| The Eastern Revolution |
An RP Duke Krasksagon and I have written. It is great, probably my best, not sure if it is his best, but it is quite well written! I have taken out the names and everything to make it look more like a story and less like a big jumble of Messages! I hope you all enjoy the first part I've posted, I will post more soon. We have been working on this for three, count 'em, THREE Eras! This is a continuation of the Desert of Bones story. We do this for fun, not for RP points! Anyways, enjoy the read.
Antonis sat in his room in the Knights of the Orb's stronghold, he was the Second in Command of Lucias Septim II. It had been five years since Antonis had changed his ways and became a hero instead of a pirate, five years since the Civil War of the Eastern Continent, and five years since the discovery of the orb. A knock came to Antonis's door and Antonis went to answer, a travel weary man stood there.
"Ahh, hello Visius...what brings you here?", asked Antonis.
"I have a letter for you, Sir Xarxes...from a wizard...", said Visius.
***
A man in dark scarlet robes sat in the corner of a tavern. Clouds of cigar and pipe smoke made the air thick and tainted slightly blue. Rowdy, drunken men hollered and sang, pounding their mugs to the table in rhythm to the music.
Suddenly, the dark tavern was illuminated as three new people entered the tavern through the door flap. The room grew silent and men began to back away. The first man was nearly seven feet tall with a great big beard. He wore a gaudy blue robe and a pointed hat in the traditional (and ridiculous-looking) wizards style. The two men beside him were younger and dressed in simple gray robes.
The giant of a man roared "A good evening to you all! Hasgoth greets you! Now, where can I find an empty table?"
A cluster of men dressed in farmers clothing scattered, leaving their table free for the three wizards.
"Good, good!" the head wizard shouted, clapping his hands together. "Now for the mead! Come on! Drinks!"
Two young boys rushed over carrying a pitcher of ale and several tin mugs. They quickly filled the mugs and backed away.
"Good, good! Now wheres the women?"
The room grew dead silent.
***
"A mage? I'll look at it later, thank you...", said Antonis as he took the letter and put it on his desk, it was late he realized as he looked out the window.
"In the morning, when I am fresh, I will look at it...", said Antonis as he got ready for bed.
***
"I said, where are the women?" shouted the wizard. "The dancers, the pretty waitresses, where are they?"
Again, no answer. Then the bartender approached, slowly and meekly. "Sir, we do not hire any dancers. This humble tavern is run by myself and my two sons, that is all. You must forgive--"
"Forgive? Hah! Not to worry, not to worry!" the wizard shouted. "Ill just fix the problem myself then."
"What?" The nervous owner of the tavern dropped a tray he was carrying when he saw the wizard poise up to cast a spell. "What are you--?"
Octane shot from the wizards fingertips and struck the tavern owners two sons. The two boys fell back as their bodies began to change.
What are you-- no you arent
"Gentlemen, here are our ladies!" laughed the wizard. "I've always said change is a good thing, hahah!"
The man in scarlet robes had been watching the event unfold with a smile on his face. Yes Hasgoth, a formidable wizard who had been terrifying peasant farming villages for nearly half a century now. Quite a womanizer, even if it meant altering a few lives in the process.
Perhaps it was time to put an end to the egotistical mans reign of terror. The law wouldnt touch him. The Magicians Guilds stopped sending agents to stop him decades ago. Few of the agents had ever returned, but hed heard the stories of dancers and women of ill repute come knocking at the guilds doors, claiming to have been someone different once.
Hasgoth was no fool, unfortunately. He was a very able magician, filled with forbidden knowledge and long-banned spells. He'd be difficult to stop, but he'll might as well try.
"Enough", the man in scarlet robes said, sliding his chair out noisily. Every head in the room turned toward him.
"And what do you mean by that, little boy?" Hasgoth teased. "I'm the one who says I've had enough, hahah!:
:Revert your spell and return the lads to the bodies they were born into", the scarlet-robed man demanded.
Hasgoth laughed. His two companions stepped back, sensing imminent turmoil.
"And what might your name be, little boy?"
The man in the scarlet robes stepped forward, lifting his hood off his head and pulling a staff out from underneath the table. "My name is Zilt. But dont bother remembering it. You wont have long to."
Hasgoth growled. "I think were about to have another pretty young lady in a second". He lifted his arm and shot another wave of blue octane magic at Zilt.
Zilt quickly murmured a spell under his breath. He held up his staff which had begun to glow. He whispered the last syllables just as Hosgoth's spell finished slicing through the air toward him.
There was a blinding flash of light. Zilt rubbed his eyes and slowly opened them, gazing down at his body. He breathed a sigh of relief he was still himself.
But Hasgoth, on the other hand, the deflection spell had worked perfectly. There were, indeed, now three dancers in the room. And one less womanizing magician.
Now that the show was over, Zilt decided it was best to move on. He didnt want to attract too much attention. Hasgoth had a number of followers, and he preferred to not be hunted down by angry wizards everywhere he went. But before he could get outside, the bartender pulled back at his arm.
"Please, sir, do something about my sons! he pleaded. Change them back!"
"Can't", Zilt replied. "Sorry. Hasgoth's curse is too strong for me to dispel. You could write an appeal to the Magician Guilds and ask for their Arch-chancellors to try, but honestly by the time they guild responds, if at all, you'll be used to life like this anyway. Just be glad Hasgoth did not curse their minds as well as their bodies."
"As for Hasgoth, she shouldn't remember anything about this so you're alright for now. And now if youll excuse me, I have other business to attend to."
Zilt pulled his hood down and quickly paced out the door. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he pulled a small letter from an inner pocket of his robe. It was time to go meet a certain ex-pirate, now-hero known as Antonis Xarxes
***
Antonis Xarxes woke with a start and tried to recall a strange dream that he could not remember.
"That was a weird one...", said Antonis as he walked over and saw his letter on the table.
"I said I would...", said Antonis as he walked over to the table, he opened his drawer and pulled out a steel dagger, he cut through the paper and pulled the letter out.
Sir Antonis Xarxes,
I have heard of your exploits and adventures and have concluded that you are a man of many skills and talents. Not only do you have the skills of a warrior, but the skills of a thief and rogue. On this adventure I am afraid that I need both. That is why I am going to visit you one week from today, please be ready.
Signed,
Zilt
"Zilt? Never heard of him...I guess I can meet him...", said Antonis as he put the letter back in the envelope and into his desk.
***
Zilt, wearing his scarlet robe and carrying his staff, trekked across the open countryside. He plucked an apple from an apple tree and bit into the juicy fruit. His mind was deep in thought. He was pondering the existence of gods. There was hardly an ancient legend without mention o*beep*reat deity. Surely all the original storytellers had, at some time, observed a divine interference of some sort. But Zilt had never seen a god, nor personally seen any miracle created by one.
In the stories the gods were generally wild and unpredictable. Their favor constantly shifted. Perhaps it was best to simply leave the gods alone. Maybe the gods had thought it was simply best to leave humans and the other sentient races alone too. Everything seemed to be working out fine. More or less.
By nightfall he had reached the foothills of the Monastery of the Orb where Antonis, the head of the monostary, would be waiting for him. Hed told Antonis to expect him in a week. But so far the journey had only taken four days, and entirely on foot. He hoped that somewhere inside the monastery was a warm bed waiting for him and someone to wash his dusty robes with warm, clean water.
Antonis was a legend, of sorts anyway. Hed once been a pirate, Zilt had heard, but after an a failed attack on a merchant vessel he and his companions joined with a knight and a warrior aboard the civilian craft, forming a company of adventurers and heroes. Antonis was rumored to be skilled with any blade and as strong as a be*beep*cond only to the heir of the Septim Empire. Zilt looked forward to meeting this man and seeing if the stories were true. In his experience, they usually werent.
***
Antonis held his sword hilt as he walked down to the inn where this mage, Zilt, was staying. The monestary neighbored a small city, which Lucias protected with his Knights in times of need in exchange for supplies. Antonis walked through the doors and sat at a table.
***
Zilt, sitting at the table in a corner of the inn, sipped his drink slowly, keeping his scarlet hood down to shadow his face. The only thing is he was the only one dressed in this attire, so it didnt really make him any less conspicuous. On the contrary, he stood out a bit, and no one had decided to sit in the tables next to him.
Then a new man entered inside the tavern. He was clearly not one of the peasants who came casually for mead, and the manner in which he walked indicated he was no regular knight. He seemed confident, but not so much he was trying to flaunt it. More like a modest confidence. The most dangerous kind.
Zilt stood up and approached the hero. So I heard you are a pirate. Is this true?
***
"Who's asking?", asked Antonis, aware that a man might have killed the real Zilt and could have taken his place.
***
"A friend, an enemy, a civilian, a soldier", Zilt replied. He wasnt sure if it made any sense. But wizards were known to say strange, profound things like that, and sooner or later someone would try and interpret it. "My name is Zilt. I bear a task entrusted to me by the Lodon Magicians Guild. And you are Antonis Xarxes, pirate hero, warrior, grandmaster of the Brotherhood of the Orb?"
***
"I am two of those things, was one of those things, and my master is the last. I am Antonis Xarxes, Master of the Brotherhood of the Orb. Now follow me to my home, unfriendly ears may listen here...", said Antonis as he rose and walked out the door, a few minutes later they arrived in Antonis's home and Antonis shut the door.
"Take a seat and we shall discuss what you wish to discuss...", said Antonis, still wary of Zilt.
***
"Have you ever heard of a man known as Rudmully? Chances are you haven't, as the Magician Guild likes to keeps his existance... quiet. Rudmully is a wizard, one of the cheif apprentices to the Octane Council. You don't need to know who the Octane Council is. I don't even know. But the Council sent a request to the Magician's Guild I was trained at.
"You are surely aware of the ongoing civil wars in the Eastern Continent. The Empire is crumbling between civil strife and barbarians invading from the north, and as of late foreign nations have begun sending navies and armies to claim the Empire's outer provinces in the chaos. Rudmully came to the continent to seek instruction in foreign magicks, but since this war has broken out he has not been seen or heard from since.
"So the Council now requests that I travel to the war-torn land and find Rudmully. And if at all possible, to convince the people of the Empire to come to peace before the barbarians infest every mile of sand. Or, if this is impossible, to simply talk to a general known as Dynaki and ensure our supply of Octane ore does not diminish through these difficult times.
"Now I'm sure you must be wondering what your part in all this is, then. To be honest, I am not sure myself, but the Council recommended I bring a swordsman with me, and I have heard great rumors about you above all the other mercenaries. You shall be paid for your service, of course. That is your part.
"Now we are to meet with one more before our travels begin, a lad known as Porus. A great diplomat, to do the negotiating. And, like all great diplomats, a skilled assassin as well.
"Well, I believe I have said all I need to," Zilt said. "What say you?"
***
"First I will go over a few things that you said. I believe I have heard the name Rudmully, but have not heard anything else about him before now. I am quite aware of the civil wars in the Eastern continent.", said Antonis, remembering the battle him, Lucias, Lorr, and the others shared, "I will go with you to the Eastern continent, I was hoping I wouldn't grow fat and old sitting in a monestary for the rest of my life...when will we leave?"
***
"Oh, surely you're willing to treat your guest to an evening of rest before we embark, I'm sure!" Zilt said.
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hehe, the bit about the two sons are somewhat familiar? still, its nice, is there any more?
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Hasgoth stepped back, faced the tavern, and gave a quick swish with her hand. The wooden shingles immediately ignited. In a few moments she began to hear screams coming from inside the building and watched as the roof collapsed on the people still inside. She laughed bitterly.
Zilt. Zilt. What a fool to have boasted his name. A deflection spell? He hadn't been expecting that, yes. A slip up. But she wouldn't be making any more. Hasgoth smiled. By this time next year, Zilt would be nothing more than a pile of ashes.
**********
The next morning Antonis and Zilt departed from the monostary and began their journey toward the coast, where they would meet up with the diplomat and catch a boat to the Eastern Continent.
***
Antonis held a staff made of a strange wood called Dyrbark, and he was also armed with his trusty cutlass, Redmane, and his shortsword, Bluewave. He also had six throwing knives hidden under his coat.
"Zilt, may I ask you why you did not enlist the help of any other swordsmen, surely there is somebody better than me? What about Lord Lucias, or some other hero?", asked Antonis.
***
"It is true, I heard of many great swordsmen and heroes," Zilt spoke, "and considered many. But there is indeed a reason I chose you and not them. First of all, I heard of your skills not from the peasant rabble, who would glorify a rabbit catcher as great as a god for the sake of mere entertainment. But you, on the other hand, I heard about only from knights who understand the difference between the stories and reality. And second... well... because I hope you still have a bit of pirate left in you. Not just all that hero stuff. Heroes, I find, are often quite... closed-minded in their methods. But pirates... pirates are open to anything and not bound by some petty code of honor or dishonor."
***
"Ahhh, well, Master Lucias has given me a code of honor to follow...but I will stray from it if there are no other options...", said Antonis, as they continued walking.
***
"Spoken like a wise man," Zilt said. "A wolf would not gnaw at its own leg to give the rabbit a fair chance to escape."
Days passed as the two traveled east. It was still early spring and the roads were covered with slush, and on occasion the night grew cold and a fresh layer of snow fell, only to melt the following afternoon and cause the ground to grow soggy.
Finally, they reached the port city where the diplomat lived. It was a busy season on the water, as all the merchant ships that would normally sail upstream to mainland were beginning to set out again now that the ice was melting.
Contrary to what one would have expected, Zilt led Antonis into a rougher part of town infested by gangs and violence. The occasional dead, decomposing body lay in the gutters and down sewer drains. The city guard never came this way, and to move a corpose, even as an act of public sanitation, meant risking one's own life. The magician and warrior caught a bit of attention in these parts.
"I was told to find him here," Zilt said as they approached a run-down shack. He knocked on the wooden door and waited for a response.
***
The door cracked open and a dirt covered face appeared.
"Who's there? I warn you, I'm armed and I can use my weapon well!", said the man.
"I am Sir Antonis Xarxes of the Knights of the Orb, and this is Zilt of the Magician's Guild", said Antonis.
***
The man narrowed his eyes. "Oh, are you now. And what are you here for exactly?"
"We are here to summon Pontus", Zilt said. "Quickly now. We havent much time."
"Porus? Cant say I know the fellow", the man said, beginning to close the door. However, it suddenly began stuck in what seemed to be mid-air. The man shoved at the door twice, cursing.
"Not so fast, kind sir. Pontus. Lean fellow. Tall. Gray hair, beard, and moustache. Looks like a monk, kind of. Good with words." Zilt leaned in close. "Long scar down his chest, and I imagine some stab wounds in his back too."
The mans eyes narrowed even further. "Pontus, you say". Who is asking for him?
"That, my friend, is of no concern to you."
The man laughed, small beads of saliva shooting into the air. "Everythings my business here, my friend. This is my part of the city. Please, come inside and Ill take you to your Pontus."
The mage and the knight stepped inside into a poorly-lit room. The walls were beginning to decay, littered with holes from termites and other pests. He took them a few rooms further to a makeshift table. Five men sat at it. When the three entered the room, conversation ceased.
"Our good guests have just told us they are looking for The Newcomer. You know what to do."
The men nodded. Suddenly, all of them drew daggers from their sheathes and faced the fifth man, who matched Zilts description of Pontus perfectly.
"It seems our Newcomer isnt who he claimed. Infiltrators must not be permitted in our operations", the doorman spoke. "Kill the traitor and his friends!"
***
Antonis drew his cutlass and his shortsword and blocked two blows, he then cut the throat of one man and cut one's feet from under him.
"Together!", yelled Antonis as his two comrades joined with him in a defensive position.
***
At this point, the two remaining men in the room scrambled to run way. At the same time, three other men ran to enter the room to see what the commotion was all about and the two groups clashed at the single doorway. All five collapsed in a tangled heap, bringing portions of the wall down with them.
"Wonderful", Pontus said, rolling his eyes. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for revealing my cover right. Come. Theres nothing more I can do with these thugs. Let us depart."
But before Zilt followed Pontus out of the room, he raised his fingers. The air began to shift a few inches from them, followed by a small blue flash. The shirt of one of the men in the big heap began to smoulder. "Aagh! Get it off me!" the man shouted in panick, only adding to the chaos.
Zilt smiled as he gazed at his work.
"Oh, grow up!" Pontus said. "He seized the collar of Zilts robe and began to drag him away."
********
Hasgoth slipped into the stable silently, a faint octane glow emitting from her body, a light invisible to those not experienced in the arcane arts. A horse whinnied when she approached, then snapped at her hand.
"What's going on?" came a voice from outside. "Whos in there?" A moment later a fat man slipped through the front gate, still dressed in his nightclothes. When he caught sight of her he began to gaze. "Hello. Er the misses is beginning to suspect something. We cant be out too wait a minute who are-?"
"Nobody, fat old pig", Hasgoth said, casting a spell. In a moment the stable was empty save the cursed wizard, the horses, and a confused hog.
********
Early the next morning Pontus came to Zilt and Antonis with two silver tokens. "We leave for the eastern continent tomorrow."
"Alright...sorry for blowing your cover...", said Antonis, "But, it was necessary..."
************
The three went aboard the ship the following morning. The vessel was once used for transporting troops across the ocean, but now it was privately owned by a retired naval officer. He transported wealthy merchants and royalty for a substantial fee, but a majority of the living space was occupied by wooden barrals and crates. Six armed swordsmen protected the ship from pirates, men with reputations any half-intelligent bandit would take heed.
It was the first evening of the voyage and the three were sitting down at a table. An arcane-powered lantern cast pale blue light over the table, swinging side to side with the swaying ship.
Zilt's face had a slightly green tint to it and he hadn't eaten all evening. He had a grimace locked on his face.
***
Antonis enjoyed being on a ship, and helped the crewmembers with several tasks, and taught them many techniques with the sails to make the ship travel faster. Antonis then went down and sat at the table with Zilt and Pontus.
***
The mage and the diplomat were chatting. Pontus was telling him about the last time he'd been to the eastern continent many years ago. Even then the empire had been an uneasy one, certainly a dagerous place for unwary foreigners. But those who did endure to the end could find their destiny among trade, mining, farming, well-digging, or even in the ancient libraries of civilizations long since forgotten.
"Ah, Antonis, how nice of you to join us!" Pontus said. Zilt smiled weakly in agreement. "Tell us, what were your imperessions of the lands when you were last here?"
***
"It was a desert of wars and chaos. Bandits plagued the deserts while the cities had wars in the streets...I wouldn't have ever gone back had somebody not needed my services...I survived once, I hope I'll survive again."
***
"Indeed. This is a land where lives are quickly made. And equally quickly lost. A land of opportuniy, and a land of sacrafice. What do you think, mage?"
"Gurk," Zilt moaned.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that!"
"Gurk!"
"C'mon man, spit it out!"
"Gu--" Zilt leaned down below the table and lost his dinner into an empty bucket. About fifteen seconds later he came back up, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Now don't you feel better?" Pontus inquired, smiling.
**********
Unlike Antonis's last travel, this ship passed through the ocean unhindered by pirates. There was a storm, however, that blew a man's wife overboard. They never found her, and three nights later the man jumped overboard himself in sorrow.
"Tragic," Zilt commented. "Quite poetic. And very stupid, too."
********
The end of the journey came at last. The knight, mage, and diplomat watched as white sandstone buildings came into view, landmarks rising over the blinding white sand. The vessel sailed along the coastline until it came to a busy harbor. Upon first glance, a visitor might not have known of any conflicts within the empire. However, the prescence of dozens of elite soldiers wearing red turbans carrying katanas and crossbows might have made them change their mind upon the second glance.
***
Antonis wondered why the hell he decided to come back here as he disembarked the ship, and suddenly saw a familiar face.
"Marcus!"
The man turned, "Antonis!"
The two shook hands.
"How have you been faring since you left the Knights?", asked Antonis.
"Not well...I am currently contracted by a man to clean out some rats in his basement...so what're you doing?", asked Marcus.
"Not much, I am on a mission for my two friends here...", Antonis pointed to Zilt and Pontus.
"Ahhhh...I would come with you, but I am late for my job as it is. Here is my address, I live in an old run down hotel...", says Marcus as he hands a small slip of paper to Antonis, Antonis pocketed it and turned to Zilt.
"Where to?"
***
Zilt began to wave his hands in the air mystically. A faint blue began to shimmer from them as he muttered a few words under his breath. Particles of the dust and sand in the air seemed to draw together until they came together to form a scroll hovering in the air.
"Yes, the Mage's Council wrote out a small list to get us started. First we are too--" Zilt reached for the scroll but it evaporated--like sand and dust, to be literal--and fell down onto the wood pier. "Hm."
Zilt repeated the spell a couple times to similar results. "I could have sworn..."
Pontus caught Antonis's attention and rolled his eyes.
"Ah, Hako's hellhound," Zilt swore as reached down into one of the many pockets on the inside of his robe. A moment later he produced a real, solid piece of paper. "First we are to see if we can arrange a meeting with this city's presiding general-governor and see what he can do for us."
***
"Alright, then let us secure some lodgings and see what he can do...", said Antonis. They walked through the streets until Antonis said "Aha, knew it was here somewhere..." and they went into an old run down building.
"Xarxes...Orb business or personal matters...", said the innkeeper.
"Ahhh...that is none of your business, is the Orb suite open?", asked Antonis.
"Yes...of course, none of the other Knights would ever be over here...", said the innkeeper.
"I saw Marcus just today as a matter of fact", said Xarxes.
"Yeah, he is in town, but he left the order a while ago, so he is not a knight", said the innkeeper.
"Alright, smart-one, now give me the key...", said Antonis as he gave a bag of coins to the innkeeper, the innkeeper gave Antonis the key and they went down into the basement and into a room that from the outside, seemed like a storeroom, but inside it was quite an exquisite place.
"This is the Knights of the Orbs' suite, Lucias keeps it reserved for order members", says Antonis as he sets his bag down next to one of the five beds.
***
"Good thing this city hasn't had much of the violence and looting yet. If the peasants knew about this place and the imperial troops were occupied, this place would be stripped in minutes," Zilt commented. "But it is a good place for the night."
"I shall return later," Pontus said. "I have contacts to meet to get the latest news and rumors... you know. The kind of things it is wise for a diplomat to listen to. Make yourselves comfortable. Just not too comfortable."
Zilt began to finger some of the interior's decorations. He picked up a replica glass orb and gazed at it. "You must have had quite an adventure," he said. "You should write a story about it and exaggerate. That's what knights do you know."
***
"The adventure I went on? There is nothing to exaggerate...unless Knights usually make themselves out to be the hero, then yes, I could, but I won't. Lucias did amazing things on that adventure, unspeakable", Antonis turned to Zilt, "Not unspeakable in the malevolent way, but the way that people are speechless. If you would like to hear the whole story, I would be pleased to tell you, exaggeration-free", Antonis gave out a rare smile.
***
"If it is within your nature, feel free. But first, let's find something to eat. I need something to fill my stomach--and preferably stay there," Zilt answered, heading to the door.
********
Pontus arrived at an old, seemingly abandoned lighthouse. The massive stones that made the tower were crumbling and the mirrors to reflect the light were little more than jagged glass teeth lining the side of the original framing. He walked around the perimter until he saw a wooden trapdoor half covered with sand. He lifted it. It was surprisingly light and the hinges well-oiled.
Below was a ladder leading into a dark room. He carefully climbed down into the darkness.
"Have they arrived?" came a voice.
"Yes. Both are alive and well. They are stying in the Orb suite. Do not risk a public feat, Antonis is too great a warrior and Zilt... well, he may not seem it, but he is a decent mage. I would arrive by night," Pontus answered into the blackness.
"Good. You are a loyal servant."
***
They ate, and afterwards Antonis looked up.
"I know only what Lucias told me about before I was taken into their group. What happened was, Lucias was contacted by a historian named Lorr, he went with him to the Eastern continent, but on the way were attacked by a pirate ship", Antonis smiled grimly, "Captained by me...we attacked, but Lucias and Lorr easily fended us off, with only five left we charged Lucias, but he turned and aimed his blade at us, and suddenly...I saw the world clearly for the first time...it was like a cloud was lifted, anyways...we joined him. Marcus, Bartimaeus, Conwell, and Aesius, and I, and when we arrived in the Desert of Bones to retrieve the Orb, Lucias revealed that he was the decendant of the long dead Emperor that once owned it, and he was able to removed the mountain of bones from the orb with ease. But, after that, Knights arrived and attacked, we fended them off, Lucias killed many and Lorr killed the leader of the Knights himself, and after that we went home, but not before we were interupted by a battle between the rebels and the Empire. We were sent by the rebels to kill their leader, a fierce battlemage, Lucias, Lorr, and Conwell went to carry out the task. The battlemage was not a bad man as the rebels said, and told Lucias only to keep the orb safe, and as they rode forth we were attacked by the rebels, we managed to fend their army off long enough to get our horses and ride off, but not before Marcus was killed, his son, Marcus II, joined our cause, as it was his father's dieing wish, but he soon left...that is the Marcus you saw in the city, anyways, we escaped and Lucias started the Knights of the Orb to protect the Orb against anybody who would use it for evil...", said Antonis, "And there is not a bit of exaggeration in that story..."
***
"Oh, perhaps not this time around," Zilt said. "But once yu tell the story to your children, and your children tell it to your children, then someone has the bright idea to write it down and all of a sudden Lucias is a demigod who walks fifteen miles a stride and pleases a palace full of ladies in one night and finds some relic or other that keeps the moon rising every night." The mage was waving his hands emphaticaly as he spoke. "You knights just love the drama. It's in your blood, and the blood on your sword that isn't yours. With all luck, anyway.
"But enough complaint. Maybe the stories will mention me, you know! How I valiantly repelled a storm cloud of arrows with the swing of a finger. Or perhaps how my staff shone with the intensity of the sun and all the stars in one vengeful fare! My name shall be in all the childrens' stories. Zilt the Wizard. Zilt the Wise. Zilt the Strong. Zilt the--"
"Zilt the Drama Princess." Pontus stood at the doorway. Neither the pirate nor the mage could tell how long he'd been standing there. "You'd better get some rest. There's a long day ahead of you."
To be continued...
We have almost finished the story, I'm posting in small parts because if it's too long, people don't read it...
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Wath the estern revolution means?
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The people of the Eastern Continent are rebelling against their Emperor.
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hehe i like it, but it sounds oddly familiar. sounds like oblivion, where they killed uriel, all thrown into chaos except it was dremora not rebels.
i do like it though, any more? or is it still being written?
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***
"I am not yet tired", said Antonis, "I will take first watch...two and a half hours apiece..."
Antonis gets comfortable in a chair in the corner.
***
"It is not a matter of being tired. Even if you lie awake you should try and get sleep," Pontus replied. "I shall be upstairs if you need me."
***
"I shall read until my eyes get tired...on this land's politics and culture. It is good to have knowledge of this land...", says Xarxes, he goes and lays on the bed and using candlelight, he reads a book entitled "The Eastern Lands"
***
"Fine by me." Zilt took off his robe and draped it over a silver coathanger. He then climbed into one of the beds in the room and was asleep in a manner of minutes. He snored ever so slightly, a slight raspy whistle coming from his nose each time he exhaled.
*********
Outside, three men wearing black turbans approached the wooden inn. Only their hands were visible from underneath their cloaks, but even they were painted black. One nodded to the others and they quietly filed inside the building.
The innkeeper looked up at the three strangers with unease. A hand wandered underneath he counter where a small, single-shot crossbow sat loaded and waiting for trouble. One could never be too careful in an empire strife with civil war.
The shortest of the three cloaked figures headed up the wooden stairs leading to the upper rooms and soon disappeared from the innkeepers vision. Unfortunately the other two men approached the counter.
"Give us the key to the hidden suit downstairs", one of the men demanded. He lifted a small pouch from his cloak and lay it on the counter. A metallic cllnk sounded as it came in contact with the wood.
***
"Sorry", says the loyal innkeeper, "But the one key was taken by the inhabitants...you can go knock on the door if you want, but I have no key."
***
Antonis hears voices and opened up the eyehole built into the wall.
"Hmmmm, Zilt, wake up, we have company", he says grabbing his cutlass.
***
"Hm." One of the robed figures drew his own crossbow from in his robe and aimed it at the inkeeper. The bolt was too small to kill. However, the head looked like an orange substance had dried on it. "In that case, go summon the two. Make no mention of us. Go."
******
Zilt stirred. "What is it?" he mumbled from underneath the covers.
***
Antonis hears a crossbow fire, a little less noisy than the ordinary crossbows.
"It's assassins...quick, grab your staff and ready yourself!", said Antonis in a muffled, but urgent voice.
***
Zilt sat up and reached for his staff lying along the wall and a sheathed dagger. Ignoring his robes for now, he followed Antonis to the door and waited by the doorframe.
"Shall we go confront him?" Zilt whispered.
********
The innkeeper slumped against the wall, clutching at the small crossbow dart stuck in his arm by half an inch. His vision began to blur before he collapsed to the floor.
"Fool shouldn't have gone for his weapon," one of the cloaked men spoke. "He will wake tomorrow with a terrible headache and no memory of this incident." The third cloaked man reappeared from the stairs, carrying several scrolls.
"Come, let us depart," the same man said. "We're sure to have summoned attention."
***
Antonis listened. "They are leaving, and will not bother us...let us not make fight for no cause", says Antonis, still holding his cutlass's hilt.
***
Zilt almost looked dissapointed. "We should at least check the place out," he said, swinging the door open slowly and peering through the crack.
The building was dead silent. Zilt made no sound as he crept up the stairs and into the main lobby. There he spotted the fallen innkeeper lying motionless on the ground. A small rip was visible in the man's shirt, but he saw no arrow or dart.
"One dead," Zilt said. He lightly tapped the body with his foot.
To his surprise, he saw it stir. He reached down and put his finger to a vein in the man's neck.
"I guess he's still alive," the mage spoke. "We should take him to a doctor, though. I don't have any idea what kind of poison or potion they used on him. It still could be lethal."
***
"It could...but we should check on Pontus...", says Antonis as he lays the innkeeper against the wall and goes upstairs.
***
"Yes, good idea." Zilt followed Antonis upstairs to a dark, musk-smelling hallway. Five doors lined one side of the all. Three of them were open. "Doesn't your friend Marcus stay here too?"
***
"He does indeed!", said Antonis, "MARCUS!"
Marcus, ran out to Antonis.
"An assassin tried to kill me! I caught the knife and kicked him out the window, but I know he isn't dead, he ran off into the night..."
***
Zilt ran over to the shattered window and gazed outside where shards of glass decorated the street. No one seemed to be taking notice to the event. Perhaps it wasnt uncommon in this part of the city with drunken sailors and all.
"Are you sure it was Pontus?" Zilt inquired disbelievingly. "Why would he try and kill you? He's a diplomat, not an assassin! Well, I take that back. Sometimes theres little difference between the two."
***
"It looked like the guy who was with you earlier...", says Marcus, "Are you sure he's your friend? Just think, how did these men find you here? How did they know about the basement room? It is only available to Knights of the Orb! I didn't even know you were staying here until you ran in!", said Marcus.
***
"Are you sure the suite is a complete secret? What about the people who built and decorated it? Might they have told others about it?" Zilt inquired. "Still something doesnt feel right."
Suddenly there came a knock on the door downstairs. It was faint and hesitant-sounding, as if the man wasnt sure whether or not he really wanted someone to answer. Zilt leaned out the window and saw a short man--no, a boy--standing outside, glancing around nervously.
***
"I will answer it...and afterwards w-no, we don't take the innkeeper to the clinic, hell, I've had a bad enough impression on this neighborhood...", said Antonis as he went to answer the door, he saw the boy standing there.
***
The boy looked ready to flee when Antonis opened the door. He stared in fright, threw a piece of paper toward him, and stumbled away into the night.
Antonis brought the note back inside and handed it to Zilt.
"What's this?" Zilt inquired, unfolding the paper. Then he began to read from it. "To my friends Zilt and Antonis. Congratulations, you have just been assassinated. I hope the experience wasn't too traumatic. Zilt didn't wet his robes, did he?
"I know you don't understand what happened just yet. Let me assure you, the men sent out after you were mere actors and would have explained the circumstances upon arriving in quiet quarters. Your friend Marcus gave me a friendly kick outdoors before I could explain to him the situation.
"I apologize for the misunderstanding. I arranged this for a greater reason. A political reason you mustn't worry yourselves over for the time being. Make your way to the abandoned lighthouse and don't let anyone identify you or this will have been in vain.
"Your friend, Pontus. PS--the innkeeper will be fine. And before you set out, tell Marcus to leave the building for a couple hours while my agents finish their job in the hotel."
Zilt stared at the note. The handwriting was crude and urgent. The ink was still fresh.
"Well," the wizard said after a minute. "Now what?"
***
"We go to the lighthouse, and we do as he says, but stay wary, I still do not trust him...", said Antonis, "Marcus!"
Marcus runs down the stairs with his blade ready.
"Put that away! Go out and get some air...you need it", said Antonis.
"Alright...", said Marcus, "...why?"
"Because, being nearly assassinated is not a light thing...", said Antonis.
"Fine", said Marcus, walking out the door while sheathing his blade.
"Alright, lead the way...", said Antonis.
***
Zilt and Antonis made their way down to the old docks where the piers had fallen. Driftwood littered the stone remains, as well as parts of ships still relatively intact. Zilt thought he spotted something else bobbing in the waves, too--a human corpose. Not many people came this way anymore.
The two arrived at the old lighthouse soon enough. It seemed deserted, not surprising considering its condition.
"Hm..." Zilt said, pacing around the perimeter. "Now what?"
Suddenly the two heard a noise coming from above them on one of the lighthouse's balconies. They looked up and saw seven men wearing black robes, each holding a crosbow. There was an eighth man too, who the recognized as Pontus.
"At ease," Pontus told the bowmen. "Nice of you to join us! If you look down there at that dead bush, you should see a piece of metal sticking out of the sand. Lift it up and it'll reveal a trapdoor to the lighthouse's basement. I'll see you down there."
Antonis complied and the two crept down into the shadows.
********
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nice, any more?
is it just me, or am i the only one reading it?
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Maybe you're the only one posting that you're reading it...and there is more, but I have it in a word prosessor right now. It didn't store correctly so I'm adding quotation marks and deleting the little things that say
Prince Calus Septim V [FF] (3/3/2008 5:21:14 AM)
That way it looks like a true story rather than an exchange of messages.
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Nah im reading it.....just didnt think posting was necessary
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i was posting because i thought he wouldnt post more unless he knew it was being read. its pretty nice.
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I read like half way through and stopped. ((: I mean I'll read the rest later on but what I did read was pretty good. Septim and Duke Krasksagon, good RP, very well done.
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i read it too!!!!
(no i didnt cos im too lazy)
fine i didnt read ALL of it...
(i didnt read ANY of it...)
FINE! I SKIPPED A FEW CHAPTERS! SUE ME!
(skipped all the chapters more like...)
*sigh*
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good lol, been waiting ages.
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********
Back at the hotel, four more black-robed men wheeled a cart to the front door and began carrying two wooden boxes inside. Once inside they closed and locked the door.
"Put the pirate in the basement on the stairs," one of the men spoke. "Have the mage face-down on his bed with a dagger in his back."
The others grunted and opened the boxes. They lifted out two fresh corpses, dressed in clothes the same fashion as Zilt and Antonis. After positioning the bodies, one of the men poured out the contents of two clay urns over the bodies--blood.
Task now complete, the men left and vanished into the night moments before a dozen imperial troops arrived.
***
Antonis climbed down the ladder into the basement, keeping his hand ready to draw his blade as he turned around to look at the basement. It was nice, stone with a red rug running down the center, torches lined the walls.
"Is Pontus not who you thought?", asked Antonis, "Or did you know about this?"
***
"At this point I am not sure what to expect," Zilt said. "I thought this trip would be a bit more--official. We're here to bring peace. Peace doesn't usually involve staged assassination, though."
A door in the back end of the room opened. Pontus stepped through it, followed by four other black-robed men.
"Congratulations," he said. "Welcome to the resistance. Your deaths shall rally the people to begin the process of claiming this city and ousting the emperor's troops. From now on you shall take up alternate identities in public."
"I thought we were meant to go see the governor!" Zilt protested. "Not start a war here!"
Pontus frowned. "War? No, my friend. This here is a revolution! A chance for all decent men to stand up against the wrongdoers forcing them to live in the mud while the rich squander wealth on idle luxeries. This is a chance at freedom. And worry not; we shall still meet the governor.
"For now, try and catch some sleep. Again."
***
"The resistance?", Antonis turns to Zilt, "Did you know about this? Is this some conspiracy to bring an ex-pirate into the resistance? If so I would be more than glad to join if you had ASKED!"
Antonis sighs.
"I accept your invitation, or request, or forced joining, or whatever. I have nothing better to do with my time..."
***
Zilt didn't seem to be paying attention. His face was frozen, his mind racing.
"Something still doesn't smell... right," Zilt said. "We're obviously still alive. And I'm quite positive the Watch will want to see bodies. Seeing as we're still alive and breathing, what then?"
"My friend, nothing smells right in time of conflict except the sweet waft of victory when all's been laid to rest. Oh, you needn't worry yourselves over thebodies," the diplomat answerd. "Such has already been take care of."
Zilt still did't look convinced, but he said nothing more. "I guess we'd better get some sleep," he told Antonis once Pontus and his men had gone. "You want to keep watch again, or shall I?"
***
"I will...I cannot sleep after this...for a while", says Xarxes as he stands, in the middle of the room, with his hand on the hilt of his sword.
***
Zilt tried to get some sleep, but it was hard to keep thoughts from spinning aroun in his head. This wasn't what he'd imagined he'd be doing, fueling a rebellion. The Mage's Guild wanted him to try and bring peace, not prompt a full-scale war. At least that's what he'd been told...
Some hours into the night he finally lost concience and drifted off to sleep.
********
The next morning Pontus woke the two up with a heavy knock on the door. He entered without waiting for permission to enter.
"Good morning. How did you sleep?" he asked with his ever-present smile. He carried two turbans in his arms and tossed one to Zilt and the other to Antonis. "Antonis, we have a job for you. Your friend Marcus seems a perfect candidate to assist us. Perhaps you can move his heart to join the side of justice. Zilt, you're going to stay here and help some of our younger apprentices with their basic spells. Be ready in five minutes."
***
Antonis rose.
"I am ready now...", said Antonis.
"Good", said Pontus, "Perform your mission well and glory will be your reward."
Antonis walked towards the exit, and turned his head to Pontus.
"I have more 'glory' than your little head can imagine, my friend, but I will do this mission because you claim it is for the good of the people", says Antonis.
Antonis climbed up the ladder and left without a word, he walked to his inn to see several guards questioning Marcus about the night's events. Antonis, in his turban, unstowed his disguise kit and made himself darker and attached a fake beard for good measure, he then hid his cutlass around the corner and approached the guards.
"I work for the Sultan himself, and I must question this man in private. Leave us", Antonis said with a perfect Eastern accent.
One of the men moved his lips in protest, but Antonis cut him off.
"If you would like me to take this matter to the Sultan, I am sure a needless punishment could be arranged for you and your men...let it go...", said Antonis.
The guard walked off without a word and Antonis turned to Marcus.
"Follow me..."
Antonis leads Marcus around the corner and Antonis grabs his cutlass.
"Antonis?", he said.
"Of course it's me...", said Antonis.
"But, I found your body, and the mage's!", said Marcus.
"Those were fakes. The resistance has half-forced us to work with them and my mission is to recruit you", then Antonis started moving his lips in a silent language only Orb soldiers knew.
"I am still unsure of my decision, and I will learn more of them before I give my full services to them. My true loyalties, like yours, will always remain with Lucias. Now, Knight Brother, will you help me?", he asked in the silent language.
"Of course", he said.
Antonis led Marcus to the lighthouse and whistled sharply, a resistance member walked down.
"This is Marcus, the man I am supposed to recruit, he has agreed to join and I need to see Pontus...", said Antonis.
The resistance member nodded and whistled, Pontus walked out a few minutes later.
"Xarxes! Marcus! Good to see that you have agreed!", said Pontus, "Why are you dark skinned now?"
"Disguises serve many purposes, I would have thought a spy would know that", said Antonis.
"I use that trick, I wouldn't have thought a pirate would know it...", said Pontus.
"Do not judge a book by it's cover...", said Antonis as he led Marcus down into the lighthouse basement.
***
While Antonis was gone, Zilt climbed down yet another set of stairs deeper down into the earth. The stone walls were damp and he could hear a faint trickle of water; he had been wondering how low the diggers were willing to go, being right next to the ocean and all.
The "apprentices" were a group of six men and two women, ages ranging from sixteen to twenty. They waited patiently in a small room filled with torches and a glass dummy.
"All right, er... listen up," Zilt said. "I will be instructing you through this morning. So... do you all know the basic arcane elements?"
A few heads nodded. One of the girls spoke in an eastern accent, "Yes. We understand the basic manipulation of arcane energy."
"Good, good... hm." Zilt searched his head. It'd been a good number of years since he'd first begun his own lessons and he struggled to remember exactly how the agenda went. But then it came back to him--hours upon hours of dull arcane theory. Explanations, lectures, demonstrations--everything but actual arcane magic itself.
"I'll get down to the core of what you need to know," Zilt said once he'd gathered his thoughts. "I assume you here for combat spells, but first you need to know deflection first so you don't turn into a piee of charcoal before the crazy wizard in front of you. Right, so... hm... you kind of... well... try thinking of..."
The mage faltered. Some wizards thought muttering old phrases in a dead tounge was the "correct" way to perform the arcane arts. No such words were needed. It was all a matter of rechanneling energy from the lower realms to serve a single short-lasting purpose, whether it be invisibility, transformation, or an old reliable bolt of incinerating heat.
In time, though, he realized how to begin his so-called "lesson" and had the apprentices practice deflecting stones, blunt arrows, weapons, and the like. By noon he was helping the apprentices focus their rechanneling skills. No mage needed to summon a huge fireball. All that did was burn the skin before dissapating. Rather, a small, finely-tuned ray served the purpose much better.
A while later he returned to the room where he'd slept to find Pontus, Antonis, and Marcus waiting.
"Good job, professor," Pontus teased. "Right. We all seem assembled. Put your disguises back on. Time to begin the revolution."
[[Not much, sorry, more tonight!]]
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***
"I am not entirely given yet...I am guessing it is for the best..."
Xarxes puts on his disguise and checks his equiptment, he then delivers a salute.
***
Pontus led the two out on the streets. The temperatre was cool as if it were about to rain. It was certainly a welcomed change, and men, women, and children filled the streets with joyous anticipation.
"This way," the diplomat whispered as he led the two through the streets. Some other revolutionaries followed behind, including the mage apprentices. They wound their way through the city streets dodging the crowd. It was hard to keep up with Pontus; the man seemed to have a natural ability to slip between people quickly and unnoticed. Almost like an experenced pickpocket, Zilt noted in his head.
At last they came to a less joyous section of the city. Imperial troops wearing heavy armor were blockading the road which led to the palace. A mob of angry men shouted profanities at them and threw rocks, fruit, and anything else they could get their hands on.
Zilt looked at the troops' faces carefully. They looked nervous as they held up their shields to defect the incoming projectiles. Suddenly, a rock hit a man square in the face. He crumbled to the ground, nose bleeding. A few other soldiers dragged him away, his armor scraping against the road.
A man on horseback behind the imperial wall of shields shouted at the mob to disperse and go home. A division of crossbowmen crouched down behind them, hidden from the mob. They all carried crossbows, loaded and ready for use, but just like the soldiers holding the line it looked as though they wanted nothing else than to go home.
Pontus turned to the knight and mage following him and smiled. "Repression of the people if I ever saw it! An injustice that must be dealt with."
He then turned back and waved. Zilt couldn't see who it was aimed at, but a moment later he saw a breif flash in the peripheral of his eye. One of the protestors suddenly stumbled to the ground, an imperial-issue crossbow bolt pierced through his chest. Several women protestors screamed. Then another bolt pierced through the air. This time it flew straight into a man's eye socket. He was dead before he hit the ground.
Zilt looked back at the imperial crossbowmen. They looked amongst themselves trying to see who had fired the arrows. Their sergeant screamed for them to hold fire, but by then it was too late. Goaded by anger and adrnaline, a few men from the mob dashed out and closed the distance between the mob and guards and began pounding at the soldiers' shields. Others, inspired by their bravery, rushed in and soon the street was just a mass of soldiers and angry mobsters and pushing and shoving, trying to gain ground. And then weapons came into play. Somewhere, somehow a man thrust a dagger into one of the soldiers' throats. In retaliation, the second rank of shieldsmen began jabbing foward with spears. Soon it was all a bloody chaos.
At this point some of the protestors decided they'd had enough and tried to hurry away. But pushing against the crowd of peopl was like trying to hold back a wave. Some people fell to the ground and were trampled. Zilt never saw them stand up agan. In another instance, a gang of teenage boys tripped a fleeing man and stabbed him with daggers while he was on the ground. A woman came running to the body, possibly the man's wife. The gang gave her the same treatment.
"Perfect," Pontus said aloud, wearing his ever-present grin. "The revolution begins."
***
Antonis looked around.
"Chaos...pure chaos, I guess this is what revolts are made of...", he thought to himself.
A man bumped into Antonis, and knocked him over. But Antonis was back on his feet before anybody could blink. He leaned close to Pontus.
"What shall we do now? If we stay out here we'll be trampled....", said Antonis to Pontus.
***
"Come with me," Pontus said. He led the two to a building lining the road, took out a small key, and opened the wooden door. Once they all stepped through he locked it again and slid a metal bar across the frame.
One Zilt's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that it was an inn, but old and abandoned. The furnishing remained but the cupboards and wine shelves were all empty. However, he saw tha sand spilled out on the floor with the occasional footprint just barely showing. There was also an old bloodstain absorbed into the wood.
"A revolutionary safe house," Pontus said, "that has conveniently been forgotten."
It looked more a like a theive's den to Zilt.
"Follow me." Pontus led them up a flight of stairs until they came to the third floor. From there he unlocked a light door to a balcony and stepped outside. The mob continued outside. Bodies were beginning to pile up. They mostly belonged to members of the crowd, but there were a few fallen soldiers too.
"Now what?" Zilt asked after a minute.
"I'm expecting a contact to arrive. In the meantime, enjoy the show. Don't bother placing any bets though. The imperial troops will win by the end of the day, but that victory shall be their undoing."
***
Antonis watched.
"Pontus is not right in this...the civillians have no idea what is going on...", thought Antonis.
***
Zilt said nothing as he gazed down at the streets. He'd seen fights before, but never a true war. He'd seen dying warriors and wizards collapsed on the ground, gasping for their last breaths. But this was different. He saw a different kind of look upon the faces of the fallen. A look that wondered how death could have come so quickly, so unexplained.
Then the three heard a knock from the door behind them. Pontus opened it and a man stepped through onto the balcony.
"Gariulus, you have done well!" Pontus said, shaking the man's hand.
Gariulus wore simple street clothes. For all appearances, he looked like any commons peasant or laborer. Except that he cradled a crossbow in his arms--a rather good crossbow that could fire five bolts before needing to be reloaded. The strings were disengaged now, though, leaving three arrows sitting idly within the mechanism.
Then Zilt noticed something strange. The arrows were Imperial issue, painted red with a black arrowhead.
And two were missing...
"Come, I have your first task for you, Zilt and Antonis," Pontus said, leading them back inside the building. "It's time for you to get involved. A month ago we discovered a traitor in our midst, but before we could capture him he fled to the governor's palace in this very city. He is under protection by the governor, or sultan, or whatever name you may call the malign dictator in charge of this coastal city.
"I need you two to sneak inside the palace and kill him. He was with us for many years and knows many of our plans. For sure he has been feeding the enemy with information to stop the revolution. He deserves worse than death, as do all traitors. But be merciful--as long as he breathes no more by tomorrow morning your work shall be done."
"You... you want us to assassinate him?" Zilt inquired, eyes narrowing.
"Assassinate? No, no, no. Only evil men can be assassinated. No, you'll be 'bringing him to justice.' He has cost us many lives already. Now go. Zilt, you can use invisibility spells to enter the palace, but be careful--inside the walls are laced with anti-arcane charms and curses and you must rely on Antonis's wit. Now go, and hurry--the guards are still in shock by the street revolt, but their prescence will likely double when it is over.
"May the gods smile upon you, noble wizard and warrior."
***
"Yes sir", said Antonis, he turned to Zilt.
"I know this town little...anybody have a map?", asked Antonis.
Marcus walked from the shadows.
"I am a map...", he said.
***
"So you've come to join us?" Zilt asked as the adrenaline released from the sudden surprise diminished.
***
"Yes, I have, now shall we go or stand around waiting for the revolution to do itself?", said Marcus as he walked from the room, Xarxes and Zilt followed. He led them through many streets and alleys before finally reaching the mansion of the target.
***
There was quite a number of guards stationed around the palace. Several divisions were from the imperial army and not merely the town guards. They had the roads closed and barricaded with light wooden fences.
Business is closed in the palace for the day. Keep moving! one of them shouted at Marcus, Antonis, and Zilt, gesturing his loaded crossbow in their direction. They quickly hurried away.
Once they were behind a building and out of sight, Zilt dug into one of the pockets of his turban until hed produces a small, thin book. Antonis caught sight of the cover. It read Manual of Common Spellcasting.
Zilt took notice and explained Its been quite a while since Ive tried this spell not a very usual one, you know. He flipped to a certain page, read it for about half a minute, and began to mutter some words under his breath.
I thought you didnt need words to cast spells, Marcus commented.
You dont. Theyre kind of a template. Or reminder. Its complicated.
Zilt closed the spellbook. There.
There what?
Were, uh, invisible.
We dont look it!
Well, its not exactly invisibility. Its attention deflection, more like. Just follow me.
Zilt walked back to the barricade. One of the soldiers turned his head to watch him, but it was strange. The man did nothing, as if the action were perfectly permissible. Soon all three were past the barricade and walking up to one of the side doors of the palace.
***
Antonis led the group up and reached into his pocket.
"I'm sure you have a spell for this, Zilt, but spells leave traces of magic that can be picked up later, and I'd prefer having little evidence that we were here..."
Antonis pulled a lockpick out of his pocket. He stuck it into the lock, jiggled it, and within five seconds the door was open.
***
The three crept inside. The room appeared to be a kitchen. A couple chefs worked at the counters chopping vegetables and tossing them into large pans full of boiling water. Absorbed in their work, they took no notice of the intruders.
"There's a palace like this in almost every major city," Marcus explained. "The architectural design is highly preferred among the emporer and his governors for it's geometrical and religious significance. This hallway will take us to the palace's central staircase."
"Uh... we can't go that way," Zilt said.
"Why not?"
Zilt pointed to a glowing blue gemstone where the stairs began. Six guards stood watch nearby. "That's one of the anti-arcane charms Pontus spoke of. You'll have to find us another way up."
***
Antonis looked over and saw an unguarded thumbwaiter in the corner of the room.
"Well, I believe that'll serve our purposes...it is not likely to be guarded", said Antonis.
Antonis walked over to it and jumped into it, he tried to use the thumbwaiter itself to get him up, but he was to heavy, so he pressed his feet against the wall and pressed his hands against the wall opposite his feet. He started his climb up, Marcus got in below him and did the same. When Antonis got to the top he opened the chute slowly to see one man in the corner of the room, he jumped out silently and walked up behind him. He drew a vial from his pocket, loosened the cork, and stuck it under the man's nose, he fell down immediately, out cold.
***
Zilt found it far more difficult to perform the same task. His face was flushed red with effort, and twice he slipped and fell a few feet before catching hold of a ledge. Swearing softly, he eventually made it to the top and climbed out.
Now they stood in a marble hallway, the floors and walls reflecting the afternoon sun down the corridor in a breathtaking display. A nice breeze blew down, relieving the three from the stuffy heat from inside the walls.
Zilt attempted to recast the supposed invisibility spell, but there were more charms hidden throughout the building. "I wish I had my staff," he muttered.
Marcus lead them to another wing of the palace. This seemed to be the residential area. A small basin of water run down the center of the hallway and into a center, decorative pool. The entire area seemed abandoned.
Finally, they came to a room protected by two bored guards slumped against the wall, talking to each other quietly. It was impossible to sneak up on them; one man faced the other. But luckily they didn't protest when they saw the three approach. After all, anyone who was already in the palace this far and walking directly down the hallways must have recieved permission from downstairs, or so they thought.
"We need to see the prisoner," Zilt told one of them.
"Eh, under orders no one is to... eh... talk to him," one of the guards spoke in a heavy accent. He looked like a new recruit. "Unless you, eh, have allowance on paper."
Zilt dug around in his pockets and handed man his small spellbook.
"Eh..." the guard leafed through it, unsure of what it was. He showed it to his friend. After a few seconds of examining it he shook his head. "Apology to you, but we do not believe that is--"
Zilt suddenly drew his hand back and hit the guard in the face. Antonis subdued the other one a bit more gently.
"Okay. Let's go meet this traitor."
Inside the room sat a man facing the wall. He was bent down as if in prayer. Whether or not he'd heard the fight outside, he didn't show it.
Zilt looked at Antonis, saying nothing. The man was unarmed.
Finally, the man finished his prayer and sat up. Still facing the wall, he spoke.
"So you have found me. And I imagine you have a deed to carry out. It's truly a pity what this revolution has come to. In the beginning it was nothing but true intentions, but now... now it's just murderers killing murderers.
"I have no time to try and change your mind on the deed you have been instructed to perform. Even if you spare me, the governor would have me executed. I will say only this. Beware the puppetmasters."
***
Antonis thought quickly, "Hmmm, I thought this was a strange revolution...he did say to bring this man to justice, so I will follow my orders..."
"Alright, you have two options, either come with us and face your old friend before you die, or die in one of these Imperial torture rooms in an extremely painful manner, it's up to you, but time is short, and if you do not pick I will pick for you", said Antonis.
"Tortures are rather painful here", muttered the man, "But so is talking to Pontus...I will come with you..."
Antonis slashed free the man's bonds and turned around.
"Let's go...", said Antonis, he passed a pre-written note to Zilt.
Zilt, Antonis, and Marcus began to creep down the hallway back to the dumbwaiter, but the man shook his head. "I am not a prisoner here. Pontus may have not mentioned it, but I used to be one of the governor's most respected advisors. I resigned when I felt the Emperor had been raising taxes beyond reason, hoping the governor would send word to him to reconsider. He did, but our emperor has not been listening to anyones concerns, it seems.
I know the governors wife and his children, even his father before he died. He is not a bad man but in times like this the heart feels only burning hate.
After I left I began to organize demonstrations refusals to pay taxes by willing citizens, letters of complaint, cancelled imperial contracts--anything to put pressure on the governor. But there were others who wanted more. Crimes. Beatings. Assassinations. I tried to quell these ideas, but every day men grew bolder and angrier. And they began pointing fingers at me. That was that was when I made a poor decision. Fearing my life from those I was trying to help, I returned to the governor. He granted me residence and protection.
I should have stayed and done all I could to stop those who wanted blood. Even if it meant death, he said sadly. I could have died with honor in my heart. Now is my last chance to redeem myself. I will not live through the night.
He led them down the stairs, waving off the guards. Outside the palace, Zilt saw that the riot had been quelled. Soldiers were loading bodies onto wagons, one wagon set aside for fallen soldiers and guards. Other guards were sprinkling sand down over the road to absorb the blood, shoveling it away once it was saturated. Several surgical tents had been set up with a dozen soldiers lying on mats outside waiting to be treated.
***
Antonis looked around, disgust in his eyes.
"These lives were lost for nothing", he thought to himself, "For only the idea of a revolution!"
Marcus led them through the winding streets and back to the safehouse that they had come from. They went up into it with the man.
"This man shouldn't die...this isn't right", thought Antonis to himself. You (3/13/2008 1:27:18 AM) Suddenly, an arrow flew from a rooftop. Zilt tried to summon a spell to deflect it, and Antonis tried to knock it aside with is sword. But it was too late. The arrow pierced the man through the throat. Wide eyed, he gasped, clutched at the wound, gasped, and collapsed in Zilt's arms.
Zilt looked for whoever had fired the arrow, but he didn't see anyone. He looked back down at the governor's former advisor and eased the body back down on the street. A circle of blood stained his trousers.
The few witnesses scattered in case the next arrow might be for one of them.
Zilt swore. After a moment, he turned back to Antonis. "Now what?"
But before the knight could answer, a man approached the three. "Pontus wants congratulate you right away," he spoke in a thick accent. "He has new job now."
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i like it, but i have a question. who is writing zilt, and who is writing antonis?
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I am writing for Antonis Xarxes, Kraskagon is writing for Zilt.
If you want another RP, Desert of Bones is the prequel to this one, it's somewhere on the forums.
|
***
"Until we meet him again, I guess we will do these jobs...when we do get to meet him again, we strike...", thought Antonis.
"Alright, what is it..."
***
"Convoy leaving city," the man said, handing Zilt a note. "Long live revolution!" He hurried away on the city streets.
Zilt watched the man ran off. He couldn't have been any older than twenty. He then unfolded the piece of paper and began to read aloud.
"I hope your mission went well. I have no doubt you shall have accomplished it by now. I am busy myself on urgent business, but I have your next task for you. A convoy of money, weapons, and nobility are planning on fleeing the city tonight. We shall not let them steal from the people any further. Take a horse outside the city on the northern road. Proceed until you come to a stopped trade convoy as if resting for the night. There you shall meet with thirty brave revolutionaries. Find my servant Gariulus; he shall explain what to do from there.
Your deeds shall not be forgotten when all has been said and done and peace reigns supreme.
Your friend,
Pontus.
***
"Peace through war...huh, I used to believe in the same thing", thought Antonis to himself, "How ignorant I was...peace can be achieved only through the general appreciation for one another, and that will never happen..."
Antonis walked with Zilt and Marcus to the stables, they recieved three horses from the stable manager, for free, and went down to the spot where thirty revolutionaries were waiting.
***
The journey to the meeting point was a long. Luckily, the sun was setting so the heat wasnt too intense this time of day.
Finally, they came to the stopped trading convoy. The men were all dressed as traders, wearing white robes over their bodies to reflect the sun and keep their skin from burning. The three approached one of the traders carefully.
Yes, Pontus sent word you would come, one of the traders said, throwing off the hood from behind his face. Zilt recognized him as Gariulus. There is an imperial convoy trying to escape the city. It will be full of gold and valuables. We will need this to supply our own troops when it comes to it. Rest up; we shall summon you when it is time.
***
Antonis Xarxes went to sleep on the mat, but he slept lightly. The next morning they were awaken by the revolutionaries and they went out to the caravan. You (3/18/2008 3:25:16 AM) Zilt was confused. "I thought the caravan was supposed to come by last night!"
Gariulus approached, hearing the remark. "It did not come! Perhaps the nobility decided to sneak out tomorrow evening, or are smuggling them away in small trading wagons."
"So what are we still doing here?" the mage inquired.
"Waiting to see what the Imperials do next."
********
The disguised revolutionaries waited in the shade of their tents and wagon set aside on the road. Zilt took to attempting to model small sculptures out of sand, but try as he might he could not summon enough heat to melt it into glass. He settled for holding it together into small shapes, keeping it together with water.
Finally, one of revolutionaries shouted something and the disguised soldiers prepared for a possible encounter. Zilt looked down the road and saw that a convoy was indeed approaching.
Gariulus came running to the three, Zilt, Antonis, and Marcus. "Prepare yourselves! An imperial convoy approaches!"
In three minutes the imperial convoy, consisting of merchants on horses and driving wagons bundled with goods, came parallel to the disguised revolutionaries. There only seemed to be two dozen civilians or so. Zilt breathed a sigh of relief... no bloodshed necessary.
Suddenly, the ambush began. Gariulus shouted, his voice breaking the afternoon silence, "For the people!"
The warriors drew their swords and bows from underneath their trader robes and began running toward the convoy. Zilt hung behind slightly. Something still just didn't seem... right.
Just as the closest revolutionaries came within twenty feet of the wagons, something happened. Men from inside the wagons suddenly threw off the canvas. They wore imperial armor and were heavily armed with longswords and crossbows. There were at least six of these wagons, each carrying up to twelve imperial troops.
"Oh gods damn it!" Gariulus swore as the two-thirds of the entire ambushers fell to crossbow fire within seconds. "Come with me!"
He fled to behind some boulders by the road. Six horses stood in its shade drinking from a wooden trough. He fumbled with the reigns and mounted. Zilt followed, glancing back over his shoulder. The imperial troops had utterly torn the revolutionary division to pieces.
"You're more valuable to the revolution alive! Run!"
***
Antonis listened to the orders and jumped on a horse. He rode off with Zilt following behind. Xarxes saw that Marcus was following on a horse, but had a crossbow bolt stuck in his right shoulder.
***
The imperial troops did not give chase.
The four rode back in the direction of the city, but Gariulus looked visibly shaken. "How would they have known?" he wondered aloud. "Someone must have told the governor! There must be a traitor among us!"
***
Antonis knew he was not the tratior, and he highly doubted Zilt. Gariulus would not send his own men to their deaths, he would know that. Marcus...he was the only one that could have done it.
Antonis rode on in a style of riding known well to Knights. Antonis stopped them.
"You know, having just attempted the robbery of a caravan and having a wounded man with a crossbow in his shoulder...I highly doubt we'll get through the gates..."
***
But when they approached the city, the problem was already resolved. The imperial flag that normally flew over the gate had been replaced by a crude flag of a different sort. It was solid blue, unlike the patterned red flag of the Empire.
The four approached the gates. Half a dozen men were on guard, but they wore all different means of armor, ranging from leather, chain, plate, and even bits of salvaged imperial armor. Their weapons were largely the same.
"Gariulus!" one of the watches shouted. Then he scanned the horizon for anyone else. "Where are all your men?"
"Ambushed," Gariulus growled. "We're all that's left."
"Truly? That is a terrible disappointment. But I have good news for you! The city is ours! The last of the imperial army is sieged in the palace. We cannot break through, but once they run out of food they shall have no choice but to surrender. And other nearby towns and cities have began to cast of their chains as well! The revolution has begun!"
"Where is Pontus?" Zilt demanded.
"Oh, er, he has some business overseas I believe. He shall return before the end, though," the watchman replied. "But he left a message for you, Antonis. General Xarxes. You are to lead the People's Army north to Chalgrihad, the third largest city of the empire. There you shall meet with other revolutionary armies and lay siege until the city is ours."
|
********
As the imperial fleet began to withdraw from the fallen city, a new dozen vessels sat waiting miles out from the harbor, observing the smoke rising into the air.
"Captain, when do we attack?" asked a crewman.
"We wait until their silly little army has gone," replied a woman on board. She wore the robes of a wizard that were far too large for her.
"Yes, Captain Hasgoth."
*************************
--Antonis accepts the offer but asks that Zilt stay behind with three hundred troops to fend off unforseen attacks. Zilt agrees to stay behind and train some of the younger mages for later battles. Part one ended.
*************************
Antonis Xarxes rode on through the baking sun on his camel, his army of revolutionaries marched behind him. His long brown hair was drenched in sweat. He took a water skin from his belt and drank some warm water down his parched throat. He puts it away and continued on.
***
A young officer rode at his side. He was only nineteen years old, the son of a dockhand, or at least until the imperial troops arrested him for not paying his taxes. He joined the imperial army itself or be homeless, and had just finished training a few weeks ago. However, he was never called into duty; the threat of revolution had done much to disturb the imperial records when it came time to summon its newly trained recruits.
With formal training, he was considerably better trained in the art of war than most of the volunteer army. Though he had no experience leading troops, his knowledge had been enough to grant him a promotion.
His name was Sandsun.
Now he rode his camel next to Antonis, wearing a light turban over his head and body to protect it from the sun. He said nothing: officers were expected to remain silent to their superiors unless something important needed to be spoken. He resisted the glance to gaze aside at the general, a legendary hero as the stories went, and wished the general would have some situation in which to speak or ask a question.
***
Antonis rode on through the hot sun, his face burned red from the sun. He thought it a bit strange that his men weren't talking, so he turned around.
"You know, not talking just makes this march all the more miserable, so you may talk to pass the time", said Antonis.
Antonis turned to the officer riding next to him.
"So, what's your name? And don't be afraid to talk too much, I don't have much to do anyways...", said Antonis.
***
"My name is Sandsun Mal'Haibi, General Xarxes!" the officer replied. "Sir, you might want to readjust your turban so it protects your face better... like that, sir."
***
"Thank you Mal'Haibi, so, where do you come from?", asked Xarxes.
***
"I was born in a small fishing village, but I moved to the city with my father when I was young. But I've never been on a boat before, or this far north before. What about you, general Xarxes?" Sandsun spoke.
***
"I never knew my parents, I only knew that I was left at an old orphanage with a note describing how I was unplanned and unwanted, and that my name was Antonis Xarxes. At ten I was forced to leave the orphanage to make room for other, younger children, I learned to live on the streets, steal when I had to, and when I turned fifteen I joined a pirate crew. For ten years I sailed under the notorious Captain Fallis Felsar, and became his First Mate at twenty-five. A year later he died of wounds recieved in battle and I became the Captain, two years after that I had the good fortune of meeting Lucias Septim while he was on a ship to the eastern lands, after a long fight, only five of our best were left, he used his blade to lift the veil of treachary and evil from our eyes. After the remainder of my crew joined with him and helped him find the Orb of Time, we became the Knights of the Orb, after eight years Zilt contacted me, we came here, and here I am", said Xarxes.
***
Sandsun remained quiet for a while. "Why did you come here if you were with the Knights of the Orb? Why are you helping Zilt?"
***
"Life in the Knights of the Orb's stronghold isn't exactly satisfying, all you are doing is sitting around growing old and fat, I went with Zilt because I really had nothing better to do", said Antonis.
***
Sandsun said nothing for a while. "Well, we are all very thankful you are here. I hope your friend Zilt remains safe back in the city."
********
The weeks passed as the revolutionary army marched north. But in the south remained a restless city.
A young man scanned the horizon with a spyglass, gazing out at the waters. Before the rebellion the port had been bustling with foreign fleets and trading vessels, always exchanging cargo all day and all night. But now the port seemed lifeless. A few ships sat harbored at the piers, bobbing up and down in the waves. Many had been looted when their owners had died or fled the city, and floated awaiting the revolutionary council to redistribute them.
But there were problems beyond that. With lack of trade, unemployeed sailors and dockhands slowly wasted away their days in the taverns. But their money ran out, and then the taverns began to run out of money. And the cost of food was soaring ever higher. The revolutionary council had tried to seize control of the farms and fishing vessels to distribute food out at a reasonable price, but that had sent the farmers and fishermen into an uproar.
It seemed as though everyone were just waiting around. People weren't working, they weren't buying or selling anything. The city was just sitting idle, as if it had contracted an illness among all the people.
But then the young man saw something on the horizon that would bring an interruption to this time of stagnation--and the city grew from bad to worse. For approaching over the curvature of the earth was a menace the imperial troops had always kept at bay--pirates.
***
"Me too...", said Antonis.
One of the troops broke the silence with a shout, "Water!"
Antonis took out his spyglass and looked out into the desert.
"It's a mirage..."
***
"We have a map and plenty of supplies, we should have no panic," Sandsun spoke. "Our rations should last us many weeks, fear not of being lost and stranded without supplies."
"But sir, our food is nearly deplenished," came another soldier.
"No, no. That cannot be. When we left the city we had over a month's worth of provisions. We should still have at least half of those provisions left."
"But sir... I am afraid we have very little food left, and scarcely any water."
"What? Lead the column, I shall return in several minutes." Sandsun led his mount and broke out of formation, trotting to the rear of the column where the supply wagons were. He returned quickly.
"Who has been rationing provisions?" Sandsun asked, his voice agitated.
"Rationing, sir?"
Sandsun stared back. "Distributing the food in limited portions."
"I am afraid... there is none, captain. We have been handing out provisions per individual request."
Sandsun thought for a moment. "Very well. Desist this immediately; from now on I shall oversee all food and water rations. I shall see about finding some more. But there will be improvements."
He turned back to Antonis and said quietly, "Every day I fear we are leading these poor souls to their doom... we are not an army. We are a scrabble."
***
"A mob is more like it...these men are hardly trained and novice at best, do what you can, I am a knight, not a General", said Antonis, "I have read some basic tactical books, but my main strength lies in the fine art of swordsmanship and the use of heavy armor..."
***
"There is a village thirty miles march out of our way. Perhaps we can gather supplies there," Sandsun suggested. "But I am not sure whether the villagers will offer us what we need. Not every village, town, and city supports the rebellion, and may even opposed it. But I see little alternative in this scenario, unless we wish to march our army to death..."
***
"Let us take it by force unless they have few enough supplies for their own people...then we will have to turn east, I know of an bandit camp, but it is much further than the town", said Xarxes, "But they know me, I am sure they would give us supplies if I walked up..."
***
Sandsun grimaced at the word "bandit." He'd heard horrible stories about them before, how they would attack towns and villages and hang the governor's body off of the tallest tower for all to see.
"If there is no other way, so be it..."
**********
Zilt, gasping for breath, dashed up to one of the town’s walls. He looked out over the ocean where a fleet of red-sailed vessels drifted into the harbor, smaller boats disembarking full of bandit crewmen. He counted dozens… hundreds… perhaps a thousand? And the city had only a small garrison, and to be truthful it was mainly just the young men unwilling or incapable of marching out with Antonis and the rest of the army.
A minute later of the mage apprentices appeared at the top of ladders. "What do we do?" one of the girls inquired.
Zilt squinted, trying to keep sun out of his eyes. "Help me cast fire at the sails!" he said.
The young mages began to focus energy into small balls of heat, but Zilt stopped them. "No, no. Those ships are a couple hundred yards from us still. On the count of three, help me build up a larger one!"
The mages tried again, and this time when all their energies were focused together one massive heap of flame went flying toward the nearest ship, burning brightly like a second sun in the sky. But it was still unfocused, and it did little more than singe the sail.
"Again!"
The second fireball ignited several portions of the sails. Zilt could hear the frantic shouts of the pirate crew trying to put it out. But at this point it wouldn’t do much more than merely annoy the mauraders; already troops were beginning to step foot on the docks to engage the pitiful handful of brave souls defending the city with the short remainder of their lives.
********
Xarxes approached the bandit fortress, and a large man stood upon the gate.
"Walk a step closer, and you will be shot!", he yelled.
"I am Sir Antonis Xarxes of the Knights of the Orb", said Antonis, "My men need supplies, as do I, I will pay..."
Greed strikes the heart of all men save few, and the man was not one of the few, he took the money and gave the army supplies, a few hours later the army, now with proper rationing, went off towards their destination.
***
Zilt watched as bandits stormed off of the ships, screaming wildly as they began to engage the small guard. About half of the defenders broke and ran. He and the other mages tried to cast waves of heat toward the city gate, and theirs spells did ignite a couple dozen pirates who ran back to the docks to douse the flames in the sea. But it wasn’t enough, by any means.
And then Zilt watched a new figure disembark from the largest of the vessels, safely behind the pirate soldiers. The figure wore wizard robes that seemed somewhat familiar… but where had he seen them before? At any rate, perhaps if he could take this leader-appearing figure out of the battle, the bandits might retreat and regroup.
"At at that person, down on the docks wearing the robes!" Zilt shouted over the hissing and crackling of repeated arcane channeling. Twenty fireballs began to fly toward the figure.
But the robed figure raised one arm and the balls of fire dissipated into the air harmlessly or flew into the water. Then the mysterious figure look up toward the ramparts where the mages stood on the offensive. A sinking feeling began to form in the bottom of Zilt’s stomach as the air before the figure began to blur and distort like heat rising up from black desert sand.
"Get away!" he shouted as the blur began to approach his position.
Zilt and several of the apprentice mages ran to either side of the wall, but most of them did not have enough time to respond. As the figure’s attack hit the wall, the stone exploded outward, sending jagged shards of rock and molten stone flying through the air. None of the mages within ten feet of the impact survived, and those only a few feet further were just as unlucky when the stone and beads of lava pelted their backs.
He gazed at the bodies in shock. This had been a mistake all along… they were still barely just kids…
"What do we do now?" shouted one of the surviving mages from across the other side of the gash in the wall.
Zilt looked back down at the docks. The defenders were all dead; the pirates had already routed the garrison.
"Run and hide for your lives!" he shouted. "There’s nothing more we can do!"
********
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|
Xarxes approached the bandit fortress, and a large man stood upon the gate.
"Walk a step closer, and you will be shot!", he yelled.
"I am Sir Antonis Xarxes of the Knights of the Orb", said Antonis, "My men need supplies, as do I, I will pay..."
Greed strikes the heart of all men save few, and the man was not one of the few, he took the money and gave the army supplies, a few hours later the army, now with proper rationing, went off towards their destination. You (5/5/2008 10:59:25 PM) Zilt watched as bandits stormed off of the ships, screaming wildly as they began to engage the small guard. About half of the defenders broke and ran. He and the other mages tried to cast waves of heat toward the city gate, and theirs spells did ignite a couple dozen pirates who ran back to the docks to douse the flames in the sea. But it wasn’t enough, by any means.
And then Zilt watched a new figure disembark from the largest of the vessels, safely behind the pirate soldiers. The figure wore wizard robes that seemed somewhat familiar… but where had he seen them before? At any rate, perhaps if he could take this leader-appearing figure out of the battle, the bandits might retreat and regroup.
“At at that person, down on the docks wearing the robes!” Zilt shouted over the hissing and crackling of repeated arcane channeling. Twenty fireballs began to fly toward the figure.
But the robed figure raised one arm and the balls of fire dissipated into the air harmlessly or flew into the water. Then the mysterious figure look up toward the ramparts where the mages stood on the offensive. A sinking feeling began to form in the bottom of Zilt’s stomach as the air before the figure began to blur and distort like heat rising up from black desert sand.
“Get away!” he shouted as the blur began to approach his position.
Zilt and several of the apprentice mages ran to either side of the wall, but most of them did not have enough time to respond. As the figure’s attack hit the wall, the stone exploded outward, sending jagged shards of rock and molten stone flying through the air. None of the mages within ten feet of the impact survived, and those only a few feet further were just as unlucky when the stone and beads of lava pelted their backs.
He gazed at the bodies in shock. This had been a mistake all along… they were still barely just kids…
“What do we do now?” shouted one of the surviving mages from across the other side of the gash in the wall.
Zilt looked back down at the docks. The defenders were all dead; the pirates had already routed the garrison.
“Run and hide for your lives!” he shouted. “There’s nothing more we can do!”
********
|
| You (5/12/2008 11:09:39 PM) |
Antonis finally reached Chalgrihad, and his ragtag army engaged the outnumbered Imperial Army.
General Xarxes sat mounted upon his camel, his pikemen were to be arrayed in the front, but they will be using a strategy, as the cavalry charged towards them they leave their pikes burried in the sand, and when the cavalry was about to reach them they lift the pikes from the sand and the horses will impale themselves upon the pikes. The pikemen would take their pikes from the dead horsemen and wait for another wave, and if none came the artillery moved forward and attacked the walls, the artillery consisted of a catapult and five ballistas. The catapult bombarded one point on the wall to make a hole while the ballistas fired into the masses of archers on the walls. When the wall crumbled leaving a gaping hole the cavalry would move forward and into the hole, where they will trample many men while the footmen storm the city as well.
The plan almost worked until the cavalry went into the city, they are met by pikemen of the Imperial army. They retreated, and Xarxes moved forward, he took direct command of the battle, he led the footmen into the city, where their swift swords defeated the pikemen, they moved aside and the cavalry went into the city. Xarxes led the men through the city as they took out all resistance, and when the last soldier died, the battle was over. Xarxes went to the Imperial Palace, where he treated a gash he recieved in his arm, after treating it with his skill in medicine he learned from Lucias he walked to the throne room, he had the throne taken out and destroyed as a sign of freedom defeating tyranny and was about to have a courier go to the capital when a messenger arrived.
"The capital has fallen to new invaders from the west!", yelled the messenger. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/13/2008 5:22:23 AM) |
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"I'm am surprised, this worked as well as it did," Sandsun commented after the battle. He himself had received a stab to the gut, painful, but nonlethal. He tried to hide the pain, but it was evident enough from the quiver in his voice that walking was a painful task. "The garrison was far smaller than previously assumed, and their commander seemed inept. Our own casualties were fairly heavy though, I am afraid; we will need some time to heal our wounded. But the people here... they seem to view us as rebel invaders, not as liberators. Many seem to want no part in this revolution and wish for us to depart from the city immediately."
He lowered himself to the ground by the smashed throne, groaning quietly as he lay his body down. "But it may cheer you to know I have received word from Pontus. He congratulates you on your victory and says he wishes he could have seen your magnificent swordplay in battle. He now needs you to lead an army against a fort a hundred miles to the north of here. It should have little to no garrison in it, as the imperial armies have been sent north in an attempt to repel an invasion by the northern barbarians." |
| You (5/13/2008 7:38:09 AM) |
| "Before we leave our troops need rest and time to heal their wounds as you said, I would also ask that you do a speech in front of the people, but that is your decision, I would do a speech, but if they saw a western knight leading an Eastern army I believe the crowd would go insane, an Eastern man seeming like the leader would not anger them as much", says Xarxes. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/13/2008 11:55:00 AM) |
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"I could try, but I am afraid I am no orator," Sandsun said, "And perhaps not in my current condition. Traditionally, liberating armies are to distribute food and gold to the townsfolk, but we can barely feed our own army as it is. We will need to take some of the city's supply before departing."
*********
Zilt fled into one of the guard towers where he quickly descended down the stairs, several surviving apprentices following behind him. As soon as he stepped out into the daylight he saw three pirates standing over a dead body of a civilian man who dared to fight for his own property.
"Get 'em!" one of the pirates shouted. "Hasgoth wants 'em alive!"
Hasgoth? The rogue wizard? Zilt thought back to months ago with the brawl in the tavern... was Hasgoth back to take his revenge or something?
He didn't let this thought distract him, though. The three pirates stumbled back as Zilt cast a quick repulsion spell particularly effective against iron and those wearing armor. When the three men were down, he delivered quick kicks to theirs heads to ensure there would be no pursuit.
"Come on! We must make our way across the city to the gates!" Zilt spoke to his followers.
There were only a few minor skirmishes with small groups of pirates in the streets before they made their way to relatively empty roads leading out of the city's main gate. Most of the citizens had attempted to barricade their homes, as there seemed to be no more defense against the pillagers.
At last, the breathlessly stumbled to the stable just outside the city. On three horses remained for the six of them, but it was enough. Two of the horses were already equipped with ration sacks, filled with food and water, just enough for them to make it to the next city.
"Let's go!" the mage spoke, hopping onto one of the horses as the others performed a similar action. But then he felt a sharp pain pierce his back and heard the girl behind him gasp just as the horse began to gallop away.
"Traitorous deserters!" shouted a voice.
**************
|
| You (5/13/2008 10:54:18 PM) |
Xarxes sighed and walked in front of his army.
"Alright men", said Xarxes, "I need a charismatic soldier to do a speech..."
One soldier, out of many, approached Septim. He looked to be in his forties, a black beard with streaks of grey in it.
"I will do it for you General", he said, "For I understand why you need my help."
***
Fifteen minutes later, Sergeant Hoshun walked in front of a large mass of people outside the palace.
"I am Ubin Hoshun of the Eastern Rebellion. We were here to liberate, not imprison you. You will have more freedom now, but we require food and provisions to supply our army, for our stock is running low", said Hoshun, "Let me ask you all a question...what freedoms did you hold under the Empire? Were you allowed to choose your leaders? Were you allowed to walk the streets when the sun went down? Did your 'property" really belong to YOU? No! But with the new government, the answers will be YES!!!"
Thunderous applause was heard, with few not clapping. Hoshun walked into the palace to be greeted by Xarxes.
"Thank you soldier", said Xarxes, "They would not have clapped for a Westerner..."
***
After resupplying with food from the town supplies and having the wounded men healed, Xarxes turned to Sandsun.
"Lead the army from now until I return, if the capital has fallen then my friend is in danger. Good luck, you are probably a better tactician than I, I prefer one on one..."
Xarxes made sure that everybody knew of the change of command before riding off to the capital, and his friend's aid. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/13/2008 11:31:43 PM) |
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"Farewell, may your return be swift!" Sandsun spoke. "I would hate to assault the fort without your sword in our front lines, but we shall do what we can. Oh, and before you go, take this letter."
********
Zilt and the surviving apprentices rode further from the city for ten miles before stopping. The young mages lay Zilt down on the slope of a sand dune and carefully removed the crossbow bolt from his back. Luckily, the shot had not penetrated his skin very far. One of the girls with some medical skills bandaged the wound, pouring a slight amount of alcohol on it to keep it from being disinfected.
No one knew any healing spells except for Zilt, who could not very well see the wound to begin with. Even a basic spell for speed up the process of the skin scabbing over a wound was dangerous if administered in the wrong area.
"Let's just keep riding," Zilt said after a while.
'Why did we run?" one of the young men asked after a while. "Why did we not stay to defend the city?"
"Because..." Zilt faltered. He knew why. He wasn't ready to die, not in some strange land for a cause he did not believe in. "Because we can do more good for the revolution alive."
******** |
| You (5/13/2008 11:56:00 PM) |
Sir Antonis Xarxes rode his camel through the desert, with nobody to talk to he thought, and occasionally talked to his camel.
"...how did Zilt ever convince me to come here...", wondered Antonis as he rode along, he finally reached a fork in the rode with a sign saying only five leagues to the capital.
"Fantastic..."
Antonis rode on. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/14/2008 1:10:43 AM) |
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Zilt rode with the apprentices further away from the city. He spotted another lone rider in the distance, a soldier wearing various pieces of armor. He looked somewhat familiar, but... could it be...
Yes. It was Antonis!
"What are you doing here? I thought you were meant to be leading the army," Zilt said once in shouting distance. |
| You (5/14/2008 7:34:55 AM) |
| "My friend, when I heard the capital was captured I came immediately to your aid, do you know who the invaders are?", asked Antonis as he came closer. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/14/2008 11:02:27 AM) |
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| "Common pirates, but led by a very powerful wizard, who... who I have met before. I believe she may be tracking me, I am not sure, but I doubt the pirates will stay long, simply loot the city and leave," Zilt replied. "I would not advise trying to return..." |
| You (5/15/2008 5:21:39 PM) |
| "I came here to get you if you were in trouble, I now plan to go to the port city of Ushkan to send a message to Lucias, this is now beyond what I can handle, this wizard must be stopped, and Lucias is more than capable to handle her, and the Knights that will come with him, if he follows standard procedures, around three to four hundred, will be able to easily take care of the pirates...and after we send that message I must send one to my army. Do you know if Pontus lived?", asked Antonis. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/15/2008 6:04:41 PM) |
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"Oh, Pontus was not in the city," Zilt said. "I do not know his whereabouts at all, perhaps he is elsewhere planning what for our armies to do... or what pitiful excuse we have as armies. The lady wizard, Hasgoth, will probably lead the pirates elsewhere and raid other undefended coastal cities before Lucias's knight even set foot on transports.
"Even then, Hasgoth is a notoriously rouge wizard. Back at the Wizard's Guilds, all attempts to stop him failed, until the head council decided it was just best to pay the occasional ransom rather than waste dozens of experienced teachers and bountry hunters."
Zilt noticed Antonis looking slightly confused, perhaps at the gender confusion.
"Look, the whole he-she thing, it's a strange story that I'd rather not say at the moment," Zilt replied preemptively. "I would not try approaching her yourself, if you can even find her. Even Lucias may find himself a match, army to army. I dare not return... I was lucky enough to escape him once."
One of the apprentices pointed out several horses galloping down the road. Even in the distance they could see the gleam of armor.
"Imperial troops!" Zilt said. "Let's get off the road!"
But as the men came into sight, it was apparent that they were not soldiers in the traditional sense. Rather, they were messengers armed simply for the sake of defense against highwaymen and bandits.
Zilt saw several of the apprentices posed up for combat, the air shimmering around their fingers in the presence of arcane energy. He told them to wait, then approached the riders.
"Antonis Zarxes and Wizard Zilt?" asked the messengers. He wore light armor and a thin, decorate crested helmet.
"Yes," Zilt replied cautiously, carefully observing the riders should they suddenly take up arms.
"We bear a message for you from the Emperor," he said, removing a sealed letter from a saddlepack and handing it to Zilt. "He wishes peace and compromise in these already dark times." |
| You (5/15/2008 7:34:28 PM) |
"Much thanks courier", said Antonis, after the courier left, Antonis turned to Zilt.
"I wonder if Pontus knew about this? If not, we should tell him, but we have more important things to do. I must contact Lucias, at least then he can be on his way here, after that we have several options. We can either regroup with my army, they are quite loyal to me, never before has a General fought alongside them apparantly, I guess their Generals sit back and give orders. Anyways, we can do that or try to find Pontus, that is a lost cause, as he is probably well in hiding and we should wait for him to find us. Do you have any other ideas?", asked Antonis. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/15/2008 8:21:51 PM) |
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"Returning to your army may be the best option there is," Zilt replied. "Oh, and by the way... might you take a look at this wound of mine? I have heard Lucias taught you the basic of healing arts. Meanwhile, I will read the letter."
The wizard carefully broke the wax seal of the letter as the messengers departed the way they'd came.
"To the one known as Antonis Xarxes," he began, "I send this letter in hopes you will reply this time, that this letter shall not go ignored as the others have before it. Neither your commanders nor their officers have provided the basic courtesy of declining a peace treaty. I prey this is a result of misfortune and not of blind hatred for everything Imperial.
"If you have not yet recieved one of my earlier messages, know this: I write this letter asking for peace. Though the hearts of men are stirred and fiery against the actions of the empire, now is one of the darkest times for a people to war itself. Barbarian desert plunderers, hearing news of a weakened army, have been pouring across the mountains into the northern provinces at an alarming rate. I could not risk losing the outer guards, and ordered the legions keeping them at bay to retreat further into the main provinces.
"Now pirates have been assaulting ports all across the nation. The imperial navy has been doing the best it can to keep them at bay, but without frequent maintanance from friendly cities it will be divided and defeated. Western nations from across the sea prepare armies for long-anticipated invasions. If this were not bad enough, the island colonies, long kept in a fragile state of peace, have returned to century-old wars amongst themselves, even at the dawn of outside invasion.
"The empire is crumbling. Thieves come to claim pieces of its foundation as the base collapses in on itself. An empire takes much gold to maintain, and this the common man will not see or understand when his taxes are higher during years of higher turmoil, nor will he understand when the empire cannot provide food that does not exist. Despite this, I will admit I, as emperors before me, have also been at fault, alienating ourselves from the very substance that makes an empire sucessful: its people.
"I ask now for peace amongst ourselves so that, rebel and Imperial alike, can defeat the empire's true invaders. For this, I am preparing to return the empire to a long-suspended political structure: a republic, as in the first days of the empire. Once I am no longer needed, I shall retire to ensure no more mistakes can be held accountable to an incompetant empire.
"Additionally, I feel compelled to warn you against those who might command you. I have no doubt that many men have no doubt in their hearts that there is no higher truth than freedom, and will ensure they committ no more sins than necessary. But, I warn you, such men are rare, and most word-charmers who claim to be are fraudulent. And as time passes, the fraudulent word-charmers will have the truly virtuous killed in a manner fitting for traitors.
"Such wickedness is not limited to the rebels alone. I fear, should I and my son be brought to death in either a natural or unnatural manner, command will be assumed by my head general. He has been urging me for years to put down all resistance with the sword, that is it better to slay all traitors, even if it means the death of the nation.
"If we do not stand together, we will all fall. I hope you consider these words wisely and reply promptly. May the gods help us."
Farewell,
Emperor Iol-Sehkmut IX."
Zilt read the letter a second time silently before laying it down in the sand. "Well," he said after some time, "what do you think?"
********
Two people stood on the rear deck of a pirate ship overlooking the recently-sacked port city. Billows of smoke blotted out the sun, casting a shadow over the pillaging fleet. The first was a woman, wearing wizard's robes that were too large for her. The other wore simple gray robes like those of a diplomat.
"How many did we lose?" the man asked.
"Eight. Eight is insignificant. Have the others throw the bodies overboard," replied the woman.
"What of Zilt?"
"He has escaped."
"Good."
The two were silent for some time, then resumed their quiet chatter as the city vanished from sight.
"We are agreed on the loot, then? Fifty percent for the crew, twenty five for us each?" asked the woman.
"No."
"What?" the woman glared at her companion. "We were agreed. If you decide to make down now--"
"Oh, no. I was just going to say to just leave me with ten percent. You can take the rest," the diplomat replied.
"But why? Why lower your share of the loot?"
"Because," the diplomat said, turning around to face the cabin, "I do not play my little war game for the money. Money is unimportant. You can buy your simple pleasures, but in the end it runs out and leaves you poor and unsatisfied. But I find games can last much longer. There is no greater power than to convince a son to murder his father, or a brother to kill his brother. Or to guide their knives straight into their own hearts. And still, with the right words, you are their savior."
"You are a strange man, Pontus."
He grinned and looked her straight into the eye. "I find that to be my greatest strength, Hasgoth."
******** |
| You (5/15/2008 8:40:51 PM) |
Xarxes finished the letter and turned to Zilt.
"We go to Fort Achlem, where my army is stationed under the command of one of my officers. There we will take them to the port town of Uchlemus, where I can send a letter to Lucias with a convoy of traders. Then we meet the Emperor in the capital a hundred miles north and discuss his terms", said Antonis.
They rode through the desert on their camels for three days before reaching Fort Achlem, and when they got there Sandsun was there to greet them with a salute.
"At ease, how did the battle go?", asked Xarxes.
"It went well, thirty casualties on our side, the Imperialists retreated", said Sandsun.
"Good, how are the provisions?", asked Xarxes.
"They are well, this fort had enough to supply a garrison much larger than the one stationed here", said Sandsun.
"Good, we need to leave tomorrow morning for Uchlemus, if any Imperial force approaches, do not attack unless attacked", said Antonis in the commanding voice o*beep*eneral.
"Understood sir", said Sandsun.
Antonis went with Zilt into the fort, men were walking around, sitting, talking, playing games of dice and cards. They looked at Antonis with admiration rarely shown in Westerners. Antonis reached the commander's quarters and sat down on a chair. A man brought in two plates of food for the commanding officers and left, Antonis began to eat at the square table in the corner. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/15/2008 8:56:06 PM) |
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Sandsun entered a few minutes later. "Sir... the imperial troops are dead."
Zilt quickly swallowed a piece of beef to reply. It almost got caught in his throat, and after a brief coughing fit, he asked "What do you mean? I thought they retreated after the battle."
"Our scouts saw them ambushed by camel-mounted archers. The barbarians wore heavy black turbans and shot the army from a distance, then charged in and killed the survivors," Sandsun reported. "We might be ambushed the same way if we are not careful. We lack the horses or camels to pursue them, and we do not have bows for all the men, even for the ones who have ever practiced archery before."
Zilt sat considering this for a moment. "I think I can do something about this. Heat rises off the sand and creates mirages. A little extra disturbance and they will not see us leave the city, only more sand. But there is no guarantee the city will not be attacked when we're gone..." |
| You (5/15/2008 9:33:58 PM) |
| "That is a risk we must take, there is no other solution, we could leave men in the city, but that would be the death of them if they were attacked, I doubt our full army could fend off an attack in open warfare...we leave at noon tomorrow when the sun is highest, the mirage, I imagine, will be much easier to create with more heat. I was taught some very basic magic while with Lucias, so I can help you and your apprentices create the illusion", said Xarxes. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/15/2008 10:19:22 PM) |
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The following morning the army set out. Luckily, the city was walled, save a few dusty farms on the outskirts that probably produced a very poor crop anyway. Once all the soldiers were out, the main gate was latched behind them and Zilt, the apprentices, and Antonis began to create a thin wall of heat near the sand. Zilt needed to scratch out some numbers in the sand before he was able to calculate the right angle, but after a few quick calculations and tests he was confident the illusion would work. From one side, anyway, but with luck that was all they needed.
And luck came their way. Though some of the soldiers spotted camel riders scouting the terrain nearby, none seemed to take notice. The wind quickly covered up the army's tracks.
Trying to keep up a constant wall of arcane energy was kind of like holding one's arms in the for a long time. It didn't seem hard at first, but when muscles began to ache the effort seemed monstrous. Antonis and the apprentices needed frequent rests since they had not had as many years of training as Zilt, but even he could only hold up the illusion for a couple hours before needed a drink and rest. Thus, they took turns casting and resting so as to keep up the illusion.
Finally, they arrived at the port city without incident. Surprisingly enough, the city was not in open rebellion. Imperial troops still maintained a large garrison, but the townsfolk had not risen up in protest. Even as the rebel army marched through the city walls, the imperial troops took no counteraction.
Zilt quickly found out why this was true. The governor was a generally well-liked figure by the cityfolk, known as a fair, beneficial ruler. To both him and the citizens, pirates and barbarians were of far more threat than any revolution, and thus the city had already successfully defended against both. Although the imperial fleet had already retreated, the governor had took it upon himself to hire a mercenary fleet for temporary protection.
But still, the city was beginning to starve. Few sailors came to the port now in fear of pirates offshore and not enough wheat was entering the city. If it were not for the governor's well-planned grainery, the people would have starved long ago, but now under increasingly diminishing rations came fear and desperation. |
| You (5/15/2008 10:50:48 PM) |
Antonis walked down the street to a place saying, "Courier Service", the army had been left camping outside the city, and only a small group of thirty men had actually entered the city. Antonis gave Sandsun a bag of gold from his traveller's bag.
"Get the cheapest supplies you can", he said to Sandsun before walking into the the small wooden building. An old man approached him.
"Where to?", he asked.
"Western Continent, Cidel City, the Knight's of the Orb stronghold, to a Sir Lucias Septim the Second", said Antonis.
"That won't be cheap", said the man.
Antonis opens a bag of coins and drops extra.
"I expect this to make it...", said Antonis.
"It will, with backing like that!" exclaimed the man.
"Good, or it'll be your head...", intimidated Antonis, he wouldn't carry it out, but with the look he had, the shopkeeper would take him seriously.
Antonis handed a letter to the courier with a large red seal, it was made by the Knight's of the Orb not to simply tell if it had been opened, but to wipe any person who looked upon the letters within's mind. Antonis walked out to Zilt.
"It's done..." |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/15/2008 11:07:28 PM) |
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"I am afraid the governor does not have much for us to sell now, even. Food is tightly rationed. Still, he can provide a week's worth of water in waterbags and barrels, as well as a few days worth of bread," Zilt replied. "But we cannot go to the emperor next, I'm afraid... he is dead. Assassinated, both him and his wife. And his son, and his wife..."
A courier came running back to Antonis. "Your wizard friend has a message from home. Follow me, sir wizard."
"What? Oh." Zilt jogged behind the courier until he arrived at a tall tower. He walked up the dozens of stone stairs until he arrived at a large octane crystal. The magic tower seemed to double up as a lighthouse. He pressed his hand against the crystal, and listened as a voice came whirring around in the air above him.
"Is this thing on?" came a faint voice. "I think it needs some more power... there... that's better. All right. Zilt, how goes your mission? We have not heard back from you in some time. Do not forget to find Rudmully. We now know he is studying at the Imperial Capital, advanced arcane crafts. Tell him it's time to come home, and if he refuses, tell him he will lose his membership! And if he refuses that tell him we just opened a new laboratory here, state of the art equipment, etc. Oh, and for those octane crystals, forget about them. We have secured a deal elsewhere. Don't let us down, young chap! Goodbye! Okay. Turn it off, you foo--"
Zilt returned to Antonis. He'd completely forgotten and Rudmully. Well... making it to the imperial capital would certainly be a chore now.
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| You (5/15/2008 11:11:03 PM) |
| "Well...it seems our next stop will be the Imperial Capital, even if we aren't to see the Emperor, we will need to see some sort of regent to talk terms of peace", said Antonis. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/15/2008 11:18:42 PM) |
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"Except the new emperor must have gone to the general," Zilt said, shaking his head. "Someone I think we just lost the last voice of reason."
Then something else occured to him. He jogged over to Sandsun, who was trying to reimburse a merchant for provisions. The merchant was refusing the money, though.
"Pardon me... does anyone know who the assassin is?" Zilt asked.
"Er... western fellow, they say, by the name of Marcus. Why?" |
| You (5/15/2008 11:23:32 PM) |
"Marcus?", Antonis asked himself, "Marcus? He was locked up in the town wasn't he? You wizard friend must've freed him...but how did she know his skills?"
Antonis walked to the window, his hand on his forehead.
"His father would be quite disappointed...", Antonis said, "But no time to lament on his failures..."
Antonis walked to Zilt.
"Marcus is now our enemy, if we find him, we end him as we would our enemy..."
The words stung Antonis as he said them, he had known Marcus since he was a boy. He was almost like a father figure to him.
"So, any ideas as to what we do now?", Antonis asked Zilt. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/15/2008 11:39:02 PM) |
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Zilt sighed. "Well, we could wait for your knights to arrive, but that could be weeks, even with the swiftest vessels. We cannot march straight to the imperial city, and to try and siege it would be absolute suicide.
One of the imperial sergeants approached Antonis. "General, we feel it might be best to send out our troops to repel the barbarians. Their numbers are small, and our heavy armor can deflect most arrows. And though we may be short on rations, we have plenty a supply of crossbow bolts and horses." |
| You (5/15/2008 11:49:40 PM) |
"How far are the barbarians?", asked Antonis.
"Well, they are wanderers really, raiders, looking for easy money. My guess is in the eastern towns and villages", said Sandsun.
"Then we travel there", said Antonis.
***Two weeks of travelling later***
"Fire!", roared Antonis, the crossbow bolts went into the bodies of ten barbarians as they charged the crossbowmen, from fifty feet away the crossbowmen shot again, killing fifteen, and again at twenty five feet, killing twenty. The barbarians, knowing their impending doom, continue charging, they are shot again and fall down to the ground. Antonis steps forward.
"Take whatever food they have, we are going back to the port..." |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/16/2008 12:01:26 AM) |
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When they arrived back at the port, Zilt grew worried. He saw smoke on the horizon, but when they returned they were told a couple freelance pirate ships had make the mistake to try and attacking the harbor while the defense fleet was hidden in the closed-roof docks. No one was killed; the pirates, after shooting a few crossbow bolts, had only manage to knock down part of a tower.
The cityfolk cheered when they heard news of the victory against the mauraders. But still, without a steady flow of trade, food was growing scarcer and scarcer.
But good news came once more when Lucias's knights arrived at the port, bringing with them at least three months worth of provisions, as well as many barrels of fresh fruit that were distributed among the citizens.
Rumor from various couriers that had made it to the city spoke of more cities rebelling along the coast, more pirate attacks against undefended ports, a few victories for the imperial army, a few for the barbarians, and a few for revolutionary armies. In a sense, the world was completely different living in the defended port town than it was further inland. Yet a feeling still nagged on the back of Zilt's mind that made him anxious to keep moving. |
| You (5/16/2008 12:13:47 AM) |
Antonis arrived in the port town with Zilt and the resistance army a week after Lucias had arrived. Antonis greeted Lucias with an arm clasp.
"Friend! What have you gotten yourself into?", asked Lucias.
"A bit more than I could chew, probably...", said Antonis.
"So, General of the Resistance, what did you need me for?", asked Lucias.
"Well, food, and your help. There's this wizard, and the way Zilt describes her, only you could hope to defeat her in combat", said Antonis.
"Well lets hope I can, I never liked dealing with wizards..." said Lucias.
Suddenly, the horn blows from the tower, Lucias and Antonis run to the docks to see a fleet of pirate ships approaching. Antonis turned to Sandsun.
"Ready the men for battle!", yelled Antonis.
Lucias turned to the Knights and made an arm gesture, they made a different one in reply and sheathed their swords, they pulled longbows from their backs and manned positions on the walls. Imperial troops hurried around as the ships drew nearer.
"This is going to be interesting", muttered Antonis. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/16/2008 12:36:24 AM) |
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Zilt took his apprentices back to the ramparts. He watched their expressions. Some looked afraid, others angry.
Sandsun came running up to the top of the ramparts and shouted. The stone buildings along the curve of the harbor carried his voice well.
"Today," he shouted, "we do not fight the empire, nor do we fight the revolution. We fight the vultures who come to scavenge our remains! But today the vultures will find prey that, unified, will fight back!"
There was a cheer from the troops, drafted citizen, imperial soldier, knight, and wizard alike. Sandsun began to continue when Zilt, looking through a spyglass, saw the wizard Hasgoth once more. She stood on the deck of the nearest ship, also holding out a spyglass to view the city's defenses. Suddenly, it seemed as though her gaze fell directly upon him. Zilt began to tremor, skin turning ice cold. He lost his balance and stumbled backward. What was that? A spell?
He began to sat up, but heard frantic shouts from upon the walls, when he stood on his feet, he noticed dozens of fiery catapult ammunition being launched.
"Oh, no," he murmured. "Blue fire?"
The nearest of the shots shattered against the ramparts, against towers, upon roofs, and over the streets. Each shot shattered upon impact, spewing shards of clay and burning globs of oil. Those who were hit by the flame could not rub it off nor douse it out in water; in fact it seemed the fire only made it burn stronger. Upon this first attack, many soldiers were burned to death. Most of the knights were able to repel it with water, or immediately able to expel the flame once it landed on their heavy armor. But a few were simply unlucky enough for it to land on their exposed skin or faces and were killed or wounded.
A second wave of catapult ammunition pelted the city to similar results, killing another number of brave defenders who never had the chance to meet the enemy eye to eye. Then a third, and fourth. Finally, it seemed the pirates had run out, and were now launching solid stones instead. This new ammunition was more damaging against the walls and buildings, but caused very few casualties.
Last came a shower of fist-sized rocks. Those with shields and armor were mostly safe, but even a simple rock could cause plenty of bruises, broken bones, even crushed skulls.
Zilt and the others on the wall were fairly luck; they could hide behind the parapets. Except for a few boulders that struck near the top and collapsed a small region of the wall, the defenders on it were unharmed.
Finally, the barrage was over.
"Regroup! Return to your formations!" came Sandsun's voice. Zilt spotted him at the top of the tallest tower in the city, the magic tower.
The pirate ships began to approach the harbor. When they neared, the small mercenary fleet left their hiding places and engaged the larger vessels with rams. But the pirates were not out of blue fire; when the mercenary ram ships came too close the crew simply threw clay pots of it at the defending ships, and within a minute the vessels were ablaze. Still, the navy caused enough damage to sink two vessels, and force two others to discontinue the attack and repair.
And now began the true battle. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/16/2008 1:09:32 AM) |
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The pirates climbed down ladders from the larger ships into smaller rowing boats and barges. Bearing all manners of weapons from bows to longswords to slings, hundreds of men made their way to the docks.
"Archers, fire!" Sandsun shouted. A volley of arrows instantly struck down several dozen of the invaders. Then a second volley sent the first pirates retreating back to their companions so as not to get picked off one by one. Bodies of the fallen began to turn the water red and bobbed in the tide.
Zilt and the other apprentices began to summon fireballs and shot them similar to the archers. If this were to continue, it seemed as though the pirates would all march straight to their deaths on the beach alone.
But, of course, it wasn't so simple as that. Zilt caught sight of a familiar figure in the corner of his eye, Hasgoth. She and a good number of strong, well-armored pirates moved toward the walls under a sphere of arcane energy that deflected the arrows just enough to veer into the sand. He then caught sight of something else...
"Get away!" he suddenly shouted, pushing some of the apprentices off of the section of wall. And just in time; the stone shattered into a million tiny pieces of dust as one of Hasgoth's spells decimated the fortification. It was too late for one of the apprentices, though. The stone crumbled away from under her feet, and she slid off the wall down several floors to the docks below.
The other pirates were now retaliating with arrow and crossbow fire of their own. They hid behind metal shields in the sand, causing just as many casualties as they were suffering. Then other men disembarked from the larger ships, carrying tall ladders and propping them up onto the walls.
"To the walls!" Sandsun shouted, and suddenly the walls were reinforced with three times the original number of defenders. Zilt was lucky enough to catch one on fire, despite the fact they were all soaked in water.
Another one of Hasgoth's powerful spells caused another section of wall to crumble. This time, many men came down with it, including a handful of Lucias's knights. The knights, knowledgeable on how to tumble safely, were not too hurt and immediately began to engage the pirates rushing at them. Zilt watched as a pile of pirates began to build up, but slowly even the knights could not match the unstopping wave of attackers. Soon there was only one dying knight left, lying chest-down upon the sand. He looked up to see Hasgoth staring back at him, and then saw nothing.
By now several ladders had been successfully propped up against the walls, and pirates were beginning to gain ground. Zilt, carrying a wooden staff, began to engage three pirates approaching on his left. At first he held it out as if to cast a spell. The pirates stumbled and paused, shielding their eyes from whatever possible spell. But to their surprise, nothing happened. Except for Zilt smacking all three across the face in one blow. Wizards, in western countries, considered killing an opponent a poor sport. Humiliation was, by far, much more satisfying.
Inbetween spells, Zilt looked back at the pirate ships. It seemed as though the pirates would never stop coming. By now the walls were controlled by the pirates rather than defenders, and he was beginning to panic. Not to mention he had not seen Hasgoth for some time now...
"Fall back to the streets!" Sandsun shouted. "Fall back!"
Casualties had been heavy for both sides. The knights fared the best, having lost only a couple dozen. But unfortunately, it seemed as though now that the pirate's newest members had captured the walls, the more veteran ones were ready to join the fray, and even the knights managed to come across a nearly equal match.
Hasgoth's absence was worrying him more and more. The defenders were now trying to keep the pirates from making any progress down the city streets leading from the port to the main gate. Fighting was, more the most part, shoulder-to-shoulder, and despite years worth of experience and training, in narrower streets it became little more than a lethal game of tug of war, or in this case, push of war.
But then something broke the front lines. Hasgoth had somehow managed to creep behind the defenders, and was now casting flame and repulsion spells from among the defenders. Panicked, or at least distracted, the pirates gained significant ground, and soon it appeared the defenders were in full retreat.
Only the knights were brave enough to attempt to engage Hasgoth. But even in groups of threes, she was able to use arcane force to plow them away into each other, causing them in clatter noisily the ground in their heavy armor. She stood over one and cast a spell directly over him, and it seemed as though the knight were shrinking from inside his armor. Then, a moment later, Zilt heard a feminine cough emerge from inside the suit.
"Oh, no," Zilt murmured. "He's at it again..."
Then another knight, larger than the others, approached Hasgoth from behind. She twirled around and cast a fell at him, but her eyes grew wide when it had no effect. For her opponent was Lucias himself.
Then she grinned. |
I really don't feel like deleting all the little annoying things...
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| you (5/16/2008 7:51:58 am) |
lucias brought his sword down upon her, which she quickly put up a barrier to dodge, she shot a blue bolt at him, but he used his blade, firengard, as a wizard would a staff, and deflected it. lucias swung his sword sideways, at her, but she put up a physical barrier to block it. the battle of epic proporsions continued for a long time as lucias's legendary melee skill and magic clashed with hasgoth's greater magic but lack of melee skill. the battle only stopped when lucias pushed her off the edge of a part of the wall, she fell down, but used a spell to decrease her fall and fall gently to the docks, she looked up one last time before running to one of the ships. the pirates went with their leader, who had had very high casualties, and left. lucias turned and walked to antonis, who ran up behind him.
"that was quite an incredible battle, they are retreating, we lost about thirty knights in the battle", said antonis.
"give them the usual burial after counting the dead...", said lucias. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/16/2008 11:22:15 am) |
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the pirate fleet shot off another barrage while retreating, but this did little damage. soon the fleet had dissapeared into the distance, save the sunken vessels with masts still rising out of the water.
zilt looked for the apprentices among the streets. he'd been separated from them during the fighting in the streets, where they'd split up and had continued to attack from the roofs of houses. out of the six that had come with him to the city, only four now remained.
sandsun went running around from the various groups of soldiers piling up the dead into two piles, one pile for the bodies of the defenders and another for the slain pirates. within a couple of hours, he had statistics to report.
"one hundred and eleven of our volunteer revolutionary, dead. sixty three wounded, eighteen of whom will not likely last the night. all but twelve of the mercenaries are unaccounted for. one hundred and sixty four dead imperial guards, thirty three wounded. thirty-one knights of the orb dead, forty-two wounded, though i expect most will survive. and two hundred and eighty nine dead citizens, four hundred and twelve wounded," he reported to antonis. "we only count four hundred and fifty two slain pirates, but we cannot forget those lost to the ocean or carried back to the ships."
"what about damage to the city?" inquired zilt.
"three breaches in the outer walls, several dozen houses crushed by artillery. the last of the fires are being extinguished now."
"a victory, then," zilt spoke.
"a costly one. we have no remaining fleet; the pirates are now completely free to blockade us. but i doubt they will attempt an open assault again, not with the forces they have left."
"so we're safe for the moment?"
"yes. for tonight."
"what about damage to the city?" |
| you (5/16/2008 3:42:55 pm) |
lucias walked into the infirmary where all of the wounded knights layed. he placed his hand upon them and their wounds went away, lucias's legendary healing abilities healed all but thirty soldiers whose internal injuries were too severe, he saved forty from having to have a limb amputated. his knights were ready for combat again as they got up from their beds.
"thank you sir", said sir rovin.
"you are welcome", said lucias.
***
antonis helped in burying his dead soldiers outside the city, the bodies of the pirates were burned, no proper burial for them. the fact that a general would help his men bury the dead gave the remaining soldiers great respect for antonis.
***
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| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/16/2008 4:37:10 pm) |
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zilt had tried to counter the polymorph spell hasgoth had cast on one of the knights, but with no success. it was easy to reduce a body's mass, all that took was a little energy dissipating particles into the air and sand. but to reconstruct was a near impossible feat. not even hasgoth seemed able to undo the transformation spell that had reflected back to him.
but despite a change in body, the knight's spirit seemed to fade little. she'd just need a bit of muscle training and a custom set of armor.
********
pontus climbed the rope ladder up to hasgoth's main flagship. he found her eating dinner in the captain's quarters. he took notice to the deliberately small portions. most wizards he met seemed thin by nature, perhaps it had something to do with the energy spent crafting arcane energy. but hasgoth seemed to be eating almost in a, well, ladylike manner.
"so," pontus said, closing the door behind him silently. "i hear the attack failed."
"there was... unexpected strength," she replied. "four hundred knights strong, from the west, led by a man known as--"
"yes, lucias xarxes, head of the knights of the orb," pontus interrupted impatiently. "you must realize this is a setback."
hasgoth pushed aside her plate and stood up, matching his steady gaze. "setbacks happen."
pontus sighed, breaking off the stare. "this city cannot remain peaceful for long. what if others were to hear of rebel armies and imperial guards fighting side by side? i cannot have stability."
"well then, what would you have me do?" hasgoth inquired.
"there are different ways to break the back of a city," pontus replied. "many, many ways. i need a disguise."
********
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| you (5/16/2008 5:10:37 pm) |
lucias approached the female knight.
"well sir hesar, you are a woman now, but do not think that as bad. you just need a bit of training to get used to your new body, but we can't do that now...i want you and a few other knights to teach the resistance soldiers how to fight...", said lucias.
"yes sir, i have accepted becoming a woman, but i would rather like a name change, how's sir hesa sound?", asked hesar with a grin.
"i see you havn't lost total spirit, that change of name is fine, sir hesa", said lucias with a grin before walking out.
***
antonis approached zilt and put his hand on his shoulder.
"i am sorry for your apprentices, while there is still peace you can take a few of my resistance soldiers to train them if you would like", said antonis. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/16/2008 6:04:59 pm) |
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"oh, the mages are well trained in staff combat, and their arcane abilities have been steadily improving. still, sometimes nothing will deflect the arrow marked to pierce your heart, or the blade thrust through the eye," zilt answered. "i just do not know what to do next... stay here or move out? we cannot stay indefinitely. there was a fire in the grainery, now there is next to nothing left. i suppose all we can do is hope."
***
another week passed, then they food simply ran out. without being able to journey out to sea, the only fish they could catch were those offshore who were typically too small for nourishment in the first place. all farms within fifty miles were quickly ransacked, or at least the very few the barbarians hadn't burnt behind them.
each day the townsfolk looked out to the sea in earnest for incoming traders, but all they saw were the distant sails of waiting pirates. but then they saw something different. a white-sailed galleon, far swifter than her pirate counterparts, appeared on the horizon. it was quickly approaching the harbor.
"someone has run the blockade!" zilt shouted excitedly.
the galleon was visibly damaged. its hull was pierced by arrows, grapples, and the rods of ballista-sized crossbow bolts. the sails were singed, but despite all this it was well afloat and stocked with plenty of food.
finally, it anchored in what remained of the wooden docks. its crew disembarked, carrying barrels and crates filled with various goods--but mainly food.
"halt!" sandsun shouted from the wall. "state your name and intent!"
a man emerged from the vessel wearing a large hat and wearing wind-torn, yet still rather elegant, scarlet clothin*beep*! my name is captain fullhe*beep*, and i hear you need some food!"
sandsun sent a dozen imperial troops down to greet the captain. "we are very grateful for your efforts! but how did you sail past the pirates?"
the captain laughed, half merrily, yet also almost equally drunkenly. "straight line! plowed right through! you see, i gots the biggest ship, and if you don't get out of the way, you get under the way, hah!"
sandsun nodded in approval. many more soldiers came to help unload the cargo. zilt watched from the ramparts as barrel after barrel was unloaded from the merchant ship. there must be enough food to last... two, maybe three more months.
wizards were typically not very religious. when it really came down to it, there was nothing truly "magical" about arcane energy. just how the sun gave life to plants, or iron reshaped to make tools and weapons, arcane energy was just another force to be reshaped and used. but despite this, zilt found himself murmuring, "praise the gods!"
*** |
| you (5/16/2008 6:23:07 pm) |
antonis approached the captain.
"well, we have spare sails and wood from salvaged ships out in the ocean, we will repair your ship for free for your services...", said antonis. lucias, with his vast wealth, payed the man 125% what the food was worth.
"bring back more if you can, and use the extra twenty-five percent to buy some protection, but you don't have to leave yet", said antonis.
"i don't plan to leave today! where be the tavern?", asked the captain.
antonis pointed down the street and the captain walked merrily to the tavern.
"well, he's a lifesaver", said antonis to zilt. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/16/2008 6:40:28 pm) |
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"i don't know..."
***
sandsun stared at the stars that night from a balcony of the governor's palace. he remembered doing this as a child. his father would point out the constellations in the sky and tell him old folklore about desert hares and spiders and snakes, and how the gods would quarrel up in the sky to cause the rain and thunder. it was amazing how quickly nineteen years had passed. no wait, twenty now. his birthday had been during an uneventful day of chasing barbarians. he'd never mentioned it to anyone, of course.
he began to shiver from the cold and returned inside. his armor hung up in a corner, the light of the moon reflecting dimly off of the steel breastplate.
he took a sip from a bowl of water lying on the bedstand and crawled under the blankets.
he heard a couple of thumps from by the door. two guards were stationed outside, so he assumed one had simply dropped a spear or shield and lay back down. now what to do tomorrow? the walls still needed to be repaired. although they couldn't replace the original, quarry-mined stone, surely they could harvest some other materials from nearby, perhaps try and lay the debris back on--
the door squeaked. quietly, as if the one opening it intended to make no noise whatsoever. strange, he thought. the guards surely wouldn't--
"captain?" sandsun asked, rubbing his eyes in surprise. "what are you--"
he saw a metallic glimmer in the air, then found he could not breathe. and warm liquid was running down his chest. weak, he fell back upon the bed until his consciousness faded.
and so ended the career of twenty-year-old general sandsun mal'haibi.
***
in the morning, the captain, nor his ship or any of his crew, were anywhere to be found. |
| you (5/16/2008 7:29:27 pm) |
antonis sat quietly next to his dead friend's body. sandsun had been a good officer, a great officer, and now he was killed by one he thought was his savior. lucias walked in and sat across from antonis.
"antonis...losing men is part of war, as a commander you must learn that and accept it...that doesn't mean you need to end up like some of these eastern generals, but you need to let them go", said lucias.
"i will, thanks lucias", said antonis. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/16/2008 7:44:30 pm) |
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zilt came running into the room. "i heard what happened, is--"
he looked at sandsun's body still lying on the bed, blood staining the sheets.
"where were the guards?" he asked.
"dead too, outside in the hall," a guard replied. "they were carried away already."
"an assassin... any idea on who it might have been?" zilt inquired, trying to look away. "where is the captain?"
"no sign of him or his crew," answered the guard. "the dockmaster says he sailed out in the middle of the night, so as to avoid pass the blockade under the cloak of darkness."
"well... at least we still have the food."
"no, sir. it is infected. all of it. we've had over fifty deaths, and hundreds more sick," the guard said, his voice tremoring slightly. "we have nothing." |
| you (5/16/2008 8:20:34 pm) |
"infected", muttered antonis from the doorway, "i hate the east..."
"every westerner hates the east, every easterner hates the west, it's just the way things are...", said lucias.
"well, we must do something, we can't wait here any longer, no trading ships will come...there is a bandit base fifty miles out of town, they have food, water, and cattle. they won't give up anything without a fight, so it looks like we'll have to take it", said antonis. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/16/2008 8:28:48 pm) |
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| "the barbarians have returned in greater numbers, i hear," zilt said, "and once rumors of sandsun's death spread, the people's morale with plummet. "still, i can think of no alternative." |
| you (5/16/2008 9:06:41 pm) |
"what better way to bring up their morale than to obtain some provisions?", asked antonis with a smirk.
***
they left the city the next day, and arrived outside the fort three days later. the knights had their armor off while they walked, as it would cook them inside if they wore it. upon arriving they crawled up a dune and looked at the fort, it held three hundred barbarians, good odds for knights of the orb, and decent for the soldiers, who had been trained a little in the past day. antonis called for his now few soldiers to arm their crossbows, and they began firing at the base while prone behind the dune. while the barbarians focused on firing at the crossbowmen, the knights got into position with the battering ram and knocked the front gate down. the barbarians noticed the knights on the first knock, but had no oil to dump on them. antonis and lucias spearhead the fight, the renowned knights of the orb and their leaders slaying all barbarians in their path. at the end of the battle, the berserker barbarians had fallen without killing even five knights, only killing three and injuring one. it was due mostly to the knight's magic, which deflected the blows. antonis walked to the food store and a grin appeared on his face as he saw enough food to last two months for the city. the small army put the food into wagons used by barbarians to carry plunder and began the land trek back to the city.
***
after four days of walking with the provisions, the army reached the city and walked in as heroes with the much needed food and water. it was still distributed in rations, as it wouldn't last even a quarter of a year, but it was better than an empty belly. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/16/2008 9:50:52 pm) |
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"good news!" zilt told antonis when the army had returned. "more revolutionary armies are being sent north. they've been occupied elsewhere, but now four thousand militia are coming to reinforce your army. once they arrive, we will begin a campaign north toward the imperial city and meet up with the other regiments to lay siege to it.
"even though i don't really like all this... it's nice to not be cooped up anymore. i wonder why we haven't heard from pontus lately, though... not as though i'm complaining, but not hearing from him is starting to worry as much as hearing of him would..."
***
in a week, the four thousand reinforcements had arrived to the city. they brought with them many wagonloauds of food and water, but the commander would not grant any to the city. the troops needed the resources before the civilians did.
"are you ready?" zilt inquired. "i have a feeling we won't be coming back." |
| you (5/16/2008 10:15:44 pm) |
"the future is always unknown...but it is not set, it can go down many different ways...", said antonis, he approached lucias, "i leave you in charge of the city in my leave...farewell"
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| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/17/2008 2:45:45 pm) |
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the four thousand revolutionary troops were not simple militia. they had seen battle before, and were properly equipped with light armor and sharp weapons. dozens of wagons trailed behind them filled with food and water, enough to last at least half a year.
zilt's spirits were high. perhaps in a few weeks he'd be on his way home. yes, to relax in his bed at the guild headquarters, stay awake all night and sleep during the day, perhaps take up some more study from the library. or maybe he'd even offer to teach over at the university...
***
on the sixth day of travel, one of the army's scouts came running up to antonis. zilt, who rode by his side, heard the report.
"sir, there is an imperial army traveling to intercept us," he reported. "numbers are unknown, but i estimate only two thousand."
antonis nodded.
"how long until we meet them?" inquired zilt.
"if we continue our march, perhaps midevening," spoke the scout. "i am afraid evasive action is impossible, many of them are mounted." |
| you (5/17/2008 3:08:29 pm) |
"then i guess we fight", said antonis, "prepare the troops."
***
an hour later, the resistance army marched towards the imperial army. footmen met footmen and the battle began, but the revolutionary troops wondered where their heroic general was.
***
antonis ran through the desert as he saw his army fighting the enemies, he smiled, he then saw ten figures on a dune watching the battle. antonis crawled up and looked through his binoculars he obtained from lucias. he saw the middle one wearing the red headscarf o*beep*eneral. antonis crawled closer, he wore a pair of tan clothing, so it was easy to sneak, especially with the illusionary magic he had learned from zilt. he went up to the general, and when he got into range he drew his crossbow, he fired one shot, and it zoomed into the general's neck. the general fell from his camel, and as his ten bodyguards looked around, they saw nothing, antonis was gone.
***
the battle began to tip in the imperial's favor as the elite unit, the shazavad, joined the battle and began crushing the rebels. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/17/2008 3:26:01 pm) |
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zilt, meanwhile, was stationed at the army's left flank. he and the other apprentices were casting spells to keep the imperial troops from breaking the flank. two more of them poor apprentices had been killed by arrow fire. now all that remained was a young man and girl probably not more than five years younger than him.
the revolutionary army's captains were doing a decent job holding against the imperial's elite units. perhaps once antonis returned the battle could still end in their favor.
but something in the back of zilt's made was tingling. somewhere, arcane energy was being funneled and focused. this was a sense that only developed after a lifetime of exposure and training, and it was making him worried.
and before long, he found out why. "behind us! cavalry!"
at least five hundred cavalry had suddenly appeared from behind the revolutionary army's rear flank. zilt suddenly understood how; the same mirage illusion magic he'd used to cloak themselves from the barbarians had just been used on them.
"get the pikes back! quickly!" he shouted desperately. but it was too late. the heavily armed, lance-equipped imperial cavalry smash into the army's rear, trampling soldiers and sending others flying into the backs of their companions. panick stricken, troops turned backwards to try and engage the cavarly, but between the footmen and mounted soldiers they fought desperately, and fell.
zilt swore, loudly. the remains of the revolutionaries were routing, but quickly chased down and killed or captured by the cavalry.
he saw antonis running back toward the battle as quickly as possible, but it was too late. "follow me! let's get out of here!" he shouted to the two remaining apprentices, and fled toward antonis's direction.
but just before they finished closing the distance, zilt noticed a mounted imperial soldier drive his lance through the male apprentice's back, killing him instantly. he quickly slid to a stop in the sand and cast a spell that sent both horse and rider tumbling to the ground. the horse fell upon the soldier, trapping him underneath.
zilt cast the mirage illusion to shield the himself, the apprentice, and antonis. breathless, he collapsed on the sand, wiping sweat off of his face.
"we're on our own now," he gasped. |
| you (5/17/2008 3:33:15 pm) |
| antonis crawled towards zilt and the female apprentice. and as he turned, one soldier was running from the battle, sir hesa, the changed knight, was using the magic she knew to create an illusion, behind her, she slid and landed next to antonis, zilt, and the female apprentice. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/17/2008 4:11:56 pm) |
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"no food, no water, no horses..." zilt scanned the horizon. "we need to get back to the supply train before the imperials do! let's hurry!"
the four stumbled through the heat back to behind a sand dune where the supplies had been kept until the battle was over. a few imperial soldiers were busy surveying the supplies, but the bulk of the army was still cleaning up the battlefield of the bodies and tending to the wounded.
"just grab a sack each and go!"
each of them found a canvas sack and filled them with canteens, bread, dried fruits, some simple medicines and powders, and bandages. once they had what they needed they continued their journey north to the capital.
***
as they traveled north, zilt found himself talking to the female apprentice more. she hadn't been one of the more skilled apprentices, perhaps among the worst to be truthful. he learned that her name was sayula and that she'd been born on one of the island colonies. having displayed a natural ability at arcane abilities at a young age and was sent to the port city to develop her talents further, but after having been mugged and raped by the crew of the boat who brought her there she'd had to find work for many years before she could begin her studies.
they passed several other battlefields on their journey where a few dozen men had stayed behind to bury the bodies. in some scenarios, the imperials won. in others, the revolutionaries had. some seemed to have ended in a draw where the remains of both armies left to join the ranks of another. they also came across bodies of routers from both armies who had perished under the sun, their bodies half picked apart by vultures.
but as for which side had gained the most ground, it was truly impossible to tell.
but then |
| you (5/20/2008 4:30:40 pm) |
xarxes took out his water skin and drank a little before putting it away.
"these w*beep*astern wars, are much larger than western wars...", muttered xarxes, "in the west the wars are short, minor skirmishes between two lords over a bit of land...but this..."
"indeed", muttered sir hesa. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/21/2008 1:08:49 pm) |
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"oh, but it wasn't always this way," zilt said. "a thousand years ago one great empire ruled over most of the west with mighty armies, crafty science, and an intensive study of the arcane energies. the west now is in... a state of chaos. a thousand kings, a thousand armies, a thousand peoples separated by language and culture. the western empire had many colonies in foreign lands, even territories now owned by the empire here in the east.
"the wizard we are looking for, he came here years ago before this civil turmoil because the arcane halls here are world-renowned, as is medicine and science. now... such learning has been put on hiatus. perhaps for a thousand years, such the empire collapse in its entirety..." |
| you (5/21/2008 7:16:58 pm) |
| "all empires fall, it's just the matter of how long it takes them to do it", said antonis. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/23/2008 11:30:47 am) |
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"and with them a great many things are lost."
the four continued on through the desert north until they met up with the remnants of a revolutionary army. the campaign north was in chaos, the captain of the survivors said. they had not received word from the other revolutionary armies. perhaps the runners had been intercepted by imperial troops, or simply got lost. at any rate, the eighty remaining soldiers were continuing to where all the armies had been meant to gather in hopes to find others who made it.
zilt, antonis, the apprentice, and the knight traveled with the army for a week until they made it to a river where other revolutionary armies waited. of the two hundred thousand troops over fifteen divisions that had begun the campaign, only twenty thousand had made it to the meeting point.
"the supreme general tells me there is little chance for us to capture the capital city. although the garrison is only a few thousand, the walls are too high for ladders, the gates too solid for rams, the foundations too solid to undermine... the last option is siege towers, but the closest forest is a hundred miles downstream and it will take months to construct them. meanwhile the imperial armies may return at any time and flank us," zilt reported to antonis. "there is only one thing we can do... try and sneak a few of us in while the others launch a distraction assault." |
| you (5/23/2008 3:23:27 pm) |
| "there will be no distractive assault", said antonis, clearly constructing a plan, "we could take them by surprise, what wood we have left we make into a wooden statue of their general-emperor, we could be inside, and we write on a plank that it is a gift from the revolutionary leader, a gift of peace, when it is pushed in, we shall wait in it until night, then we will climb out and open the gates" |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/23/2008 4:03:02 pm) |
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| zilt stared at his companion a moment. "perhaps you have not heard the news, but imperial armies have been recaptured cities, burning the homes of revolutionaries, hanging anyone suspected of dealing with the revolution... in short, i doubt he will stop at anything less than the complete and utter destruction of all revolutionaries and their property. i fear he would simply burn the statue and refuse any surrender we could offer until every soldier here is hanged for treason. he does not seem interested in peace, but rather in blood." |
| you (5/23/2008 4:15:56 pm) |
| "i suppose that trick could have worked if we were dealing with a decent emperor...i'll take plan a...", said antonis. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/25/2008 9:19:47 pm) |
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"i wish we could attempt such an action. if we fail the distraction will be nothing but many wasted lives..." replied zilt. "let us get this over with. the only thing is, i am not sure how to get us in. perhaps you could scale the walls, but... i am not so capable of doing that as you, i admit."
zilt thought for a moment. "i suppose i could ask the guards to let me in the city to see the wizard we are trying to rescue, but you may have to slip if behind and overpower the guards if necessary. my infamy as a mediocre wizard is not as great as yours, the ex-pirate knight of the orb. as long as the majority of the garrison is busy fending off the attack when we approach, we should not find much opposition and can let in the women after us." |
| you (5/27/2008 10:50:14 pm) |
"ah, don't worry, as a knight you pick up some things", said antonis, pulling from one of his pockets a small kit, he opens it up to reveal a great assortment of colors from an almost white to almost black. antonis used it on his face, and then mixed some with water. after changing his hair color he looked in no way like his old self other than his built, which was more athletic than muscular and generally hard to pick from a crowd.
"how is it?", asked xarxes. |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/29/2008 7:20:34 pm) |
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"fine until they ask for your credentials," zilt said. "still, it will be enough."
*****
the rebel army began gearing up for war. scouts had reported that a large imperial army was marching toward them now, only a day's march away. zilt, antonis, hesa, and sayula did not have long.
zilt couldn't help but feel as though despite the fact he was marching right into the heart of danger, he was again abandoning the revolutionary army to die, just as he had with the coastal city he and antonis had landed at so many days ago. he looked at the tattered remnants of the revolutionary troops, many young and old men who wore somber frowns and, sensing imminent death, spoke little.
"come on, you have to do this for them," sayula encouraged her tutor, observing him glancing back at the rows of torn tents and campfires.
*****
pontus, hidden against the desert sand, lay down on a high dune and watched four figures journey behind some sand downs, approaching one of the side gates to the imperial city. another man, dressed in the tabard of the revolutionary army, lay down a few feet away.
"why do you willingly let them move to assassinate the new emperor?" the other man inquired of the diplomat.
"because now i can finally have them both killed," responded pontus. "antonis is not prepared for the battle ahead of him. until now he has never fought a truly worthy adversary, just some poor mislead fools who feel on top of the world with a sword in their hand. soon he will learn that the general is born of a lineage that has protected the emperor for a dozen generations, with not merely blade but knowledge of arcane crafts lost or forbidden to all but the greatest warriors. antonis will breathe his last tonight."
"what of the wizard and the others?"
"inconsequential. zilt's a fool with no title, which is why he was sent here in the first place instead of an actual adept wizard. he is... expendable. now go ready the imperial army to spring the ambush. zilt and antonis must see what is about to happen before they enter the city gates."
*****
the warrior and the wizard, as well as their two companions, took a route behind some sand dunes so as to remain hidden from sight from the city's great walls. once they were in position, zilt placed a stick in the sand and said "two more minutes."
the four waited quietly. sayula made a prayer, facing the direction of the sun. then it finally came time. they heard a loud horn blowing about a mile away where the revolutionary army began rushing toward the walls.
"let's go--aagh!" zilt said, clutching his head as he collapsed to the sand.
sayula rushed over to him, calling his name in panic, when suddenly she grew silent. "oh, no... no..."
hesa pointed to the sky above the desert where the revolutionary army was beginning its attack. bright bursts of blue fire began to gather in the air like thunderclouds. as they grew larger in size, they began to speed toward the earth and impacted over the heads of the revolutionary soldiers, lighting the men aflame. shrill screams pierced the air as the soldiers collapsed one by one, bodies blackened and stripped of all life. then the screaming stopped.
sayula spoke quitely, her voice barely indistinguishable from the wind. "rain of fire... the forbidden spell." |
| you (5/29/2008 11:32:02 pm) |
"let us not have their sacrifice be in vain...hurry", said antonis.
the four approached the gate, and the guard looked at them carefully. the guard's eyes grew, "you're those revol-" he was cut short by a throwing knife from antonis catching him in the throat. antonis approached the gate and called up in a voice mimicing the guard's voice, almost perfectly.
"open the gates!", yelled antonis.
"alright mu'rab!", said the man at the controls, he opened the gates and antonis walked in in the uniform of the guard that he had slain, the blood wiped by a quick spell from zilt. zilt, his apprentice, and the knight were shackled.
"got three of 'em eh? i'm surprised any of them survived?", said a guard.
antonis replied in the language of the east with no accent, he copied the slain guard's voice perfectly.
"me too"
antonis leads them down the street and into an old building, he checked the interior through a window before going in. he undid the shackles and leaned against a wall.
"havn't done that in a while", muttered antonis looking down, "our entire army is dead...what is our plan now?" |
| duke krasksagon [hvc] (5/30/2008 5:18:21 am) |
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| "we should split up," zilt said. "sayula and i will go looking for the wizard the guild sent us to find. the imperial palace and the arcane chambers are on different ends of the city, i fear we do not have time to do both separately. meanwhile, you and hesa should see if you can stop hesa. we'll join up with you later or outside." |
| you (5/30/2008 5:42:16 pm) |
"hesa? you're mind must have been distracted, we are hunting the emperor. go get your message to the guild, hesa and i will fight the emperor", said antonis, "lets go!"
antonis and hesa walk out into the streets, antonis wearing his guard uniform, hesa wearing a pair of female robes stolen from a house next door to the abandoned one. antonis walked her up to the palace and approached the guard.
"hello there", said antonis in the voice of the dead guard, "my wife wishes to tour my workplace, she is proud of my job."
"of course, what's your rank?", asked the guard.
"i am a se'rim", said antonis, pulling out the papers of the dead guard, he showed them to him.
"alright, go on in", said the guard.
antonis led his "wife" into the palace, through a few guard checkpoints, he then went into the laundry room where many large piles of clothes sat next to many vacant wash basins. only one man was there washing. antonis approaches him.
"ke'vos, you are wanted by the he'ves", said antonis.
"alright", said the man before walking out. antonis walked over to a pile of robes and searched a while before finding a good pair of servant's robes. he gave another pair to hesa and walked out. they maintained their disguise by working, planning to strike the emperor in his sleep. after a few hours of work they went to the servant's quarters and layed in bed.
***
antonis woke a few hours later and got up from bed, creeping to the door, on the way he wakes sir hesa. antonis walked up through the castle and towards the emperor's quarters. he had worked for two purposes, to maintain his disguise and to scout out the palace. he had succeeded in both. antonis knew exactly where to go. he approached a thumbwaiter used to bring food and wine up to the emperor from the kitchen and climbed up it. antonis and hesa did it with little effort. as they reached the top they heard the sound of the emperor sleeping. they reached the top and got out from the thumbwaiter. a large bump was on the bed. antonis approached and silently drew his dagger, he delivered a stab to the neck of the bed and saw that it was the emperor. as they neared the thumbwaiter, the door bursted open and the emperor walked in with two guards.
"you got my decoy eh?", he said, "no matter! now i know who the assassins are."
antonis drew his longsword and his shortsword, ready for a fight, hesa drew her longsword as well, they took off their robes to reveal armour.
"oh! knights and assassins, interesting combination, prepare yourselves!", yelled the emperor drawing his longsword, the two guards drew scimitars.
"i'll take the emperor, you take the guards", said antonis.
antonis rushed the emperor and slashed his longsword at him, the emperor easily parried.
"i thought more of western knights until now...", muttered the emperor.
"how'd you know i was western?", asked antonis as he blocked a blow.
"you'll find i know a lot of things", said the emperor as he shot a blast of magical energy at antonis, antonis put up a shield, but it wasn't enough. antonis flew back into a wall. he quickly got up, as the armor of the knights of the orb was enchanted to withstand both physical and magical attacks. antonis stabbed and it was parried, he blocked with his shortsoord and attacked from the side, the emperor dodged and kicked antonis in the stomach. antonis fell to the ground.
"you cannot defeat me", said the emperor, "for over two hundred years my family has been in the military, over two hundred years we have refined our techniques, breeded with the best..."
antonis attacked, and it was blocked, he was sent to the ground again.
"enough of this, time to finish you...", muttered the emperor.
the emperor raised his blade in preparation for a finisher, but a blade came out of his chest, blood on it. the emperor froze and looked down at the blade before scimitar chopped off his head. the emperor's headless corpse fell to the ground, and antonis saw hesa standing behind him with a scimitar and a longsword in hand.
"was almost too late!", said hesa, "those guards were tough, good thing i only had to fight one, i used magic on the other, now...lets get out of here."
antonis grabbed the signet ring from the emperor's finger as a trophy before going down into the thumbwaiter. |
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| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (5/30/2008 6:49:57 PM) |
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The moment the dumbwaiter stopped at the floor, Antonis and Hesa met a phalanx of pikes just inches from them. A dozen imperial guards held them, ready to pierce both trespassers through in a fraction of a second.
"Antonis," said the voice of a soldier, not yet visible. "Please slowly exit the dumbwaiter. Do not bring your weapons. We know the emperor is dead, and while ordinarily we would punish you to the highest degree, there is no more need for bloodshed."
The man who was speaking became visible as he stepped into Antonis and Hesa's view. He wore a strange combination of western and eastern clothing, in the manner of a merchant or trader. He also wore a small bronze ring around his head, though most of it was hidden underneath his very western-looking blonde hair.
"Who are you?" Hesa inquired suspiciously.
"Evidently," spoke the man, "the new emperor."
********
Hours ago, Zilt and Sayula wandered the streets of the imperial city on the way to the arcane workshops. The streets were surprisingly empty, save an occasional guard or two. He wondered where all the citizens had gone. Hiding in their homes? Sent away?
Finally, after traveling through an eerily abandoned section of the city, they came to a massive stone structure made out of mud bricks. It rose at least two hundred feet, its main gated doorway thirty feet tall by itself. Atop the domed roof was a tower that rose perhaps another hundred feet. At the top sat a giant white crystal that scattered the sunlight into a spectrum of colors. Zilt had never seen such impressive architecture before in his life.
But for such a magnificent structure, no one stood guard at the door. Silence engulfed the entire city block, save a whistle as the wind passed through the crevices of the building.
"Do you think anyone's inside?" Sayula inquired. "Perhaps your wizard Rudmully left with everyone else."
"Maybe... still, I would like to look inside," responded Zilt, shading his eyes from the sun with his hand as he peered at the wondrous building.
The two found an unlocked back door and entered. The interior was magnificent. Crystals used to restrain arcane energy were placed in the walls among exquisite artwork and tapestries. There were a number of side chambers, rooms filled with crystals and gadgets and volumes of books. But each seemed empty, not only for the first floor but the following two.
Frustrated, Zilt said "Perhaps you are right. If--"
"I sense something," Sayula exclaimed. "There is someone here channeling arcane energy."
Zilt felt it too, but he sensed a long, steady pulse rather than sporadic spikes. Basically, it was more likely they were sensing a machine. But still that was something.
The two climbed the stairs until they came to the very top of the highest tower. At the top of the high spiraling staircase was a heavy wooden door. And Zilt could hear someone singing quietly inside.
Sayula opened the door. Inside was an overweight wizard dressed in light underclothing but a traditional wizard's hat. It looked as though he hadn't washed for a while, or even taken basic considerations for public appearance. He had a bushy, white beard and thin, white hair. He was carrying a heavy book in one hand and a glass structure in the other, apparently taking no notice of the two.
"Excuse me," Zilt spoke.
The wizard jumped, the glass device falling to the ground and shattering against the thin carpet. He turned to voice Zilt and Sayula.
"Oh! I was not expecting anyone. Er. No one was using this room since abandoning the city, and I did not think anyone would mind. I can move if you--"
"Rudmully?" Zilt asked.
"Yes?"
"We have been sent to fetch you. The guild has been looking for you and sent us to find you, afraid you might have been a prisoner or caught up in this bloody civil war," explained Zilt.
"The guild? Ah, yes. Oh, no. I have been studying here, that is all. This facility is astonishing." He picked up the book from off the ground and rushed over to Zilt, flipping pages excitedly. "And I have made a number of discoveries. You see, most wizards believe arcane energy is an invisible form of liquid, but if you look here, I have reason to believe it is more of a wave. Like a ripple in the ocean. But a wave of light, strongest when the oscillation is fastest and weakest when--"
"I hate to interrupt, but Zilt is supposed to bring you home," Sayula said, breaking the man's excited rambling.
"Oh? But I have still so much more to do here, I cannot simply leave behind all my work! Suppose I were to send a letter back with you explaining I will conclude my experiments here, and return when I am finished," Rudmully reasoned.
"It's not safe here anymore," Zilt argued. "There is a civil war going on, and pirates attacking port cities, and barbarians invading from the north, and..."
"Oh, there's always drama in foreign parts, that doesn't mean--"
"The emperor has been assassinated. And the current one will soon be stopped, if all goes well."
"Oh my. Well... can you give me a few hours to finish up some tests and pack? In the meantime, you can look through my journal. This knowledge may revolutionize the mechanization of arcane powers. Self-drawn wagons! Grain churns, without the wind or water! Water pumps! The possibilities are endless! And not to mention..."
******** |
| You (5/31/2008 12:42:46 AM) |
"The new Emperor?" asked Antonis, "Put this signet ring on."
Antonis handed the signet ring to the Emperor, and the Emperor put it on.
"Alright, you're the Emperor", said Antonis, "Only one who is loyal to the Empire may wear that..." |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (6/2/2008 6:15:08 PM) |
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The Emperor looked at it around his finger for a few seconds, as if contemplating whether or not he had the right to bear it. He slid it off and put it in his pocket.
"My name is Volstagna," he said to Antonis. "I am not a politician, or general. I dealt with foreign trade and affairs, both of which have been all but completely removed these past few years. I do not know your intent, whether you desire freedom with the rebels, or work with the spy Pontus, or are sent here by the barbarians. But I do know something must be done before this empire returns to the fleeting sands.
"What are your intentions? What is it you desire?" |
| You (6/2/2008 7:52:52 PM) |
| "I was once affiliated with Pontus, but I have heard many ill things of him, I never trusted him to begin with, but now that he has seemed to abandon the revolution, I distrust him more than ever. I guarentee you that I am not with the barbarians, as I have battled them many times. There are few things I desire, Emperor, but one is an end to bloodshed, needless bloodshed. And if that is also your desire, then I will work with you to help make our shared goals a reality", said Antonis. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (6/4/2008 7:01:41 PM) |
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"Your words sound genuine," Vostagna spoke, "but peace at this time sounds a distant fantasy. The revolution has stirred up many citizens to take arms against their government, but also has it caused many others eager to prove their loyalty by harassing, looting, even killing those who take an interest in self-soverign rule.
"The armies my predecessor deployed to the north were badly defeated when attacking the barbarian invaders. Of five hundred thousand men, only fifty thousand remain and are marching home. The armies sent south to counter the revolutionary armies were successful, but have lost a larger battle, the battle for the peoples' favour.
"It is only a matter of time before the empire collapses. There is no way to avoid it. My role in history will be short, as I plan to disband the provinces and resign--or if the revolutionaries will it, be executed. I only ask this of you. Stop Pontus. He serves no will but his own. Take a handful of my finest lifeguards and track him down, and kill him. Do not let him have a trial! I know it sounds terrible, but Pontus has a way with people, be it bribes or speeches, that ensures he seems a friend to everyone--even to those he has stabbed in the back. The demon moves quickly, but last I heard he was operating in the pirate city of Joryub. Seek him there and put an end to him."
Zilt, Sayula, and the senior wizard appeared at the doors of the palace. Zilt and Sayula's hands were bound behind their backs with rope and were being pushed forward. The guards looked surprised upon seeing Vostagna instead of the former emperor, but bowed anyway.
"Your Grace, we discovered these wizards traveling the streets of the city. One we believe to be named Zilt, a wanted man working with that brute Antonis. Should we have him executed?" one of the guards asked.
"No, no. Let them free."
"Your Grace! They have spent the past months working for the reb--"
"Free them! Immediately!" commanded the new emperor. "They now serve a higher purpose. As for you, Rudmully, what is it you wish?"
The wizard coughed. "I have been told I am to return home."
"Farewell, then. You have been a great asset to the city, a great teacher, and a great friend. It is perhaps best you depart before the barbarians lay siege to the city and infest the walls with their numbers. Your work and your wisdom must not stop at the height of its success! And for the rest of you... I regret having known you for such a short time. You are the last beacon of hope in these broken halls."
Antonis, Zilt, Hesa, and Sayula were led out of the palace and outside the city gate where they were given camels stocked with supplies. Three imperial troops accompanied them, dressed in light, mobile armor and longswords. |
| You (6/4/2008 8:11:30 PM) |
Antonis rode with his companions.
"Let us go to the city of Joryub as the Emperor said. It is all suddenly a lot clearer, Pontus having been against us the whole time, the worm...", muttered Antonis. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (6/6/2008 10:03:18 PM) |
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********
Pontus road inside a coach that was speeding down an old dusty road, four battlemages protecting it from bandits, revolutionaries, or any other fool *beep*ic enough to try and deny him passage.
He recalled what he'd seen just moments earlier. Antonis, Zilt, their two insignificant companions were slowly making their way to the coast by camel. And they had been accompanied by four imperial guards.
How could the emperor possibly have been defeated by an ex-pirate lowlife like Antonis? It was clear he'd underestimated the man and his companions. Perhaps the uncivilized brute deserved a little more credit.
But what did it matter? Antonis had his swords and his knights. But Pontus... he had an empire at his disposal.
********
On the second day of travel, Antonis, Zilt, Sayula, Hesa, and the imperial guards came to a roadblock set up by a dozen revolutionary troops. Zilt spotted the barrier some distance ahead and advised the guards to abandon their imperial armor, which they reluctantly agreed to do.
"Halt!" shouted the sergeant-at-arms in charge.
"This is Antonis, and my name is Zilt. We are--"
"Lay your weapons on the ground and lay down on the ground!" the sergeant yelled as other revolutionary soldiers scrambled to grab their swords and crossbows. "Do it now!"
"I'm afraid you don't understand," Zilt tried to negotiate. "We fought against the imperial troops in the south, and traveled with the armies north on the campaign to--"
But he was cut short as a crossbow bolt whizzed by his head, narrowly missing by inches. But it did not fail to pierce the throat of one of the disguised imperial guards standing behind him.
"Kill the traitors!"
Chaos broke loose. The imperial guards quickly felled three revolutionaries with throwing daggers and leapt into the fray with katanas drawn. The sergeant attempted to thrust at Zilt with his spear, but the wizard moved to the side just in time before casting a blinding spell on the aggressor. After half a minute of intense fighting, all the revolutionary troops were dead or wounded, and two of the four imperial guards had been killed by crossbow fire.
"Why did you attack us?" Zilt demanded angrily of the sergeant whose vision had not yet recovered. "Why did you call us traitors?"
The sergeant groped to his sides for a weapon but found none. Zilt asked the question again, playing a foot down upon one of the sergeant's arms.
"You traitor scum joined the imperials! Spies! Assassins! The revolution will hang you and desecrete your body, for such a despicable act is reserved for the worst of punishment!" he screamed bravely, but also quite frantically.
"Oh, no," Zilt realized. "Pontus must already know..."
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| You (6/6/2008 10:10:06 PM) |
"I expected as much", said Antonis, he gave a quick two finger jab to the sergeant's neck, and he was knocked out cold.
"He isn't dead, I'd prefer not spilling anymore blood than I have to, I've spilled enough as it is", said Antonis as he got back on his camel.
"Lets not let Pontus get a head start", said Antonis with a smile. |
| Duke Krasksagon [HVC] (6/7/2008 10:43:16 AM) |
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The six continued along the road until they sighted another revolutionary guard post, except this time it was occupied by a much larger garrison.
"We'd better not try and make another direct encounter," Zilt said. "Let's try and move around it, off of the roads."
They took a detour through the desert, making a wide path away from the encampment. Unfortunately, there were numerous patrols, enough so that they could not pass without being seen. Even the mirage illusion was ineffective in the dune-covered terrain.
"What do we do?" Sayula inquired. "If we stay they will be sure to see us here!"
Zilt scanned the horizon. He could spot four patrols throughout the landscape, groups of eight mounted soldiers each.
"I suppose we must make a run for it and hope their horses are slow or tired," answered Zilt. "I can think of no other means to cross."
The six coaxed their camels into a trot, but the beasts refused to travel at a faster rate. Zilt led them between dunes so as to minimize the chance of being seen, but at the expense of a longer path.
But unfortunately this still wasn't enough. Midway around a dune they heard a horn from a couple hundred feet away, followed by distant shouting and clouds of sand and dust.
"We're spotted! Let's go!"
The camels broke into a run, and while their wide feet were good for traveling over sand, the horses were faster still. An arrow embedded in a dune close by, followed by a couple others. Zilt wished that he had a crossbow and twisted around to see their pursuers. As of now it was a group of four mounted archers, but other troops were quickly moving in intercept.
Then he noticed a flicker in the corner of his eye. A moment later, a body of one of the imperial guards came into his vision, rolling on the sand with the stub of an arrow in his back.
"There's a village up ahead!" Hesa shouted. "We could hide in it!"
The remaining five camel riders galloped toward the small mud-brick town as fast as possible. The last guard's camel could not travel as fast, however. A arrow had pierced it in the leg and it was slowly losing strength.
"Go on without me!" shouted the guard in a thick accent.
Zilt watched as the guard dismounted and drew a spear, impaling two of the revolutionary troops as they rode by. Several pursuers dismounted and faced him, but he never saw the outcome of the battle as it vanished behind a dune.
But the distraction had been enough. Zilt, Antonis, Hesa, and Sayula rode into the streets of the village as its inhabitants ran to the side.
"A temple," Sayula commented, pointing toward a domed building. "Let us hide in there--no beggar may be denied, no wanted man be turned away or arrested."
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| You (6/7/2008 12:52:35 PM) |
| "In the west, they'll burn temples with whole families in them...", said Antonis as he got off his camel and ran inside. |
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