The march from Talesgard to Kewil took two weeks. Finskar Caldon, the fifth Commander of the Number Knights, had made frequent stops so as not to tire his army. He was bringing more than half of his army, along with the new recruits to Kewil. Many villagers he passed along the highway to Kewil cheered for him. However, there were some who did not like war show their feelings by protesting for him to stop. Finskar ignored them. He was a lover of warfare. This was part of the reason he chose to abandon his native state, the Reachlands and joined King Rinas in his path of conquest. King Tinskaeth of the Reachlands did not like his ideals so he removed him from command of the elven army. Despite his hatred for the enemy, he was kind and respectful to his own army, unlike Kiltsa Ulcar, the Third Commander who was cruel and inhuman to friend or foe. It was this love of warfare and hatred for the enemy that made him a Number Knight today.
When Kewil finally came to sight, it was almost in ruins. The southern walls were damaged by stone catapults used by the Desert Border Alliance when they took Kewil from Kiltsa. The alliance had built wooden fences around those broken walls and fixed the damaged gate. There were three types of flags flying within the city. The nearest flag with an eagle and a shield was the state of Mansfield, just across from the River Sovil. The other one with a bright red flag with two double-handled axes by the sides of a sword was the Red Vale Country, a state beside Mansfield. The last one with a silver helmet in a background of blue belonged to the Roamlands, the strongest among the Desert Border Alliance Country. Finskar could felt the watchtower calling to their commander as his army approached the gates. He brought them to a halt about a kilometer away from the castle walls. All was quiet safe for the sound from his horse hooves. He waited.
About two minutes later, the city gates opened and a man rode out to face him. The man who rode out on a black mare wore a suit of iron armor with blood stains on it. He wore a close helmet with a yellow bandanna round it. In his hand was a double-handled axe, which was also covered in blood stains. He rode outside of his gate for about two meters before he stopped. Archers stretched their bows and lie in wait at the open gate and behind the walls. Finskar rode out to meet him.
“I bring words from the great conqueror king, Rinas.” Finskar said. “Surrender now or be prepared to perish.”
The man behind the helmet gave a laugh. “We the Desert Border Alliance have defeated a Number Knight and taken his city. Now another foolish one threatens me. I, Vayne Gorhor, am not afraid of the likes of you.”
“So be it.” Finskar was a man of few words. So too was Vayne. Both of them headed back to their lines to prepare for a battle.
Finskar returned to the frontlines of his army. He unsheathed his mighty two-handed sword with his right hand and gave a resounding shout to his men.
“Forward!” Finskar shouted as he led the line towards the army. The fifth Army responded by charging forward, spears pointing forward and swords thirsty for blood. Vinon and Carlem were among those in the first row. Finskar noticed them. Carlem was anxious as she gripped her spear tightly. Vinon was more focused and determined. He saw Vinon said some encouraging words to Carlem and Carlem took a deep breath. Both of them were ready.
As the fifth Army charged forward, the defense of the city replied by showering them with a rainfall of arrows. Any normal battalion will be decapitated if they were not equipped with shields. Despite the lack of shields by the fifth Army, they were protected by a strong barrier. The magic-users at the back of the army had cast a spell to protect the advancing men. Arrows bounced of the barrier as if they were a shield.
From the city walls, Vayne Gorhor saw that the arrows had no effect on the army and instead informed his catapults to get ready to fire. He saw Finskar’s plan. The main army advancing was to act as a decoy while the magic-users attack the walls. He will counterattack them with his catapults since his archers could not fire that far.
The first catapult began firing its first shot. It was a huge burning rock. As it flew through the air, it shattered and exploded upon impact with a fireball coming from the back of the fifth Army. Puzzled, Vayne scouted the battlefield for an answer.
The fifth Army was firing fireballs from their ranks. Vayne could not see any catapult in Finskar’s army and he guessed this must be the work of magic. By now, the advancing spearmen had reached the walls of the city and are scaling it with ladders. Another unit was advancing towards the city gates. Vayne got a shock when he saw bolts of lightning coming from the ranks and realized that they were trying to break the city gates to gain entry into the city.
Vinon and Carlem were with the unit attacking the gate. As they were new recruits, they were not instructed to cast magic but to protect the magic-users. Patiently they waited. When the gate do finally shattered, the unit gave a cheer and began approaching the gate. Suddenly, Vinon heard screaming sounds around him. The sounds began from the front and it traveled through the ranks. Through the smoke and debris, he could make out flying bodies and broken spears. What had just happened, he thought.
When the dust settled, Vinon realized what had happened. As the gate collapsed and they charged in, a large wooden bolt was fired at them. Since he and Carlem were close to right flank of the unit, they were spared. Others not so fortunate were wiped out instantly. The barrier cast around them had disappeared. Vinon looked behind and saw that some of the magic-users were injured and unable to cast any spells. As he turned back, they were swarmed by a large group of alliance warriors. They were outnumbered and in danger of being wiped out. He expected his captain to sound a retreat but there was none. Many of the spearmen that attacked the gates turned and fled. Only a handful stayed to fight the impossible fight.
Carlem was scared too but she did not flee. She followed Vinon and stayed by his side. Vinon met the attack with great intensity. He fell a few sword-wielding alliance soliders. Carlem followed suit and fell a solider. However, they were pinned back by the attack. Vinon saw the instrument that fired the bolt that almost wiped out the unit. About a hundred metres away, there was a massive giant arrow launcher. Moreover, they had reloaded the bolt and aiming at them again. His heart skipped a beat when he heard the sound of Finskar’s battle cry from behind him. If the bolt was allowed to fire again, Finskar could be killed and the battle will be lost.
Vinon weighted in his options. There was no chance to inform Finskar. If he did that, the launcher would have fired before he even reached Finskar. He decided that he had to stop the launcher by himself. He would use the quickening spell he had mastered.
“Cover me, Carlem!” Vinon said to his sister. “I am going to destroy that launcher.”
“You will never make it.” Carlem said as she thrust her spear into the heart of an attacker.
“Watch me.” Vinon cast a spell that he had discovered, the quickening spell. He felt his body becoming lighter and his senses becoming sharper. He noticed a solider dressed in the colors of Mansfield instructing his men to target Finskar, who was almost reaching the city gates now. He rushed to the catapult and began attacking the men. He hoped he could make it in time.
Finskar reached the gate just as the dust began to settle. He saw the gigantic bolt fly out from the city gates the moment the city gates were destroyed. He had to destroy the instrument that almost decimated his troops. However, his way was blocked by the alliance that swarmed over the surviving but morale-less soliders. He saw Carlem fighting valiantly against some alliance soliders and began to scout for the weapon. When he finally saw the giant arrow launcher, he was shocked to see it pointing at him. However, a second later, he saw Vinon appeared on the platform. Within the blink of an eye, Vinon thrust his spear through two soliders who were getting ready to pull the trigger. The other three soliders started attacking Vinon upon realizing it. Vinon instead struck them down and Finskar noticed that his movement seemed to be at an increased speed. Within a few seconds, Vinon was left standing alone on the platform. He gave a loud roar, with his spear rose.
Finskar was surprised. The use of magic by Vinon was amazing. But how did he do it? Not only did he save his life through that use of spell, he had also turned the tide of the battle.
Finskar knocked a nearby alliance solider down with the hilt of his sword and began cutting a path towards Vinon. By the time he reached him, he noticed Vinon was breathing heavily. He must have exhausted himself using the spell. Before he could ask him about the spell, he noticed someone trying to strike Vinon down. Finskar blocked the attack and beckoned Vinon to move away. Vinon obeyed without fail.
The figure withdrew the double-handled axe. It was Vayne Gorhor, the commander of the alliance troops at Kewil. Finskar knew defeating him would win the battle of Kewil. Vayne knew if he can defeat Finskar he would win the battle. Both men paused for a moment and came at each other with great ferocity that sparks appeared the moment their blades connected. Vayne went for Finskar’s head which the latter ducked. Finskar thrusted his sword towards Vayne’s exposed torso but his attack was parried by Vayne’s axe. Vayne attempted a vertical slash, again aiming for Finskar’s head. Finskar dodged and backed away.
As they continued to trade blows, Finskar realized Vayne’s attacking patterns. Vayne was not actually going for his head. Instead Vayne’s attacks were all to prevent him from chanting incarnations so that he will be unable to use spells against him. Moreover, he was a stronger fighter than Finskar was and without him knowing it, Vayne was slowly gaining an edge over him. His fears were confirmed when a heavy attack knocked the two-handed sword from his hands. As Vayne was about to deal a final blow, he found his eyes being hit in the face with a small fireball. Seeing this opponent temporarily blinded, Finskar seized this opportunity and slashed the alliance commander’s throat with his sword.
Finskar watched the commander breathed his last, before breathing a sign of relief. He turned behind to see who fired the fireball that blinded Vayne. It was Vinon. Finskar patted the young man’s shoulders. “You did well,” Finskar smiled. “You did very well.”
The battle was over soon. With the fall of Vayne, the alliance troops began retreating from the city. By the end of the day, the entire city was liberated from the Desert Border Alliance. The fifth Army’s victory was complete.
That same night, Finskar was about to ask Vinon about the spell he had cast at the city gates but was interrupted by a messenger who came to him with a scroll bearing the king’s emblem. It reads, “Reinforcements will arrive within a week. Use this momentum to attack Presdrag and seal the fate of Mansfield.”
Saturday, August 4, 2007
4/2 The Rose Pendant
Tuster and Mercaine navigated through the streets of Resport, avoiding the main streets where they would be discovered by Norton’s gang. After about half an hour, the towering west gate loomed ahead. Like all other gates in Resport, there were no one to guard it and no one to challenge them as they went past them. As their sandals began to touch dusty soils and not concrete, Mercaine started to protest that she was hungry. She had not eaten a single thing since she was captured by Norton’s gang. Tuster at once also noticed he had not eaten anything too so he decided to cook dinner for the both of them. He found a small cove where he and the Mercaine can rest. There he gathered some firewood, skinned the rabbit and cooked it. Mercaine ate it and complimented that it was the best thing she had in her life. Tuster just commented that it could be better if there was seasoning to add.
After their short meal, Tuster noticed that Mercaine was already asleep so he kept watch while she slept. The girl must have led a fine life until now. To think that a hare would be the best food in this world was a joke to him. He spent the rest of the tine before he doze off watching Mercaine’s beautiful face.
He was awoken by the sound of footsteps around him. He sprang to his feet, dagger unsheathed and ready to attack, while his eyes adjusted to the light that blinded his eyes now. He was still sleepy when a heavy leathery fist knocked him across the face and he collapsed onto the hard ground.
When his vision came to, he was shocked to see that Norton was the one that delivered the blow. He tried to stand up but found himself being stepped upon. A boot kicked away the dagger in his hand. Another boot trapped his face onto the floor and he could hear those words coming form Norton’s mouth. “Boy we got your girl!”
From the corner of his eyes, he saw another man holding Mercaine. He had his forearm around her neck and the other hand was over her mouth. Both of Mercaine’s feet kicked wildly forward to no avail.
“Let her go.” Tuster demanded. He was more worried about Mercaine’s well-being than his, even though he was in a more perilous position than Mercaine but he did not care. He tried fighting against the foot but found himself pinned down even harder.
“Don’t even try.” Norton laughed hysterically. “No one messes with the Bander Buccaneers, especially me, Norton Gilyers!” Tuster knew he had to act fast. A brilliant but risky idea came to his mind.
“Fight me one on one.” Tuster demanded.
That phrase caught the attention of Norton. “Fight you, small boy?” Norton asked. That was followed by a loud laugh and the sound of a sword unsheathing from its scabbard.
“Very well.”
Tuster cannot believe Norton fell for it. The boots on his back and face were lifted and he rolled towards his dagger. His fingers went round the handle and he steadied himself in a crouching position, dagger forward, ready to pounce on his enemy anytime, just like what Baldarov had taught him. His eyes scanned round. There were about ten men around him and Norton was the only one with his sword unsheathed. The rest formed a circle around them. Mercaine was behind Norton, held by a bald, fat and beardy man.
“Stakes, boy!” Norton shouted. “I win, I cut your throat and the girl is my slave.”
Tuster’s reply was a more obvious one. “I win and we are free.”
Norton lunged at Tuster with a downward slash. Tuster dodged the attack and leaped to Norton’s exposed back. As he was about to deliver a stab at Norton’s back, Norton suddenly spin around with a backhand horizontal slash that was aiming for Tuster’s neck. Tuster abandoned his attack and chose to jump a step back to avoid the attack. Norton turned swiftly to face Tuster. His face produced an evil smile.
“That was just a test, boy.” He said. “Now is the real thing.” With that, Norton tossed his blade into the air and grabbed the handle in a manner such that the blade was pointing downwards. “Let’s go!” he shouted. Norton’s next attack was even faster than the previous one. His was a horizontal slash coming from Tuster’s left side. Tuster barely dodged the blade coming at his face but he managed to duck under the advancing sword. As he ducked, a heavy leather fist came crashing into his right cheek, sending Tuster into the dirt-covered floor. Norton confidently took a step back and gestured for Tuster to get to his feet. Tuster shook of the impact and spat out the stuff from his mouth. Blood. The blow must have cut his inner cheek.
Tuster eyed his opponent. Norton is an experienced fighter, unlike himself. He is also bigger and faster than him. Was there any way for him to win? Just as he was pondering what move to attack Norton with next, Norton said to him. “I shall strike you down with the next blow.” He assumed a crouching position, with his sword beside his face and pointing towards Tuster.
“Heeya!” screamed Norton. With breath-taking speed, Norton ran to Tuster. He thrust the blade forward, aiming for Tuster’s throat. Tuster’s mind screamed. Norton was going to kill him! At that point, a sort of frenzy overtook him. Tuster found himself, sidestepping Norton’s attack and at the same time, counterattacking with a horizontal slash that immediately drew blood from Norton’s right bicep. He added a punch to Norton’s jaw for good measure. Norton stumbled back, his left arm holding his right. Tuster saw an opening and started his attack, aiming for Norton’s throat. To his surprise, Norton ducked and the next thing he can remember his that his feet was swept under him and he laid on the ground, with Norton on top of him, sword poised to strike. He saw the tip of Norton’s sword glittering as it bathed in the morning sun. He thought this was the end. At that point, his life flashed before him. The time he had spent with Baldarov in Resport, the wonderful adventures he had in Resport and the daring rescue of Mercaine all came to his mind. He closed his eyes as he waited for death to claim him.
He heard a sound of metal hitting metal and felt the weight lifting off his body. Is this how death feels like? Expecting angels or death gods to take his soul away he waited. There was silence followed by footsteps and then Norton’s voice saying, “Darn it.” Puzzled, Tuster opened his eyes and he was surprised to see a towering figure in front of him.
The figure standing before him was a towering figure. He wore a plain brown traveler’s tunic and tight leather pants. His hair was long and was tied to produce a black ponytail. In his right muscular arm, he held a mace while in the other held a sword that Tuster was very familiar with.
“Boulder.” Tuster shouted.
Boulder did not turn to look at Tuster but spoke to him while he eyed Norton. “Get on your feet. Let me handle this.” The next few words were directed at Norton. “Since both of us are betting men, let’s make another wager. If I win, these two children go with me.”
Both men started to circle each other and were ready to attack anytime. Norton torn a piece of cloth from his tunic and tied it round his right bicep, stopping the flow of blood from the wound Tuster had cut earlier. He then spoke to Boulder. “I will cut all your throats.”
After about a minute of circling each other, Norton leaped to attack. Just like what he did to Tuster, he lunged in with a forward thrust. Boulder in a swift motion dodged the attack and swept the man over his head. Norton fell on his back. Boulder grabbed his sword arm in a vice-grip manner and twist. A crack sound was followed by Norton’s scream. His arm was broken. “I yield! I yield!” Norton screamed helplessly.
The Bander Buccaneers rushed forward to help their fallen leader. The man holding Mercaine released his grip on her and Mercaine rushed to Tuster’s side. As Norton was being helped away by his men, he shouted to the trio, “You haven’t seen the last of me yet!” Within a minute, they were gone, leaving only trace of dust that covered the air.
Boulder turned to Tuster and Mercaine. “Are you both all right?” he asked.
“I am fine. I thought I was a goner.” Tuster was all smiles. “Thanks again, Boulder.”
“And who is this damsel in distress?” Boulder questioned Tuster. He then looked in the direction of Mercaine, who was checking her body for wounds. He noticed a small silver pendant that was carved with the design of a rose hanging at the end of a necklace around her small neck. Mercaine saw that Boulder was looking at her necklace so she quickly tucked it into her tunic. She then turned and gave a bow to Boulder. “Thank you for rescuing me. My name is Mercaine.”
Boulder paused for a while. The pendant seemed familiar to him. He had seen it somewhere before. If he did remember correctly, this was the royal emblem of the Cerlors family. A family member of the Cerlors is given the rose pendant when he is born and will have to wear the rose pendant throughout his life. Only in death do they part with the pendant. Moreover, if a Cerlors is bonded to another person in marriage, the Cerlors will give up one half of her pendant to the other person. The only living people to wear this pendant is King Harton Cerlors, who has replaced the late King Wincern Heath as the new king of Banderlands two years ago, and his sister the princess Rose Cerlors, who is about the same age as this girl, Mercaine…..
Mercaine saw the look on Boulder’s face and was taken aback. Did he saw the pendant? She was not allowed to show her pendant to anyone. Only people that lived in the palace of the Banderlands knew about the pendant. Does this mean that this man knew her true identity? Suddenly she felt afraid and insecure. What is he going to do with her?
Tuster saw the look of fear on Mercaine’s face and quickly reassured her that Boulder was someone that can be trusted and she need not fear the man. Mercaine tried to cover up her fears by saying she was still shocked by the ordeal with the Bander Buccaneers. She then explained that she was captured by the Bander Buccaneers while her family was on the way to Humvale and Tuster had rescued her from Norton. Boulder bought the story, or he pretended to. He would find a chance to ask Mercaine about the pendant later. For now, he volunteered to escort them to Humvale for the journey will be hard. Mercaine and Tuster agreed.
So the trio set off on the journey to Humvale.
After their short meal, Tuster noticed that Mercaine was already asleep so he kept watch while she slept. The girl must have led a fine life until now. To think that a hare would be the best food in this world was a joke to him. He spent the rest of the tine before he doze off watching Mercaine’s beautiful face.
He was awoken by the sound of footsteps around him. He sprang to his feet, dagger unsheathed and ready to attack, while his eyes adjusted to the light that blinded his eyes now. He was still sleepy when a heavy leathery fist knocked him across the face and he collapsed onto the hard ground.
When his vision came to, he was shocked to see that Norton was the one that delivered the blow. He tried to stand up but found himself being stepped upon. A boot kicked away the dagger in his hand. Another boot trapped his face onto the floor and he could hear those words coming form Norton’s mouth. “Boy we got your girl!”
From the corner of his eyes, he saw another man holding Mercaine. He had his forearm around her neck and the other hand was over her mouth. Both of Mercaine’s feet kicked wildly forward to no avail.
“Let her go.” Tuster demanded. He was more worried about Mercaine’s well-being than his, even though he was in a more perilous position than Mercaine but he did not care. He tried fighting against the foot but found himself pinned down even harder.
“Don’t even try.” Norton laughed hysterically. “No one messes with the Bander Buccaneers, especially me, Norton Gilyers!” Tuster knew he had to act fast. A brilliant but risky idea came to his mind.
“Fight me one on one.” Tuster demanded.
That phrase caught the attention of Norton. “Fight you, small boy?” Norton asked. That was followed by a loud laugh and the sound of a sword unsheathing from its scabbard.
“Very well.”
Tuster cannot believe Norton fell for it. The boots on his back and face were lifted and he rolled towards his dagger. His fingers went round the handle and he steadied himself in a crouching position, dagger forward, ready to pounce on his enemy anytime, just like what Baldarov had taught him. His eyes scanned round. There were about ten men around him and Norton was the only one with his sword unsheathed. The rest formed a circle around them. Mercaine was behind Norton, held by a bald, fat and beardy man.
“Stakes, boy!” Norton shouted. “I win, I cut your throat and the girl is my slave.”
Tuster’s reply was a more obvious one. “I win and we are free.”
Norton lunged at Tuster with a downward slash. Tuster dodged the attack and leaped to Norton’s exposed back. As he was about to deliver a stab at Norton’s back, Norton suddenly spin around with a backhand horizontal slash that was aiming for Tuster’s neck. Tuster abandoned his attack and chose to jump a step back to avoid the attack. Norton turned swiftly to face Tuster. His face produced an evil smile.
“That was just a test, boy.” He said. “Now is the real thing.” With that, Norton tossed his blade into the air and grabbed the handle in a manner such that the blade was pointing downwards. “Let’s go!” he shouted. Norton’s next attack was even faster than the previous one. His was a horizontal slash coming from Tuster’s left side. Tuster barely dodged the blade coming at his face but he managed to duck under the advancing sword. As he ducked, a heavy leather fist came crashing into his right cheek, sending Tuster into the dirt-covered floor. Norton confidently took a step back and gestured for Tuster to get to his feet. Tuster shook of the impact and spat out the stuff from his mouth. Blood. The blow must have cut his inner cheek.
Tuster eyed his opponent. Norton is an experienced fighter, unlike himself. He is also bigger and faster than him. Was there any way for him to win? Just as he was pondering what move to attack Norton with next, Norton said to him. “I shall strike you down with the next blow.” He assumed a crouching position, with his sword beside his face and pointing towards Tuster.
“Heeya!” screamed Norton. With breath-taking speed, Norton ran to Tuster. He thrust the blade forward, aiming for Tuster’s throat. Tuster’s mind screamed. Norton was going to kill him! At that point, a sort of frenzy overtook him. Tuster found himself, sidestepping Norton’s attack and at the same time, counterattacking with a horizontal slash that immediately drew blood from Norton’s right bicep. He added a punch to Norton’s jaw for good measure. Norton stumbled back, his left arm holding his right. Tuster saw an opening and started his attack, aiming for Norton’s throat. To his surprise, Norton ducked and the next thing he can remember his that his feet was swept under him and he laid on the ground, with Norton on top of him, sword poised to strike. He saw the tip of Norton’s sword glittering as it bathed in the morning sun. He thought this was the end. At that point, his life flashed before him. The time he had spent with Baldarov in Resport, the wonderful adventures he had in Resport and the daring rescue of Mercaine all came to his mind. He closed his eyes as he waited for death to claim him.
He heard a sound of metal hitting metal and felt the weight lifting off his body. Is this how death feels like? Expecting angels or death gods to take his soul away he waited. There was silence followed by footsteps and then Norton’s voice saying, “Darn it.” Puzzled, Tuster opened his eyes and he was surprised to see a towering figure in front of him.
The figure standing before him was a towering figure. He wore a plain brown traveler’s tunic and tight leather pants. His hair was long and was tied to produce a black ponytail. In his right muscular arm, he held a mace while in the other held a sword that Tuster was very familiar with.
“Boulder.” Tuster shouted.
Boulder did not turn to look at Tuster but spoke to him while he eyed Norton. “Get on your feet. Let me handle this.” The next few words were directed at Norton. “Since both of us are betting men, let’s make another wager. If I win, these two children go with me.”
Both men started to circle each other and were ready to attack anytime. Norton torn a piece of cloth from his tunic and tied it round his right bicep, stopping the flow of blood from the wound Tuster had cut earlier. He then spoke to Boulder. “I will cut all your throats.”
After about a minute of circling each other, Norton leaped to attack. Just like what he did to Tuster, he lunged in with a forward thrust. Boulder in a swift motion dodged the attack and swept the man over his head. Norton fell on his back. Boulder grabbed his sword arm in a vice-grip manner and twist. A crack sound was followed by Norton’s scream. His arm was broken. “I yield! I yield!” Norton screamed helplessly.
The Bander Buccaneers rushed forward to help their fallen leader. The man holding Mercaine released his grip on her and Mercaine rushed to Tuster’s side. As Norton was being helped away by his men, he shouted to the trio, “You haven’t seen the last of me yet!” Within a minute, they were gone, leaving only trace of dust that covered the air.
Boulder turned to Tuster and Mercaine. “Are you both all right?” he asked.
“I am fine. I thought I was a goner.” Tuster was all smiles. “Thanks again, Boulder.”
“And who is this damsel in distress?” Boulder questioned Tuster. He then looked in the direction of Mercaine, who was checking her body for wounds. He noticed a small silver pendant that was carved with the design of a rose hanging at the end of a necklace around her small neck. Mercaine saw that Boulder was looking at her necklace so she quickly tucked it into her tunic. She then turned and gave a bow to Boulder. “Thank you for rescuing me. My name is Mercaine.”
Boulder paused for a while. The pendant seemed familiar to him. He had seen it somewhere before. If he did remember correctly, this was the royal emblem of the Cerlors family. A family member of the Cerlors is given the rose pendant when he is born and will have to wear the rose pendant throughout his life. Only in death do they part with the pendant. Moreover, if a Cerlors is bonded to another person in marriage, the Cerlors will give up one half of her pendant to the other person. The only living people to wear this pendant is King Harton Cerlors, who has replaced the late King Wincern Heath as the new king of Banderlands two years ago, and his sister the princess Rose Cerlors, who is about the same age as this girl, Mercaine…..
Mercaine saw the look on Boulder’s face and was taken aback. Did he saw the pendant? She was not allowed to show her pendant to anyone. Only people that lived in the palace of the Banderlands knew about the pendant. Does this mean that this man knew her true identity? Suddenly she felt afraid and insecure. What is he going to do with her?
Tuster saw the look of fear on Mercaine’s face and quickly reassured her that Boulder was someone that can be trusted and she need not fear the man. Mercaine tried to cover up her fears by saying she was still shocked by the ordeal with the Bander Buccaneers. She then explained that she was captured by the Bander Buccaneers while her family was on the way to Humvale and Tuster had rescued her from Norton. Boulder bought the story, or he pretended to. He would find a chance to ask Mercaine about the pendant later. For now, he volunteered to escort them to Humvale for the journey will be hard. Mercaine and Tuster agreed.
So the trio set off on the journey to Humvale.
3/2 The Rose Pendant
After the ceremony, Vinon and Carlem were sent to the training hall where they await the arrival of their commander. Like every other cadets that have finished their training as a solider, they will be assigned to the armies of the Number Knights. When a certain Number Knight has arrived to accept the new recruits, he will hand a steward a scroll containing the names of the cadets that will be assigned to his army. The steward will read out the name of the cadet that will be assigned and he will fall in at a designed stop in front of the Number Knight. Each cadet do not know who they will be assigned to but it provided a sense of excitement to every cadet.
The first to arrive was the Third Commander, Kiltsa Ulcar. Kiltsa was an imposing figure. He stood over six feet tall and wore a suit of silver battle armor. Under his left arm, he held his helmet and in his right gauntlet, he held the scroll. There was a huge scar across his face and with one look, one could tell Kiltsa was a battle veteran. He was bald and had no hair but he had a grey moustache that covered most of the lower part of his face. The most impressive sight was his sword which was sheathed on his back. Vinon looked carefully and noticed that the sword sheath was a part of his armor. The sword was about half a meter in width and two metres in length. It was the largest sword he had ever seen in his life. Kiltsa carried the sword as if it was weightless at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the ground. Overall, Kiltsa Ulcar was an impressive looking man.
After Kiltsa handed the scroll to the steward, the steward began reading the scroll. Vinon and Carlem were both relieved that they were not allocated in the army of Kiltsa as he was said to be a tormentor of his own troops. Kiltsa did not move as he waited for the steward to finish reading. However, when the steward was done, he did look in the direction of Vinon himself. The two exchanged glares for about a second before Kiltsa left with his new recruits.
The next commander arrived almost immediately after Kiltsa left. It was the Fifth Commander, Finskar Caldon. This was the same person who rescued Vinon and Carlem ten years ago and brought them to Talesgard. Finskar, as always, was wearing a black cloak over his grey armor. He was over six feet tall and as his side, a massive two-handed sword lay sheathed. Unlike Kiltsa, he had long flowing black hair. However, they could not mask the elven features that he had. He had sharp blue eyes and pointed ears. Finskar was almost twice the size of any normal elf and he was in command of the special magic unit of the Talestrial army.
The fifth unit was made up of elves that had left Reachlands and found a new life under Rinas and humans warriors. This unit once consisted of only elves but Finskar in recent years also welcomed human fighters. His claim was that despite the fifth unit being a magical unit, it also needed human fighting prowess when fighting in close combat. These humans will protect the spell-castors and prevented their spells from interruption and maximized their effects.
Vinon and Carlem were delighted when the steward read out their names from a scroll which Finskar handed to him. They hurriedly and excitedly joined the Fifth Commander’s army along with several others too. Vinon and Carlem were happy for their own reasons. Carlem was delighted like several others as they heard that Finskar treated his army very well. Vinon, on the other hand, was happy that he will be able to hone his magical abilities under the guidance of Finskar. Moreover, the man was someone they both knew.
For the past ten years, he had learned and studied under Finskar and the king, Rinas. Rinas taught him about swordsmanship and leadership abilities, in hope that one day, Vinon will succeed him as the ruler of the Talestrial States. However, a man’s strength is only limited. Rinas was no magic user, unlike Finskar, who was an elf. He learned very simple magical spells as well as how to enhance their power and the speed of which it is cast.
He was also able to discover a new spell through his years in training and studying. It was a haste spell that enables his body to move at increased speeds. However, he can only maintain for only a short while as it required a large amount of spiritual power. He did not tell anyone about this as he only discovered it not long ago, just before the graduation ceremony. He also preferred to keep it to himself so that others will not steal the spell from him. Not even Carlem knew about it.
Carlem, on the other hand, studied and learned from the same mentor as Vinon, but she was never gifted in the use of magical abilities. Finskar noted that Carlem was a complete human and had no magical abilities like Vinon, despite them coming from the same parents. However, she too enjoyed great potential in becoming a Number Knight one day, as King Rinas once remarked.
After the names of the recruits being sent to the fifth unit were read, Finskar brought all of them to a courtyard where the rest of his army had gathered. The new recruits were asked to join up with the army for a major briefing. There were mostly male human and elves and only a handful of female ones. But all of them were here for a special purpose.
“Tonight we feast.” Finskar shouted to his army. At once, his army gave a loud cheer. Finskar then continued. “Tomorrow we shall begin our march to the border town of Kewil, where the Desert Border Alliance had occupied our town just days ago.” This sentence was followed by some soft murmurings. Finskar continued his speech, “A lot of you must be asking why the king is sending his most inexperienced unit into the battlefront. Let me tell you why. This is because the third army cannot break the defense of the Desert Border Alliance and we can.” This was followed by more cheers.
Vinon smiled to himself. Soon he will get his chance at gaining valuable battle experience and he will show Finskar what he can do.
The first to arrive was the Third Commander, Kiltsa Ulcar. Kiltsa was an imposing figure. He stood over six feet tall and wore a suit of silver battle armor. Under his left arm, he held his helmet and in his right gauntlet, he held the scroll. There was a huge scar across his face and with one look, one could tell Kiltsa was a battle veteran. He was bald and had no hair but he had a grey moustache that covered most of the lower part of his face. The most impressive sight was his sword which was sheathed on his back. Vinon looked carefully and noticed that the sword sheath was a part of his armor. The sword was about half a meter in width and two metres in length. It was the largest sword he had ever seen in his life. Kiltsa carried the sword as if it was weightless at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the ground. Overall, Kiltsa Ulcar was an impressive looking man.
After Kiltsa handed the scroll to the steward, the steward began reading the scroll. Vinon and Carlem were both relieved that they were not allocated in the army of Kiltsa as he was said to be a tormentor of his own troops. Kiltsa did not move as he waited for the steward to finish reading. However, when the steward was done, he did look in the direction of Vinon himself. The two exchanged glares for about a second before Kiltsa left with his new recruits.
The next commander arrived almost immediately after Kiltsa left. It was the Fifth Commander, Finskar Caldon. This was the same person who rescued Vinon and Carlem ten years ago and brought them to Talesgard. Finskar, as always, was wearing a black cloak over his grey armor. He was over six feet tall and as his side, a massive two-handed sword lay sheathed. Unlike Kiltsa, he had long flowing black hair. However, they could not mask the elven features that he had. He had sharp blue eyes and pointed ears. Finskar was almost twice the size of any normal elf and he was in command of the special magic unit of the Talestrial army.
The fifth unit was made up of elves that had left Reachlands and found a new life under Rinas and humans warriors. This unit once consisted of only elves but Finskar in recent years also welcomed human fighters. His claim was that despite the fifth unit being a magical unit, it also needed human fighting prowess when fighting in close combat. These humans will protect the spell-castors and prevented their spells from interruption and maximized their effects.
Vinon and Carlem were delighted when the steward read out their names from a scroll which Finskar handed to him. They hurriedly and excitedly joined the Fifth Commander’s army along with several others too. Vinon and Carlem were happy for their own reasons. Carlem was delighted like several others as they heard that Finskar treated his army very well. Vinon, on the other hand, was happy that he will be able to hone his magical abilities under the guidance of Finskar. Moreover, the man was someone they both knew.
For the past ten years, he had learned and studied under Finskar and the king, Rinas. Rinas taught him about swordsmanship and leadership abilities, in hope that one day, Vinon will succeed him as the ruler of the Talestrial States. However, a man’s strength is only limited. Rinas was no magic user, unlike Finskar, who was an elf. He learned very simple magical spells as well as how to enhance their power and the speed of which it is cast.
He was also able to discover a new spell through his years in training and studying. It was a haste spell that enables his body to move at increased speeds. However, he can only maintain for only a short while as it required a large amount of spiritual power. He did not tell anyone about this as he only discovered it not long ago, just before the graduation ceremony. He also preferred to keep it to himself so that others will not steal the spell from him. Not even Carlem knew about it.
Carlem, on the other hand, studied and learned from the same mentor as Vinon, but she was never gifted in the use of magical abilities. Finskar noted that Carlem was a complete human and had no magical abilities like Vinon, despite them coming from the same parents. However, she too enjoyed great potential in becoming a Number Knight one day, as King Rinas once remarked.
After the names of the recruits being sent to the fifth unit were read, Finskar brought all of them to a courtyard where the rest of his army had gathered. The new recruits were asked to join up with the army for a major briefing. There were mostly male human and elves and only a handful of female ones. But all of them were here for a special purpose.
“Tonight we feast.” Finskar shouted to his army. At once, his army gave a loud cheer. Finskar then continued. “Tomorrow we shall begin our march to the border town of Kewil, where the Desert Border Alliance had occupied our town just days ago.” This sentence was followed by some soft murmurings. Finskar continued his speech, “A lot of you must be asking why the king is sending his most inexperienced unit into the battlefront. Let me tell you why. This is because the third army cannot break the defense of the Desert Border Alliance and we can.” This was followed by more cheers.
Vinon smiled to himself. Soon he will get his chance at gaining valuable battle experience and he will show Finskar what he can do.
2/2 The Rose Pendant
At the same time that Vinon was becoming a solider of Talestrial States, Tuster was still in the town of Resport. Tuster was never told of his lineage by Baldarov. Instead he was treated by Baldarov as his own son and brought him up. Baldarov wanted Tuster not to have any memories of his parents being killed. So he told him he was an orphan and he lived in Resport since he was little. During the ten years spent in Resport, Tuster learned the ways of survival. Life was hard and sometimes he would steal from people for his own survival. No one except for Baldarov knew about his true identity.
On this day, Tuster was spying on some bandits. He had spent the day hunting along the outskirts of Ulseeker’s Woods to the south and caught a rabbit. This was his dinner and he intended to return to his home and hid it so it would not be stolen. On his way back, he had stumbled on a group of bandits and they came back with a wagon and a girl as hostage. He assumed they had robbed some merchants and took the girl as a slave and had sold their loot, from the gold-filled pouch on the belt of one bandit. Some dried-blood stains were seen on the wagon and Tuster assumed the merchants were cruelly murdered. It was this girl that caught his eye. She was dressed in a light-blue dress and he can tell she is a noble by birth. Her face was quite pretty even though there was dirt on it. It must have been there when the bandits pinned her down and capture her. She looked about the same age as him and could have been eleven years old. Her eyes were blue and Tuster was surprised that there were no signs of crying. Tuster thought it would be cruel to see such a pretty girl become a slave and the thought of rescuing her crossed his mind.
The wagon entered the city of Resport by the south gate and parked itself near the center of the town and beside a large building surrounded by stone walls. The bandits started to unload their loot while Tuster hid himself in a small dark alley opposite the building and observed the bandits. One of them, a small stocky bearded man carried the girl on his shoulder and entered the building through a wooden door. The rest of the bandits followed through.
Tuster eyed the building. His experience of infiltrating any building in Resport was second to none. But this was the building of one of the strongest bandits groups in Resport, The Bander Buccaneers they call themselves. Their leader is Norton Gilyers, which many people in Resport believed to be the strongest. Going up against Norton and his men will be suicidal but his sense of adventure was too much to overcome. This was a good time to test his thieving skills against the strongest bandit groups in Resport. He can make a name for himself, just like Norton.
He noticed the sun was setting so he waited until it was dark before he approached the building. There were about six storeys and each had two openings for air, except for the bottom level. Each opening was big enough for a adult to squeeze through so he figure he can scale the walls of the building. However, he can find no foothold or grip holds to help him in his climb and there was a man standing on the inside of the building watching the door, which Tuster can see from the openings. Instead, he circled the building, looking for any unguarded entrance. He found a back door which he entered that lead to the kitchen. There was no one in there but he smell of the burning logs suggested someone was not very far away. The cook must have gone out to serve his newly cooked dish. He sneaked past the kitchen and entered into a dining hall where it held a lot more bandits.
On any other day, one would easily spot Tuster from where he emerged from. But on this given day and time, Tuster was lucky that about forty over bandits in the dining hall were busy feasting and celebrating what he believed to be a successful raid and were too engrossed to notice Tuster. A well-built man in his mid-forties was boasting about his achievements about a merchant raid and with each sentence he was greeted with lot cheers. Tuster guessed him to be Norton. He did not stay for long. He stayed among the shadows and evaded the half-drunken crowd. He managed to reach the end of the hall where a spiral staircase lighted by burning staves on the walls lead up. As he ascended the stairs and wondered where the girl may be, he heard a female shriek from one of the rooms on the level above him. He traced the sound to a large wooden door. As he stood in front of it, he heard another shriek from within. This was the room and he guessed someone must be in the room with the girl. He pulled at the steel handle and the door opened with a creaking sound.
The room was a bedroom and Tuster guessed it belonged to Norton, for it was quite big and decorated with many tapestries which Tuster thought to be loot. His attention was drawn to the center of the room where a huge bed lay. The girl he had seen this afternoon was on it but the stocky bearded man was on top of her, in the midst of taking her clothes off. She was struggling in vain and he had a hard time doing that. Immediately, Tuster grabbed a large golden candle stand and used it to smash the back of the head of the man. The man fell on top of girl and lay motionless. The girl continued to kick and shove at the man’s face until he fell motionlessly onto the floor.
The girl was sobbing uncontrollably as she tried to cover up some parts of her body which was exposed by the man with a blanket. Tuster held up his hands, the candle stand still in his left hand.
The girl eyed him for a moment before she finally spoke through the tears and mucus that had built up. “Who are you? Are you one of them?” She asked. Her face still showed fear and suspicion.
Not knowing what to say, Tuster gave the most honest and direct answer he can think of. “I am not one of them and I am here to rescue you.”
Before the girl can answer, Tuster could hear footsteps from coming from the staircase. Without thinking, he closed the door and bolted it. He turned to face the girl. “We need to get out of here.”
“There is no other entrance except through that door.” The girl explained. She was not so much afraid of Tuster now but she still could not muster a smile at him. She was more worried about what will happen if the bandits break the door down.
Tuster looked around the room. He grabbed a metre-long oil lamp and used it to reinforce the door by placing it sideways on the bolt. The door started to knock and from the other side came a voice, “Galter, open up.” Next, Tuster snatched at the long blanket that the girl used to cover herself. “She was puzzled by what he was doing and gave it up after some hesitation. She unbuckled the dagger from the stocky man’s belt and cut herself a makeshift shirt using the pillowcase. While she was doing that, Tuster tied the long blanket to another and secured one end of it to the bed. After he was done, he threw the free end out of a nearby window and tested its strength. It was okay. Their escape route was secured. By this time, the knocking had become louder and more frequent.
Tuster cut himself some cloth from a curtain and wrapped them round his hands. He motioned the girl to do the same and she did so quickly and quietly. The knocking became loud banging sounds and the bandits on the other side were forcing it open. But the reinforced oil lamp ensured the door do not give way. Tuster grabbed the girl’s hand and guided her hands to the blanket.
“Slide down using this.” He said.
“No way! You want me to die?” she exclaimed “It’s at least twenty feet off the ground from here.” Tuster grabbed her by the shoulder and looked her in the eye. “Trust me on this. I will protect you.” The girl was momentarily stunned by his reaction and she found herself screaming all the way as she slide down the blanket. The cloth wrapped around her hand protected her palms from friction. As her feet touched solid ground, she made a secret promise to her that she would never do this thing ever again.
Once Tuster noticed the girl was safely on the ground, he then proceeded to slide down himself. Just he was about to do so, the door gave way. The figure standing at the door was flanked by bandits on both sides and all of them were wielding cutlass that cut flesh. The man in the center was the one that was boasting in the hall just now and his face did not look too happy at all. His eyes and Tuster’s met for a second before Tuster slide down the blanket. Once his feet touched solid ground, he grabbed the girl who was waiting for him and they made off down the streets.
Tuster did not know where they would be going before they are safe. He figured out that the only way was to find a place to hide from his pursuers now until they give up chasing him. They navigated the streets and dark alleys of Resport and stopped when they thought they could no longer hear the sound of chasing men. Tuster then took stock of their surroundings and he knew he had to get to a secret hiding spot of his which only he knew if they were to be truly safe. He led the girl through the dark streets for about half an hour before they found the place. It was a cellar of an abandoned temple and its trapdoor was expertly carved to be of the same design of the floor. Tuster had only stumbled on it when he was tripped while exploring the building. In the cellar was a small hole where only a child could burrow through. Tuster lead the girl through until they emerged into large underground cave where a statue stood in the middle of the cave. A strange slowing moss gave the cave some light. There they stopped to catch their breath before they finally spoke.
“Thanks for rescuing me.” The girl said. “I don’t know who you are but thanks for saving me. Otherwise I would become a slave.”
“You are welcome,” Tuster did not know how to explain why he rescued her. “My name is Tuster. I am an orphan and I have been living in Resport since I was young. I saw you on my way back from hunting for my dinner. I thought it would be a very cruel thing if a girl like you would become a slave so I decided to rescue you.”
The girl paused for a while and she eyed Tuster for a moment. She only knew him for a few hours and she felt an emotion that she had never felt before in her life when she talked to him. She felt a sense of closeness to him and she could trust him. It was a little while before she broke the silence between them again.
“My name is Mercaine. I am the daughter of a merchant. My parents were killed by the bandits when they ambushed us. We were on our way to my uncle’s place in Humvale from Lestalk.” She started crying again.
“Look Mercaine,” Tuster reassured her. “I will take revenge for your parents by killing Norton. He will take the pain that he has put you through. I will defeat him, I promise.”
Mercaine managed a smile at Tuster. “I appreciate your kindness but we are still kids. Besides, Norton has scores of bandits under him. It will be difficult to even approach him.”
“Dun worry,” Tuster gave her a smile too. “Leave it to me. But first, I need to find Boulder. We will be safer with him around.”
“Who is Boulder?” asked Mercaine. Her eyes displayed a puzzled look.
“He is my guardian.” Tuster replied as he peeped at the entrance they had entered the cave from. There was no sound from outside. His pursuers must have given up chasing them. He turned back to Mercaine and checked his equipment. He still had his dagger and his dinner.
“I mean who is this guardian of yours?” Mercaine asked again.
“Boulder has been with me for as long as I can remember.” Tuster replied as he finally sat down on the floor facing her. “He’s been like a father to me. I treat him as my father and he treat me as his son. We have been taking care of each other since I was small.”
Mercaine paused and thought for a while. She was about to speak when Tuster interrupted her.
“Its time to go,” he said.
“Go?” Mercaine was puzzled. “Where are we going?”
“We need to get out of here. Norton Gilyers is the leader of the Bander Buccaneers and he doesn’t like people barging into his home and kidnap his slave. He will probably want to kill whoever’s involved with this. Makes him lose face in front of his underlings.” Tuster explained. “Come on. Let’s head by the west gate. We are going to Humvale to find your uncle”
Mercaine was about to protest but Tuster grabbed her hand and led her through the small tunnel, to the cellar and back onto the streets.
On this day, Tuster was spying on some bandits. He had spent the day hunting along the outskirts of Ulseeker’s Woods to the south and caught a rabbit. This was his dinner and he intended to return to his home and hid it so it would not be stolen. On his way back, he had stumbled on a group of bandits and they came back with a wagon and a girl as hostage. He assumed they had robbed some merchants and took the girl as a slave and had sold their loot, from the gold-filled pouch on the belt of one bandit. Some dried-blood stains were seen on the wagon and Tuster assumed the merchants were cruelly murdered. It was this girl that caught his eye. She was dressed in a light-blue dress and he can tell she is a noble by birth. Her face was quite pretty even though there was dirt on it. It must have been there when the bandits pinned her down and capture her. She looked about the same age as him and could have been eleven years old. Her eyes were blue and Tuster was surprised that there were no signs of crying. Tuster thought it would be cruel to see such a pretty girl become a slave and the thought of rescuing her crossed his mind.
The wagon entered the city of Resport by the south gate and parked itself near the center of the town and beside a large building surrounded by stone walls. The bandits started to unload their loot while Tuster hid himself in a small dark alley opposite the building and observed the bandits. One of them, a small stocky bearded man carried the girl on his shoulder and entered the building through a wooden door. The rest of the bandits followed through.
Tuster eyed the building. His experience of infiltrating any building in Resport was second to none. But this was the building of one of the strongest bandits groups in Resport, The Bander Buccaneers they call themselves. Their leader is Norton Gilyers, which many people in Resport believed to be the strongest. Going up against Norton and his men will be suicidal but his sense of adventure was too much to overcome. This was a good time to test his thieving skills against the strongest bandit groups in Resport. He can make a name for himself, just like Norton.
He noticed the sun was setting so he waited until it was dark before he approached the building. There were about six storeys and each had two openings for air, except for the bottom level. Each opening was big enough for a adult to squeeze through so he figure he can scale the walls of the building. However, he can find no foothold or grip holds to help him in his climb and there was a man standing on the inside of the building watching the door, which Tuster can see from the openings. Instead, he circled the building, looking for any unguarded entrance. He found a back door which he entered that lead to the kitchen. There was no one in there but he smell of the burning logs suggested someone was not very far away. The cook must have gone out to serve his newly cooked dish. He sneaked past the kitchen and entered into a dining hall where it held a lot more bandits.
On any other day, one would easily spot Tuster from where he emerged from. But on this given day and time, Tuster was lucky that about forty over bandits in the dining hall were busy feasting and celebrating what he believed to be a successful raid and were too engrossed to notice Tuster. A well-built man in his mid-forties was boasting about his achievements about a merchant raid and with each sentence he was greeted with lot cheers. Tuster guessed him to be Norton. He did not stay for long. He stayed among the shadows and evaded the half-drunken crowd. He managed to reach the end of the hall where a spiral staircase lighted by burning staves on the walls lead up. As he ascended the stairs and wondered where the girl may be, he heard a female shriek from one of the rooms on the level above him. He traced the sound to a large wooden door. As he stood in front of it, he heard another shriek from within. This was the room and he guessed someone must be in the room with the girl. He pulled at the steel handle and the door opened with a creaking sound.
The room was a bedroom and Tuster guessed it belonged to Norton, for it was quite big and decorated with many tapestries which Tuster thought to be loot. His attention was drawn to the center of the room where a huge bed lay. The girl he had seen this afternoon was on it but the stocky bearded man was on top of her, in the midst of taking her clothes off. She was struggling in vain and he had a hard time doing that. Immediately, Tuster grabbed a large golden candle stand and used it to smash the back of the head of the man. The man fell on top of girl and lay motionless. The girl continued to kick and shove at the man’s face until he fell motionlessly onto the floor.
The girl was sobbing uncontrollably as she tried to cover up some parts of her body which was exposed by the man with a blanket. Tuster held up his hands, the candle stand still in his left hand.
The girl eyed him for a moment before she finally spoke through the tears and mucus that had built up. “Who are you? Are you one of them?” She asked. Her face still showed fear and suspicion.
Not knowing what to say, Tuster gave the most honest and direct answer he can think of. “I am not one of them and I am here to rescue you.”
Before the girl can answer, Tuster could hear footsteps from coming from the staircase. Without thinking, he closed the door and bolted it. He turned to face the girl. “We need to get out of here.”
“There is no other entrance except through that door.” The girl explained. She was not so much afraid of Tuster now but she still could not muster a smile at him. She was more worried about what will happen if the bandits break the door down.
Tuster looked around the room. He grabbed a metre-long oil lamp and used it to reinforce the door by placing it sideways on the bolt. The door started to knock and from the other side came a voice, “Galter, open up.” Next, Tuster snatched at the long blanket that the girl used to cover herself. “She was puzzled by what he was doing and gave it up after some hesitation. She unbuckled the dagger from the stocky man’s belt and cut herself a makeshift shirt using the pillowcase. While she was doing that, Tuster tied the long blanket to another and secured one end of it to the bed. After he was done, he threw the free end out of a nearby window and tested its strength. It was okay. Their escape route was secured. By this time, the knocking had become louder and more frequent.
Tuster cut himself some cloth from a curtain and wrapped them round his hands. He motioned the girl to do the same and she did so quickly and quietly. The knocking became loud banging sounds and the bandits on the other side were forcing it open. But the reinforced oil lamp ensured the door do not give way. Tuster grabbed the girl’s hand and guided her hands to the blanket.
“Slide down using this.” He said.
“No way! You want me to die?” she exclaimed “It’s at least twenty feet off the ground from here.” Tuster grabbed her by the shoulder and looked her in the eye. “Trust me on this. I will protect you.” The girl was momentarily stunned by his reaction and she found herself screaming all the way as she slide down the blanket. The cloth wrapped around her hand protected her palms from friction. As her feet touched solid ground, she made a secret promise to her that she would never do this thing ever again.
Once Tuster noticed the girl was safely on the ground, he then proceeded to slide down himself. Just he was about to do so, the door gave way. The figure standing at the door was flanked by bandits on both sides and all of them were wielding cutlass that cut flesh. The man in the center was the one that was boasting in the hall just now and his face did not look too happy at all. His eyes and Tuster’s met for a second before Tuster slide down the blanket. Once his feet touched solid ground, he grabbed the girl who was waiting for him and they made off down the streets.
Tuster did not know where they would be going before they are safe. He figured out that the only way was to find a place to hide from his pursuers now until they give up chasing him. They navigated the streets and dark alleys of Resport and stopped when they thought they could no longer hear the sound of chasing men. Tuster then took stock of their surroundings and he knew he had to get to a secret hiding spot of his which only he knew if they were to be truly safe. He led the girl through the dark streets for about half an hour before they found the place. It was a cellar of an abandoned temple and its trapdoor was expertly carved to be of the same design of the floor. Tuster had only stumbled on it when he was tripped while exploring the building. In the cellar was a small hole where only a child could burrow through. Tuster lead the girl through until they emerged into large underground cave where a statue stood in the middle of the cave. A strange slowing moss gave the cave some light. There they stopped to catch their breath before they finally spoke.
“Thanks for rescuing me.” The girl said. “I don’t know who you are but thanks for saving me. Otherwise I would become a slave.”
“You are welcome,” Tuster did not know how to explain why he rescued her. “My name is Tuster. I am an orphan and I have been living in Resport since I was young. I saw you on my way back from hunting for my dinner. I thought it would be a very cruel thing if a girl like you would become a slave so I decided to rescue you.”
The girl paused for a while and she eyed Tuster for a moment. She only knew him for a few hours and she felt an emotion that she had never felt before in her life when she talked to him. She felt a sense of closeness to him and she could trust him. It was a little while before she broke the silence between them again.
“My name is Mercaine. I am the daughter of a merchant. My parents were killed by the bandits when they ambushed us. We were on our way to my uncle’s place in Humvale from Lestalk.” She started crying again.
“Look Mercaine,” Tuster reassured her. “I will take revenge for your parents by killing Norton. He will take the pain that he has put you through. I will defeat him, I promise.”
Mercaine managed a smile at Tuster. “I appreciate your kindness but we are still kids. Besides, Norton has scores of bandits under him. It will be difficult to even approach him.”
“Dun worry,” Tuster gave her a smile too. “Leave it to me. But first, I need to find Boulder. We will be safer with him around.”
“Who is Boulder?” asked Mercaine. Her eyes displayed a puzzled look.
“He is my guardian.” Tuster replied as he peeped at the entrance they had entered the cave from. There was no sound from outside. His pursuers must have given up chasing them. He turned back to Mercaine and checked his equipment. He still had his dagger and his dinner.
“I mean who is this guardian of yours?” Mercaine asked again.
“Boulder has been with me for as long as I can remember.” Tuster replied as he finally sat down on the floor facing her. “He’s been like a father to me. I treat him as my father and he treat me as his son. We have been taking care of each other since I was small.”
Mercaine paused and thought for a while. She was about to speak when Tuster interrupted her.
“Its time to go,” he said.
“Go?” Mercaine was puzzled. “Where are we going?”
“We need to get out of here. Norton Gilyers is the leader of the Bander Buccaneers and he doesn’t like people barging into his home and kidnap his slave. He will probably want to kill whoever’s involved with this. Makes him lose face in front of his underlings.” Tuster explained. “Come on. Let’s head by the west gate. We are going to Humvale to find your uncle”
Mercaine was about to protest but Tuster grabbed her hand and led her through the small tunnel, to the cellar and back onto the streets.
1/2 The Rose Pendant
Ten years have passed. Bander was now plunged into war.
The Talestrial States led by King Rinas had begun waging wars on the western nations. Since then, King Rinas had only occupied the country-state of Vorska. The state of Vorska was swiftly conquered as their king, King Farquer believed that its small trained force of solider and impregnable fortress of Vorking was able to withstand the attack from the Talestrial army. King Farquer remarked on the first day of the invasion that the Talestrial States was made up of barbarians and was not trained to take on his solider. How wrong was he when his state of Vorska was occupied within a month and he fell at the hands of King Rinas himself.
Following Farquer’s demise, other neighboring states have banded together to resist Rinas. This alliance soon became known as the Desert Border Alliance and they managed to halt the advance of the Talestrial army. They did not underestimate King Rinas’ troops, unlike King Farquer. No one can afford to follow in Farquer’s footsteps. However, they believed they can defeat King Rinas and claimed its capital Talesgard if Vorska was a part of the Desert Border Alliance. However, the Number Knights were invaluable to King Rinas and they proved on many occasions that they can change the tide of the war. It was the Number Knights that ensured that Vorska remained under Talestrial rule. For the last month, a stalemate surfaced between the Talestrial States and the Desert Border Alliance.
On this evening, King Rinas sat on his throne, waiting for the ceremony to begin. This was a graduation ceremony that signified the solider trainees have come of age and was ready for the frontline battle. Rinas was exhausted from his recent battle with the Desert Border Alliance. Finskar was unsuccessful in his attack on Pesdrag while his reinforcements were not enough to break the walls of the capital of Mansfields, a state to the northwest of the Talestrial States and part of the Desert Border Alliance. This recent battle has forced his troops to abandon hopes of taking Presdrag. His men were tired from the long siege and he had to return. He knew these recruits will be sent to the frontline to fight after the ceremony so he cannot postpone the graduation ceremony. Besides there were two recruits he was particularly interested in.
Vinon and Carlem are the two children he had brought up. He had mostly monitored the training of these two children. The children of Touren and Iysedin, who had shamed the human and the elven race, had finally come of age. The vision given by The Prophet will soon be realized. It is now time to send them to the frontline.
He can still remember the day The Prophet can to him. On the day, he finally united the warring states and created the Talestrial States, The Prophet appeared in his room. He wore a dark robe and had a hood over his head. Rinas can only make out a shadowy face under the hood. He reached for his sword but he found that he was frozen in his place. A spell has been cast on him. He thought he was dead as he cannot even use his voice to call out to his guards. However, the robed figure only spoke a few words.
“I am The Prophet and you do well to listen to me, for only I help you realize your dream of conquering Bander.” The Prophet said in a low ghostly tone.
Rinas cannot move but he can sense great magical abilities from this being. He was scared but he can do nothing. His body cannot move at all and he cannot speak. But it seemed the being can read his mind.
“I will reveal to you the location of where the human prince, Touren and his family are and you will do well to follow my plan.” The Prophet said again.
The exiled prince, Touren was banished from the Banderlands along with his family after they found out he was having an affair with an elven princess. No one knows where they settled and no one has heard from them ever since.
“You will dispatch an army made up of rogue elves and humans and attack them and have one of your solider save their children. Make it seemed that the elves wanted them dead.” The Prophet said again. “They will be crucial to your conquest of Bander.”
With that, the hooded figure disappeared and King Rinas found he was able to move again. He carried out the plan and it went smoothly except that they were unable to kill the youngest son, Tuster. Nevertheless he still has Vinon and Carlem and today onwards he was able to see if they can truly help him conquer Bander.
His thoughts were interrupted by a steward who informed him that it was time to say his speech. King Rinas stood up from his throne and walked up to the altar which held a scroll. This was his speech. He carefully unfolded the parchment and as he began to read he also kept an eye on a stern Vinon.
“From this day onwards, you young lads are now members of the Talestrial army. Fight bravely and valiantly for this fine state and protect your loved ones. Even as we speak, most of our countrymen are still fighting at the borders so that we can realize a dream, the world of Bander under Talestrial rule!” With that, the young trainees collectively gave a loud cheer.
He saw the look on the faces on Carlem and Vinon. Carlem was excited as she discussed the plans she had with a fellow trainee beside her. Vinon’s face was more determined. Rinas knew what was on his mind. Revenge. He wanted revenge for the elves for killing his family. Rinas smiled as he stepped down from the altar and returned to his room. He was eager to see how Vinon would perform on the battle frontline.
The Talestrial States led by King Rinas had begun waging wars on the western nations. Since then, King Rinas had only occupied the country-state of Vorska. The state of Vorska was swiftly conquered as their king, King Farquer believed that its small trained force of solider and impregnable fortress of Vorking was able to withstand the attack from the Talestrial army. King Farquer remarked on the first day of the invasion that the Talestrial States was made up of barbarians and was not trained to take on his solider. How wrong was he when his state of Vorska was occupied within a month and he fell at the hands of King Rinas himself.
Following Farquer’s demise, other neighboring states have banded together to resist Rinas. This alliance soon became known as the Desert Border Alliance and they managed to halt the advance of the Talestrial army. They did not underestimate King Rinas’ troops, unlike King Farquer. No one can afford to follow in Farquer’s footsteps. However, they believed they can defeat King Rinas and claimed its capital Talesgard if Vorska was a part of the Desert Border Alliance. However, the Number Knights were invaluable to King Rinas and they proved on many occasions that they can change the tide of the war. It was the Number Knights that ensured that Vorska remained under Talestrial rule. For the last month, a stalemate surfaced between the Talestrial States and the Desert Border Alliance.
On this evening, King Rinas sat on his throne, waiting for the ceremony to begin. This was a graduation ceremony that signified the solider trainees have come of age and was ready for the frontline battle. Rinas was exhausted from his recent battle with the Desert Border Alliance. Finskar was unsuccessful in his attack on Pesdrag while his reinforcements were not enough to break the walls of the capital of Mansfields, a state to the northwest of the Talestrial States and part of the Desert Border Alliance. This recent battle has forced his troops to abandon hopes of taking Presdrag. His men were tired from the long siege and he had to return. He knew these recruits will be sent to the frontline to fight after the ceremony so he cannot postpone the graduation ceremony. Besides there were two recruits he was particularly interested in.
Vinon and Carlem are the two children he had brought up. He had mostly monitored the training of these two children. The children of Touren and Iysedin, who had shamed the human and the elven race, had finally come of age. The vision given by The Prophet will soon be realized. It is now time to send them to the frontline.
He can still remember the day The Prophet can to him. On the day, he finally united the warring states and created the Talestrial States, The Prophet appeared in his room. He wore a dark robe and had a hood over his head. Rinas can only make out a shadowy face under the hood. He reached for his sword but he found that he was frozen in his place. A spell has been cast on him. He thought he was dead as he cannot even use his voice to call out to his guards. However, the robed figure only spoke a few words.
“I am The Prophet and you do well to listen to me, for only I help you realize your dream of conquering Bander.” The Prophet said in a low ghostly tone.
Rinas cannot move but he can sense great magical abilities from this being. He was scared but he can do nothing. His body cannot move at all and he cannot speak. But it seemed the being can read his mind.
“I will reveal to you the location of where the human prince, Touren and his family are and you will do well to follow my plan.” The Prophet said again.
The exiled prince, Touren was banished from the Banderlands along with his family after they found out he was having an affair with an elven princess. No one knows where they settled and no one has heard from them ever since.
“You will dispatch an army made up of rogue elves and humans and attack them and have one of your solider save their children. Make it seemed that the elves wanted them dead.” The Prophet said again. “They will be crucial to your conquest of Bander.”
With that, the hooded figure disappeared and King Rinas found he was able to move again. He carried out the plan and it went smoothly except that they were unable to kill the youngest son, Tuster. Nevertheless he still has Vinon and Carlem and today onwards he was able to see if they can truly help him conquer Bander.
His thoughts were interrupted by a steward who informed him that it was time to say his speech. King Rinas stood up from his throne and walked up to the altar which held a scroll. This was his speech. He carefully unfolded the parchment and as he began to read he also kept an eye on a stern Vinon.
“From this day onwards, you young lads are now members of the Talestrial army. Fight bravely and valiantly for this fine state and protect your loved ones. Even as we speak, most of our countrymen are still fighting at the borders so that we can realize a dream, the world of Bander under Talestrial rule!” With that, the young trainees collectively gave a loud cheer.
He saw the look on the faces on Carlem and Vinon. Carlem was excited as she discussed the plans she had with a fellow trainee beside her. Vinon’s face was more determined. Rinas knew what was on his mind. Revenge. He wanted revenge for the elves for killing his family. Rinas smiled as he stepped down from the altar and returned to his room. He was eager to see how Vinon would perform on the battle frontline.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
6/1 Assault on Helms Valley
Further to the west of their locations, Vinon and Carlem were very well alive and they are on their way to Talesgard, the capital of the Talestrial States. Finskar Caldon explained everything to them, about the Talestrial States learning of a plot to wipe out their family. Their family was banished from the Reachlands and the Banderlands when Prince Touren of the Banderlands and Princess Iysedin of the elven race fell in love with each other. They chose to exile their different states than be separated from each other. They journeyed and eventually settled in Helms Valley. Now, according to Finskar, The Reachlands and the Banderlands have joined forces to destroy their family and their shame. It was the Talestrial States that learnt of their plot that they decided to intervene and save them. However, Finskar was too late to save their parents and their brother, Tuster.
Vinon and Carlem were speechless when they learnt of this. They were saddened by their parents’ death and shocked to learn that their grandparents want them dead. Carlem broke down and cried. Vinon just clutched the wooden sword his father had passed him during the fight. Vinon swore vengeance and vowed to destroy the Reachlands and the Banderlands one day.
There was still a long way to go before they can reach Talesgard so Finskar gave them a brief history of The Talestrial States. The Talestrial States were initially a number of warring states that were constantly at war. They fought each other for the control of land for many years without a clear ruler. However, recently a warlord, now known as King Rinas Talestrial, defeated the rest of the warring states and established the kingdom of Talestrial, better known as the Talestrial States and founded its capital Talesgard ten years ago.
Finskar added that King Rinas also founded the Number Knights. This was a group of distinguished generals of the Talestrial States that the king has recognized. The Number knights are the highest honour in the Talestrial States and each general commanded great armies of their own. Finskar added that with enough training, Vinon and Carlem could become one of the famed generals. He himself was the fifth commander of the Talestrial States.
As he finished talking, the city of Talesgard came into view. It was a majestic city with high walls and massive towers. The towers went about fifty feet tall and at the top flew the flag of the Talestrial States, two crossed swords on a black shield with wings. The two swords and shield matched the fighting capabilities of the kingdom while the wings represent freedom for all races. There were about thirty towers or more, Vinon counted. Beyond the tower is a castle fitting for all kings. Its roofs were made of gold and the castle spanned almost a hundred feet in the air. Small openings were lined on both sides of the towers which Vinon guessed they were crossbow hatches. A high wall blocked the view of the castle’s entrance and on it stood countless catapults. It was simply an unbreakable fortress.
As they passed through an iron gate that rose at Finskar’s command, Vinon and Carlem stared in awe at everything. It was the first time they had seen such magnificent structure and their eyes were wide with astonishment. Finskars just gave them a smile and said something that made Vinon and Carlem feel welcomed.
“Welcome to your new home,” Finskar said.
Vinon and Carlem were speechless when they learnt of this. They were saddened by their parents’ death and shocked to learn that their grandparents want them dead. Carlem broke down and cried. Vinon just clutched the wooden sword his father had passed him during the fight. Vinon swore vengeance and vowed to destroy the Reachlands and the Banderlands one day.
There was still a long way to go before they can reach Talesgard so Finskar gave them a brief history of The Talestrial States. The Talestrial States were initially a number of warring states that were constantly at war. They fought each other for the control of land for many years without a clear ruler. However, recently a warlord, now known as King Rinas Talestrial, defeated the rest of the warring states and established the kingdom of Talestrial, better known as the Talestrial States and founded its capital Talesgard ten years ago.
Finskar added that King Rinas also founded the Number Knights. This was a group of distinguished generals of the Talestrial States that the king has recognized. The Number knights are the highest honour in the Talestrial States and each general commanded great armies of their own. Finskar added that with enough training, Vinon and Carlem could become one of the famed generals. He himself was the fifth commander of the Talestrial States.
As he finished talking, the city of Talesgard came into view. It was a majestic city with high walls and massive towers. The towers went about fifty feet tall and at the top flew the flag of the Talestrial States, two crossed swords on a black shield with wings. The two swords and shield matched the fighting capabilities of the kingdom while the wings represent freedom for all races. There were about thirty towers or more, Vinon counted. Beyond the tower is a castle fitting for all kings. Its roofs were made of gold and the castle spanned almost a hundred feet in the air. Small openings were lined on both sides of the towers which Vinon guessed they were crossbow hatches. A high wall blocked the view of the castle’s entrance and on it stood countless catapults. It was simply an unbreakable fortress.
As they passed through an iron gate that rose at Finskar’s command, Vinon and Carlem stared in awe at everything. It was the first time they had seen such magnificent structure and their eyes were wide with astonishment. Finskars just gave them a smile and said something that made Vinon and Carlem feel welcomed.
“Welcome to your new home,” Finskar said.
5/1 Assault on Helms Valley
Baldarov unsheathed his sword immediately and moved one step forward and at the same time spin round to face his adversary. The shaking of the long grasses confirmed the presence of a watchful predator, distracted by the smell of fresh blood and the crying Tuster. Baldarov never thought he had to use his sword again so soon. It was still wet from the blood of the enemy he had fought back at the hut.
It was not long before Baldarov’s fears were confirmed. From the trees emerged a beast that was a common sight in these areas. This was the Utisger, a large carnivorous mammal. Usually fully-grown Utisgers like this one are rare and hard to find, as they seldom reach adulthood due to the fact that Utisgers hunt their own kind too. This particular one has a broken horn on its head that suggested it must have been broken during a fight with another Utisger. Its grey hide also had scars from many battles with other Utisgers too. However, its claws were still present, despite many of them being blunt due to constant usage. This Utisger is an old and experienced fighter and the strong scent of blood from Baldarov’s wounds and Tuster’s crying have drawn the creature towards them.
Baldarov knew he had very bad luck, running into a fully-grown Utisger at this time. But he knew he had to protect Tuster and he will fight to his last breath to protect the child even if he has to.
The Utisger spotted Badarov’s sword and took a step back. Baldarov knew the beast have met someone using a sword before so the encounter must have caused some injuries to it before. Hopefully, it can scare the beast off.
The Utisger eyed Baldarov’s blade with utmost caution. It suddenly bended its hind legs back and its body lowered. Its going to attack, screamed Baldarov’s head. Baldarov without hesitation rolled to his right, just as the beast’s jaws snapped shut at where Baldarov’s had was a minute ago. The sudden motion startled Tuster and he started crying.
No point in running or hiding anymore, thought Baldarov. The beast will hunt them down like prey. Baldarov tried to look for a weak spot on the Utisger but it was still quite dark despite the moonlight. Hopefully, the Utisger will be blinded by the darkness too.
No, wait, Ultisger use their sense of smell to hunt, Baldarov thought again. The Utisger lunged at him again. Baldarov tried to roll but his footing slipped under the slippery rock and he felled, with the Ultisger almost on him. Baldarov tried to roll to his side so he would not crash Tuster when he land. However, his head caught the side of a boulder and a sharp pain went through his mind, disrupting his thoughts. He managed to avoid the Ultisger somehow and he leaped to his feet again, sword risen and launched a forward thrust at the Ultisger’s eye. His blade caught something which Baldarov believed to be the Utisger’s eye and he heard the beast growled in pain. He leaped back as the Ultisger swung its claws wildly in an attempt to catch him.
Baldarov eyed the beast and smiled to himself. One more critical hit and it will go away, he thought. A trickle of blood went into his eyes. His head was bleeding from the knock on the boulder. This next round will determine who will survive. The Utisger next attack was sudden but it was wild and not aimed properly timed. Clearly, it was affected by the thrust Baldarov made earlier. Nevertheless, Baldarov sidestepped that attack easier and chopped off one of the paws of the Ultisger. The Ultisger screamed in agony and limped back into the forest, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
After using more torn-up-clothes as bandages, Baldarov and Tuster waited for dawn to arrive at the edge of a clearing before making their way towards the nearest town, Resport.
Resport was a small town near the border of the Reachlands. Resport was founded by a merchant by the name of Res. He was the first person to started trading with the states to the east of the Elken Seas. However, monsters from Ulseeker’s Woods, disturbed by the cities’ citizens who tried to expand the city, soon attacked the town. Before long, the merchants fled, leaving the city inhabited. However, Resport soon became a home for bandits, rogues and homeless people. Without a person to lead them, stealing in the city became common and Resport became a city of thieves where only the most heartless, cruel and evil of people could survive.
Baldarov knew this was the only place he can find refuge from any people that tried to kidnap Tuster. He feared that Tuster may be the only heir to the Touren and Iysedin. Vinon and Carlem could be dead by now. Or they could be on their way to being sold as slaves. There were so many things unknown to him. Who were the people that attacked them? Could it be spies from the Banderland or Reachlands, sending their soldiers to attack them and kill of their families? How did they know that the prince of Banderlands and the princess of the elves are staying in Helms Valley? For now, these questions remained unanswered. The only thing on his mind should be to find a place where he can hide from his pursuers. Revenge and finding out the truth was to wait.
Baldarov checked up on Tuster. The boy was still sleeping. He must have cried himself to sleep. The whole thing had changed his whole life altogether. Just a few hours ago, this boy had a family and within a short time, everything was gone. He felt sad for the boy but he knew he had to protect him and bring him up so that the heir to the Banderlands will live on.
As Baldarov moved closer to closer to the city, he saw the white stones of the walls encircling the city. Resport was not a very large city, maybe the outer walls going about a mile or two encircling the city. There were buildings on either side of the two main roads which ran straight from the north gate to the south gate. The buildings encircled by these two roads housed more dangerous bunch of people of the city and was mostly avoided by the others. The homeless people which made up the majority of the city was scattered all over the rest of the place. Some made their homes along the streets, either begging for money or waiting for someone unwary to snatch their pockets. Those luckier ones found a piece of canvas to put over their heads as some form of shelter.
Baldarov knew he could blend into the people here in Resport. The Ultisger fight had made him looked ragged with torn clothes and a bleeding arm, even worse than some beggers along the streets. As he entered, a couple of early-waking beggers tried approaching him, but upon seeing his ragged state and the sword at his side, they decided to give him a miss.
Baldarov searched the city and found a spot that was unguarded by its habitant. Its occupant was not around so Baldarov lay Tuster down. His arm had gone numb after holding Tuster since they left Ulseeker’s Woods. He moved his shoulder a little and tried getting some blood flowing again. He was tired and more in need of food than sleep. So he hugged Tuster and lay on the mat under the canvas and drifted off to sleep.
It was not long before Baldarov’s fears were confirmed. From the trees emerged a beast that was a common sight in these areas. This was the Utisger, a large carnivorous mammal. Usually fully-grown Utisgers like this one are rare and hard to find, as they seldom reach adulthood due to the fact that Utisgers hunt their own kind too. This particular one has a broken horn on its head that suggested it must have been broken during a fight with another Utisger. Its grey hide also had scars from many battles with other Utisgers too. However, its claws were still present, despite many of them being blunt due to constant usage. This Utisger is an old and experienced fighter and the strong scent of blood from Baldarov’s wounds and Tuster’s crying have drawn the creature towards them.
Baldarov knew he had very bad luck, running into a fully-grown Utisger at this time. But he knew he had to protect Tuster and he will fight to his last breath to protect the child even if he has to.
The Utisger spotted Badarov’s sword and took a step back. Baldarov knew the beast have met someone using a sword before so the encounter must have caused some injuries to it before. Hopefully, it can scare the beast off.
The Utisger eyed Baldarov’s blade with utmost caution. It suddenly bended its hind legs back and its body lowered. Its going to attack, screamed Baldarov’s head. Baldarov without hesitation rolled to his right, just as the beast’s jaws snapped shut at where Baldarov’s had was a minute ago. The sudden motion startled Tuster and he started crying.
No point in running or hiding anymore, thought Baldarov. The beast will hunt them down like prey. Baldarov tried to look for a weak spot on the Utisger but it was still quite dark despite the moonlight. Hopefully, the Utisger will be blinded by the darkness too.
No, wait, Ultisger use their sense of smell to hunt, Baldarov thought again. The Utisger lunged at him again. Baldarov tried to roll but his footing slipped under the slippery rock and he felled, with the Ultisger almost on him. Baldarov tried to roll to his side so he would not crash Tuster when he land. However, his head caught the side of a boulder and a sharp pain went through his mind, disrupting his thoughts. He managed to avoid the Ultisger somehow and he leaped to his feet again, sword risen and launched a forward thrust at the Ultisger’s eye. His blade caught something which Baldarov believed to be the Utisger’s eye and he heard the beast growled in pain. He leaped back as the Ultisger swung its claws wildly in an attempt to catch him.
Baldarov eyed the beast and smiled to himself. One more critical hit and it will go away, he thought. A trickle of blood went into his eyes. His head was bleeding from the knock on the boulder. This next round will determine who will survive. The Utisger next attack was sudden but it was wild and not aimed properly timed. Clearly, it was affected by the thrust Baldarov made earlier. Nevertheless, Baldarov sidestepped that attack easier and chopped off one of the paws of the Ultisger. The Ultisger screamed in agony and limped back into the forest, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
After using more torn-up-clothes as bandages, Baldarov and Tuster waited for dawn to arrive at the edge of a clearing before making their way towards the nearest town, Resport.
Resport was a small town near the border of the Reachlands. Resport was founded by a merchant by the name of Res. He was the first person to started trading with the states to the east of the Elken Seas. However, monsters from Ulseeker’s Woods, disturbed by the cities’ citizens who tried to expand the city, soon attacked the town. Before long, the merchants fled, leaving the city inhabited. However, Resport soon became a home for bandits, rogues and homeless people. Without a person to lead them, stealing in the city became common and Resport became a city of thieves where only the most heartless, cruel and evil of people could survive.
Baldarov knew this was the only place he can find refuge from any people that tried to kidnap Tuster. He feared that Tuster may be the only heir to the Touren and Iysedin. Vinon and Carlem could be dead by now. Or they could be on their way to being sold as slaves. There were so many things unknown to him. Who were the people that attacked them? Could it be spies from the Banderland or Reachlands, sending their soldiers to attack them and kill of their families? How did they know that the prince of Banderlands and the princess of the elves are staying in Helms Valley? For now, these questions remained unanswered. The only thing on his mind should be to find a place where he can hide from his pursuers. Revenge and finding out the truth was to wait.
Baldarov checked up on Tuster. The boy was still sleeping. He must have cried himself to sleep. The whole thing had changed his whole life altogether. Just a few hours ago, this boy had a family and within a short time, everything was gone. He felt sad for the boy but he knew he had to protect him and bring him up so that the heir to the Banderlands will live on.
As Baldarov moved closer to closer to the city, he saw the white stones of the walls encircling the city. Resport was not a very large city, maybe the outer walls going about a mile or two encircling the city. There were buildings on either side of the two main roads which ran straight from the north gate to the south gate. The buildings encircled by these two roads housed more dangerous bunch of people of the city and was mostly avoided by the others. The homeless people which made up the majority of the city was scattered all over the rest of the place. Some made their homes along the streets, either begging for money or waiting for someone unwary to snatch their pockets. Those luckier ones found a piece of canvas to put over their heads as some form of shelter.
Baldarov knew he could blend into the people here in Resport. The Ultisger fight had made him looked ragged with torn clothes and a bleeding arm, even worse than some beggers along the streets. As he entered, a couple of early-waking beggers tried approaching him, but upon seeing his ragged state and the sword at his side, they decided to give him a miss.
Baldarov searched the city and found a spot that was unguarded by its habitant. Its occupant was not around so Baldarov lay Tuster down. His arm had gone numb after holding Tuster since they left Ulseeker’s Woods. He moved his shoulder a little and tried getting some blood flowing again. He was tired and more in need of food than sleep. So he hugged Tuster and lay on the mat under the canvas and drifted off to sleep.
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