhaps our presence did it,” Tedesco said. “Or maybe there are regular mock battles here all the time. I've noticed that some of the robots are in good repair, while others are dented, rusted, and some are missing parts of their bodies.”
    As if anxious to provide an example of what Tedesco had said, another blue soldier shambled up to join his fellows in the limestone ring. He was missing his right foot and one bright eyeball, but seemed undeterred by his injuries.
    “I have a feeling this might go on all night,” Jask said. Around them the soldiers clanked, fired sizzling bolts of light, all to the booming commentary of the unseen announcer.
    “There's one way to be sure it doesn't,” Tedesco said. He lifted his power rifle and destroyed the nearest blue soldier. The blast did not merely deactivate it, but tore it in two. “We'll make sure that one side or the other wins as quickly as possible.”
    Jask grinned. “Shall we begin?”
    They wiped out the blue soldiers who had intruded into their campsite. None of the mechanicals offered a defense or even seemed to be aware that they were under attack by anyone but the red army.
    “MAJOR COUP BY THE RED FORCES. CREATIVE STRATEGY AS YET UNANALYZED. MORE TO FOLLOW.”
    “I see about a dozen blue soldiers over there,” Jask said, pointing, leading the way.
    They sauntered across the field, violet streaks of light hissing by them, mechanical soldiers engaged in hand-to-hand combat on both sides, and they destroyed