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Warning to Zeronova: Your opinion of this one'll probablybe only marginally better than Magi.
Without an heir, the king died.
Without a unifying ruler, the lords of each region battled for supremacy, caring more about their standing than the welfare of their countrymen. As a result, monsters have gotten back their footholds and entered the campaign.
Many previously neutral villages had been pulled into pulled into the conflict. Those that took up arms in defiance of lords or monsters were generally razed and survivors were taken prisoner, or were brought under the army’s reign. The towns that accepted the lord were often dismantled and the capable men were drafted.
Word had arrived about the chaos and the mayor knew of what would happen, he would not let their freedom fall. Intelligent villagers were trained as wizards or clerics. Capable men were trained as soldiers. Everyone else worked to made up for the lost manpower.
Even though it wasn’t much, it was the best that could be done. No independent village could ever match the skill or equipment of a professional army, nor could they obtain the same number of soldiers; the lords had made certain.
Mercenaries became rich and peasants poor. The four lords each conquered by using their own methods. Duke Franz, known as the Black King, hired mercenaries to do the harder jobs while the bulk of his army took large quantities of land. Lord Hurrath, known as the White King, held his position through respect, sending the most promising of his soldiers to monasteries to become paladins. Baron Brooks, the Gold King, obtained seemingly endless wealth and bribed invaders to leave and, when that failed, he’d employ others to defeat the oppressors. Lord Dornith, the Judge, struggled to forge alliances to prevent unnecessary bloodshed, whether his or theirs.
Finally the lines broke.
“Hey Gregory, do you think anyone is even going to attack this place?” A brown-haired swordsman asked.
“Don’t know and I don’t care. I’m getting paid more as a soldier than a farmer, and if I die in a fight, then at least I’ll have fought for this town’s freedom. How ‘bout you, Cedric?” Gregory replied, leaning on his spear.
“I’m thankful for the extra gold, but I’d rather not have to worry about a fight, let alone my own death. I liked my job as a smith a lot better.”
“Be glad you didn’t get assigned as a weapon or armor smith. You’d be working non-stop.”
“Shows what you know.” Cedric replied.
“What are you talking about?”
“Haven’t you wondered why I disappear after practice and don’t arrive until late in the night?”
“I’ve had my guesses…” Gregory chuckled, running a hand through his short black hair. “But it looks like I was off.”
“Night shift; I have to finish any weapons and armor the others couldn’t finish during the day; lazy oafs can’t finish what they start.”
“Damn, you’ve got it rough. At least you’ve got a house to stay in instead of a barracks.”
“Some luck, I’ve got to share it with you, Calim, and Breanne.”
“At least there’s Breanne.” Gregory grinned, closing one of his green eyes and elbowing Cedric in the ribs.
“And she gets the only bed.”
“Well, if one of us plays their cards right, she wouldn’t be the only one that gets it. But, man, you’re depressing; maybe Calim will cheer you up. Here he comes.”
The wiry blond man came running over with a bag full of food.
“Can you two help me out? This thing is too heavy!” Calim whined.
“Give me that.” Gregory said taking it off his hands. “How’s your training coming?”
“I’ve gotten better. The bolts hit the target most of the time now. I still need to be able to get the center, but still…”
They arrived at a small, somewhat run down house. Cedric pulled out a key and unlocked the door. As they stepped in they saw a fairly chubby man with unkempt brown hair rummaging through a closet.
“Who the hell are you?” Gregory shouted, tossing the bag of food to Cedric and raised his spear like a javelin.
“I’ve been assigned to this house, the barracks is full. My name is Deckart Crosley.”
“How’d you get in?” Calim asked.
“Open window. Now, who are-”
“What were you doing going through our things?” Calim asked.
“Just curious. Now, who are you?”
“Cedric Quezada.” Cedric replied as he put the bag of food on a table.
“Calim Russale.”
“Alright, who’s the black haired hulk?”
“Gregory Leblaque, and if I were you, I’d watch my back.”
“It can speak.” Deckart muttered. “Anyway, I noticed there are women’s clothes in the closet too. Is there someone else or is one of you a little… off?”
“That would be Breanne Menith.” Cedric replied.
“Excellent. Now where shall I be staying?”
“There’s only one bed and it’s Breanne’s. The floor is all yours. If you want something to sleep on, you can get it yourself.” Cedric said.
The door creaked as it opened. Deckart spun around and hobbled over to the thin brown haired woman.
“You must be Breanne! I’ve heard so much about you!” Deckart began.
“What do I do?” She asked pessimistically.
“Um… priestess?”
“Priestess?”
“I mean sorceress.”
She seemed unimpressed. “I’m a swordswoman. I’m surprised the rapier wasn’t enough of a hint.”
“I missed a few details. So, how about you and me…”
“Get lost, you’re short and fat. I’ll only go out with a tall, strong man.” She replied pushing him out of the doorway.
Gregory hurried over after hearing that. “Like me?” He asked hopefully, flexing in a rehearsed manner.
“Too tall and too strong; if you two haven’t gotten the hint, I’ll spell it out for you: I’m not going to be with either of you.”
“Yeah, yeah… well, now that you’re here, it’s your turn to cook.” Gregory said.
“You can just cook for yourselves. Besides, I ate after practice.” She replied in a detached voice, entering her room.
After they ate Cedric left to go to the forge. Before he returned, everyone else was already asleep.
A knocking came at the door early the next morning. Cedric was the one to answer, though still half asleep.
“…where?”
“To the south; a sentry from there came saying he saw some one-armed man with a sword running through the forest. Ordinarily I couldn’t care less, but the sentry swears the man had flown above the trees for a few minutes. He also claims that after killing a bear with a single swing, some blue mist came from the body and the man swallowed it.”
“Just me or everyone?”
“I said: the people in this house.”
“Understood, but what if we find him?”
“Bring him back here. We’ll have him help us, leave the area, or die. We can’t allow any potential scouts to escape.”
“We’ll leave right away.”
The mayor nodded and left.
Forgetting everyone was still asleep, he shouted for everyone to wake up.
Everyone came to his call, ready have him lynched.
“We’re heading south to find some weird guy with a sword.”
“Right now?” Deckart asked.
“Mayor’s orders. If we find him, we bring him back.”
Everyone got his or her things together and Calim ran out to get food for the trip. Within an hour, they were off on their two-day walk south.
For most monsters that will be appearing, they're going to be from Dungeons and Dragons, but when you consider how many theyare in all the editions...
Also, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to help me out as an editor (or something). Before I post it, I'd like someone who'd be able to read through the chapter and make suggestions on what could be improved (avoiding clichees, removing ambiguity, necessary explinations, etc.). If you can help, please contact me either through a review or my e-mail (posted under my bio).
I can't think of much else to say, except: hopefully this will help fill in the gap between updates for Spirit War and Magi (this one will be updating on Wednesdays & Saturdays). I hope you enjoy.
