This is a story of fantasy. There are knights and strange creatures and dragons. Anyone who's ready my earlier stories might recognize some of this story.
Enjoy!
######
Alex of Tervarthen, second son of the Duke of Tervarthen, handed in the completed form to the smiling recruitment clerk and felt a faint chill run down his spine, as if his body knew something horribly irreversible had happened.
├óÔé¼┼ôWelcome to the Army.├óÔé¼┬Ø The recruitment clerk clasped his fist to his right hand to his heart and bowed slightly. Alex bowed back. ├óÔé¼┼ôEnjoy your service. Head into the physical examiners office. If you pass, you'll be in the army.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Alex walked through the door to the physical office, where a Priest would poke him over, make sure he wasn't impure or weak or something, prepared to face his band new life.
###
Really, Alex hadn't wanted to sign up. His brother, Jordan, had died fighting a dragon for his Knighthood. Apparently, it had been raining. The powder had been wet, had failed to ignite and the dragon had flamed Jordan's hand. With a burned hand, Jordan had retreated and the dragon had jumped on his back. With a single bite through his neck, Jordan's name had gone up on the Wall of Heroes.
And so, Alex's father had come to Alex's room in one day with a bag crammed with clothes, pen, parchment, and a single flint pistol with enough cartridges and bullets to be fire five times.
├óÔé¼┼ôHere,├óÔé¼┬Ø The Duke of Tervarthen plopped the bag on Alex's bed. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're leaving.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex stuck his head out from around the painting he was half done with. He paused, shook his head, and said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat├óÔé¼┬Ø again.
├óÔé¼┼ôJordan's dead.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Alex gaped, feeling tears prick at his eyes. Jordan...dead?
├óÔé¼┼ôSo, you're going to fight for your Knighthood.├óÔé¼┬Ø The Duke of Tervarthen nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôI've packed you gear already, and-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWait,├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex dubbed his paintbrush on his easel, his body going through the motions of painting to distract itself. He painted a big red smear across his landscape, turning the verdant hills of Tervarthen into a blood smear of red paint. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm not going to be a knight, I want to be a-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYes.├óÔé¼┬Ø The Duke of Tervarthen grabbed the painting and threw it aside. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou will.├óÔé¼┬Ø
###
In the end, killing a dragon was easy. Alex walked up to the cave and tossed a rock down it. The dragon, a small, squirming, maggot like worm with four wings and two claws, crawled out of the cave, clattering and growling. Smoke spurted from it's circular mouth, and it hissed at him.
Alex aimed his flint pistol. There was a loud fizz, bang, and the air filled with smoke.
When the smoke cleared, leaving Alex coughing and wheezing, the dragon lay dead on the ground.
Alex supposed that the main advantage he had had over his brother was he hadn't attacked a dragon in the middle of a rain storm.
###
The Priest, a tall, slim man with a prim face and a slightly upturned nose that looked like it should have been on a girl rather than a man, knocked a small mallet against Alex's knee. His knee jerked and the Priest nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôExcellent reflexes.├óÔé¼┬Ø The Priest reached into his robes, putting the mallet away. He paused, his hand going to another pocket. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow...for the Spiritual test.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The Priest flung his hand out and a cloud of white dust smacked into Alex's face. His eyes teared up and he clapped his hands over his face, yelping.
├óÔé¼┼ôGods!├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the HELL did you do that for!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHave you ever committed the crime of Sodomy?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex looked at the Priest, blinking as more and more tears rolled down his cheeks.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnswer the question!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo!├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex daubed at his eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôOw.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAre you a homosexual?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHave you ever committed the crime of sex out of wedlock?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo!├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôHave you ever committed the crime of sex with a lesser race?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôNo.├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex used his shirt to wipe his eyes clean. His nose felt like it was jammed full of tissue paper, however. He sniffled.
├óÔé¼┼ôAre you a virgin.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôN- Yes!├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex snapped his fingers at the Priest. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou almost got me, you bas-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôCongratulations, you are fit to join the Army as a Knight Errant.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Alex blinked again, standing. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd what...why the powder?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOh, it's truth powder.├óÔé¼┬Ø The Priest nodded.
├óÔé¼┼ôTruth...powder?├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex blinked, slowly.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes.├óÔé¼┬Ø The Priest put his hands together, looking very solemn and 'priestly'
├óÔé¼┼ôAll right...├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex slowly backed away from the Priest, heading towards the door. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhere now?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôYou will be conducted to a training camp in the Wastes. Once you are done, you will be shipped out to fight the Silverbacks. Enjoy your service.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Alex nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôOkay...when am I being conducted?├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôRight now, buddy.├óÔé¼┬Ø A rather intimidating voice said, rumbling from behind. A hand clamped down on Alex's shoulder. He turned around, gulping. A large man in Imperial gray grinned down at him.
Alex grinned nervously back.
###
├óÔé¼┼ôCome on, maggots, ten more! Ten more! Is that all you've got in you, you fags!├óÔé¼┬Ø
The recruits did another push up, slowly. The winds and sand and dust and sun of the Waste beat down on them, causing sweat to dribble down their arms and drip out of their hair. Alex gasped for air as he did his fiftieth push up. Ten more...they had said do ten more a few minuets ago.
The Trainers walked up and down the rank and file. They held batons, and when someone shirked, they smacked.
├óÔé¼┼ôWho are you!├óÔé¼┬Ø One of them shouted.
├óÔé¼┼ôMaggots.├óÔé¼┬Ø The rank and file shouted back, Alex among them.
├óÔé¼┼ôAnd that's sixty push ups!├óÔé¼┬Ø The head Trainer, Sullivan, nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôAdequate, Maggots...not good. Water!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Several pages, young boys with funny hair cuts and a overly earnest demeanor, ran out with water troughs. A month ago, the rank and file would have crowded the water in a big mob and the Trainers would have laid about themselves with their batons. Now, they got in line. Alex was lucky, he got a spot near the front. He drank and single gulp, cupping his hands to bring the precious water to his mouth. He hurriedly moved on, though his mouth screamed for more.
But no. Anyone who drank too much water spent a week in the box. Same for those who ate too much, those who lost their armor, those who broke their weapons, those who fired too soon in drills.
Alex had spent a week in the box when his flint had gone off a full second before the Trainer shouted, ├óÔé¼┼ôFire!├óÔé¼┬Ø
The box...Alex shook his head, thinking about it as the water line slowly moved forward. Getting your throat torn out by a dragon...at least it was quicker then dying in the box.
Though, Alex had to admit, no one he knew had actually died in the box...but there were so many stories about it around the Waste.
He shook his head, looking around the Waste. A orderly collection of tents seemed incredibly insignificant against the blasted desert of the Waste. Orangeish yellow sand blew, pushed along by the constant wind that blew through the Waste endlessly. Massive, warped rock formations stood every where, warped and twisted. At night, green lights danced around the spires, Ghost lights. Alex didn't know what caused them, but he guessed it had something to do with the Source.
Alex hated the Waste. He hated it more than he had hated anything.
├óÔé¼┼ôLife sucks.├óÔé¼┬Ø A swarthy fellow from the east of the Empire said. Johnny, that was his name.
├óÔé¼┼ôYeah.├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex said as the Trainers started to corral the rank and file into a semblance of order. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt does, doesn't it?├óÔé¼┬Ø
###
├óÔé¼┼ôToday will be our first fight.├óÔé¼┬Ø Sullivan said, walking up and down the front of the regiment. A month ago, they had been doing pushups. Alex wondered where the time went.
"You are to combat another regiment from Camp Two. You will be using artificial bullets, provided by the League of the Source. The bullets will not kill. However, they will knock a man out for six hours and hurt like a son of a bitch before doing it. Anyone who is killed will have latrine duty.├óÔé¼┬Ø He stopped his marching, turning to face the Regiment.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou are too follow the orders of your Knight...├óÔé¼┬Ø He grins. ├óÔé¼┼ôSergent.├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex wouldn't have minded the sarcasm he had loaded onto the word, except that he was one of the faux Sergents.
He had killed a bandit that had surprised them on one the long marches that the Army kept running. The bandits were panicked, disordered, and mostly slain by the Trainer. But one had fallen into the recruits, brandishing a flint pistol. He had been close to Alex, so Alex had jumped him, grabbed his wrist, snapped it around and turned the flint pistol on the bandit.
The blood had been very red, and the wound very large. Alex had stayed in shock the rest of the day, even as the Trainers complimented him. That, Alex reflected, was a bit like having the Gods come down and say, ├óÔé¼┼ôNice work, buddy.├óÔé¼┬Ø
So, now, he stood amongst five Knight Errants, holding a flint rifle with the powder and bullet in and the primer pulled back, and tried to think of how he'd not die in the next hour.
A whistle blew and he nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôAll right boys,├óÔé¼┬Ø He gulped, trying to clear up his dry throat. ├óÔé¼┼ôLets move o-out.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The Knight Errants around him nodded and started to run forward. Alex went a bit faster, sure to lead from the front. A sudden line of smoke and fire opened up from the top of a plateau. Bullets kicked up dust around Alex's squad and the squads around him. He dropped down and saw the men from Camp 2 break formation.
├óÔé¼┼ôReturn fire!├óÔé¼┬Ø He shouted, pointing at the ambushers. ├óÔé¼┼ôJohnny and Kalvin, hold fire!├óÔé¼┬Ø
The two Knight Errants in question held their fire, looking frustrated. The three remaining Knights opened fire, along with several other squads. A few men from Camp 2 fell, collapsing into the dust. A vicious slap of wind brushed through Waste, clearing more smoke. Sullivan bawled orders.
├óÔé¼┼ôTroops, form a defensive blockade here!├óÔé¼┬Ø He thrust his sword at a strong point. Alex saw the strong point and, amazingly, he could see why. There was cover, there was a good field of fire and it had the high ground.
He shouted to his troops. ├óÔé¼┼ôCome on!├óÔé¼┬Ø He ran forward. Knight Errant Albert fell, a bullet smacking into his chest. No blood splattered, but the meaty thunk of bullet on flesh sounded the same. Albert fell bonelessly, his dust caked face filled with pain. He hit the ground and Knight Errant Kalvin plucked his flint up as Johnny dragged the 'dead' Albert with them. They reached the strong point at the same time various other squads did.
├óÔé¼┼ôLife sucks, eh?├óÔé¼┬Ø Johnny said, shaking his head.
Alex propped his flint up as more men from Camp 2 rushed forward, yelling their battle cries. He waited for the firing command.
And waited. The Camp 2 men got closer. Alex glanced at Sullivan...and the Knight Commander lay on the ground, ├óÔé¼┼ôdead├óÔé¼┬Ø. Alex felt his bowls clench. Sullivan wasn't supposed to get hit, even if it was by a fake bullet.
├óÔé¼┼ôF-FIRE!├óÔé¼┬Ø He shouted, his voice growing in strength. ├óÔé¼┼ôFIRE!├óÔé¼┬Ø
He squeezed the trigger. So did everyone else on the line. Bullets tore into the Camp 2 men. They fell and dove for cover. ├óÔé¼┼ôScattered fire!├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôKeep up the line!├óÔé¼┬Ø
The other Knight Sergents bawled the orders again, ordering their squads to act tactically. ├óÔé¼┼ôKnight Errant Johnny, you are in command of this Squad.├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex said, his heart thudding. If he screwed up, everyone would hate him.
But if he did nothing, they would sit here and be slaughtered. Alex walked over to Sullivan and grabbed his sword from his unconscious hands.
├óÔé¼┼ôMen!├óÔé¼┬Ø He shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôI need two squads to sally forth. The rest of the squads will hold this position as a strong point!├óÔé¼┬Ø
The soldiers looked at him, a few still firing to keep the enemy's heads down.
├óÔé¼┼ôUh...Alex,├óÔé¼┬Ø Knight Sergent Joa said. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're not in-├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôI am now.├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex said, forcing his voice to hold none of the fear that coursed through him. A bullet cracked through the air near his head. The smoke and flash from the flint that had fired it gave away the position of the sniper. The soldiers of Camp 1 returned fire and the sniper fell.
├óÔé¼┼ôTwo Squads! Now!├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex tried to put the bark that the Trainers had into his voice.
This is crazy, he thought to himself. You are going to get yourself in trouble.
Knight Sergent Joa and Kevin stepped forward, their squads behind them. Alex nodded. ├óÔé¼┼ôGood.├óÔé¼┬Ø He stepped down and leaned close to the two Sergents. ├óÔé¼┼ôAll right,├óÔé¼┬Ø he said. ├óÔé¼┼ôGo around the edge of the battle...keep your head down and, under no circumstances, do not open fire untill you hear the battle cry 'For the Emperor.' Once you are in position-├óÔé¼┬Ø He points at a small hillock near the main push of the Camp 2 forces. ├óÔé¼┼ôGot it?├óÔé¼┬Ø
The two Sergents nodded and moved out.
├óÔé¼┼ôNow, we must hold this line. Let lose as much fire as you can into the main forces.├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex said to his men.
├óÔé¼┼ôFlank!├óÔé¼┬Ø Someone shouted. A bullet twanged off the ground near Alex.
├óÔé¼┼ôCharge the flanks!├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex shouted, inwardly cheering. A flank attack meant, he hoped, the main push of the force was weaker. ├óÔé¼┼ôFor the Emperor!├óÔé¼┬Ø
He heard a sudden burst of fire to the right of the battle. Shouts of surprise from the Camp 2 attackers. He brandished Sullivan's sword and charged at the flank attackers, pulling his flint pistol. He fired it, smoke filling the air around him.
The enemy commander lead this assault. He was a trainer, scruffy and mean looking. He looked surprised to see a recruit leading the Camp 1 forces.
Alex charged him. The enemy commander wasn't so surprised that he didn't bring his flint pistol up and fire it.
It hurt worse than anything Alex had ever thought something would hurt.
He fell on his back and the world faded, too slowly. He welcomed unconsciousness, as it ended the horrible pain that ran through his body.
###
├óÔé¼┼ôGods...damn...├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex groaned, startling the nurse. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat...hurts.├óÔé¼┬Ø
He opened his eyes and was shocked to see his nurse was...a girl. She was a bit fat, but still attractive in her own way, and after the training in Waste, Alex expected that he'd be attracted.
Instead, he groaned. ├óÔé¼┼ôWater...please.├óÔé¼┬Ø
The nurse nodded and pressed a cup of water into his hand. He drank it down and felt more human.
├óÔé¼┼ôIs he awake?├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex sat up and saluted as best he could without getting out of bed, as his legs didn't work. Pain shot through his chest.
Sullivan walked into the room, looking haggered and the worse for the wear. ├óÔé¼┼ôGods damn,├óÔé¼┬Ø He said, shaking his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou are one magnificent bastard.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôReally?├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex asked, trying to stay at attention in bed. ├óÔé¼┼ôThank you sir.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôAt ease.├óÔé¼┬Ø Sullivan grinned wide. ├óÔé¼┼ôGods damn...├óÔé¼┬Ø He shakes his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôGods damn.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôDamn who? And why?├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex asked, shaking his head. He felt odd, talking to a Trainer like he was a person and not a God on Earth.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou.├óÔé¼┬Ø Sullivan grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou took command and lost the battle...but only by so much.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWe lost?
├óÔé¼┼ôYes.├óÔé¼┬Ø Sullivan nods, frowning. ├óÔé¼┼ôUnfortunately, Camp 2 had an actual commander who knew better than to charge right into a flank attack. You getting shot sort of broke up the command structure of your platoon-├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex's brow furrowed. Wasn't it a regiment? Oh well. ├óÔé¼┼ô-And the Camp 2 bastards shot your men dead.├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, they weren't really...my men.├óÔé¼┬Ø Alex said, looking abashed.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes. They were.├óÔé¼┬Ø Sullivan claps his hand on Alex's shoulder. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou've earned a weeks leave, Alex. Enjoy it.├óÔé¼┬Ø
Alex blinked. He hated being a soldier, and hated battle, even the fake one he had been thrust into. And now he was being commended for giving some half understood orders.
Alex sighed and laid back down, his chest complain. A weeks leave...but, after a few minuets of quiring the nurse, he found that the after effects of the bullet would take a week to wear off completely.
A weeks leave with chest pains. ├óÔé¼┼ôLife sucks.├óÔé¼┬Ø He muttered.
Gunpowder Knight
Moderator: Moderators
Gunpowder Knight
Last edited by Zoombie on 13 Nov 2007, 18:51, edited 1 time in total.
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[XIII]Roxas
- Posts: 182
- Joined: 20 Jun 2007, 23:44
A very interesting story. You need a proof reader though. 
Will there a be a continuation of this?
I pictured this taking place in some sort of desert area. It'd be neat to get s description of some of the equipment the soldiers use like their guns and uniforms. It seems like they don't use regular flintlock pistols, since they seemed to have a rather high rate of fire. The world could use some development. I'd really like to read the next chapter.
Is your main character based on or inspired by anyone?
Will there a be a continuation of this?
I pictured this taking place in some sort of desert area. It'd be neat to get s description of some of the equipment the soldiers use like their guns and uniforms. It seems like they don't use regular flintlock pistols, since they seemed to have a rather high rate of fire. The world could use some development. I'd really like to read the next chapter.
Is your main character based on or inspired by anyone?
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Foxomaniac
- Posts: 691
- Joined: 18 Jan 2006, 16:59
.You are right, I do need a proofreader.
Anyone want to volunteer?
As a note to Shoe: Of course the world needs development. It's the first 7 pages. If you knew the whole history, genealogy and background of every single facet of the Empire and lands beyond, then the first 7 pages would be boring as all hell.
And Fox, I've had many stories without evil aliens:
Rings: Ringworlds and magic
ZET: Zombies and bad spelling
It's the End of the World as We Know It: FPS post-apocalyptic action.
Waste: Another post-apocalyptic thing.
Rose: Knights and racism.
Hunters: Vampires and werewolves and zombies, oh my.
E.L.F: Only one kind of alien was evil in that. The rest were just wacky.
Stories with evil aliens:
Darkside
Darkside: Extermination
Darkside: Extinction
Homecoming.
See?
Anyone want to volunteer?
As a note to Shoe: Of course the world needs development. It's the first 7 pages. If you knew the whole history, genealogy and background of every single facet of the Empire and lands beyond, then the first 7 pages would be boring as all hell.
And Fox, I've had many stories without evil aliens:
Rings: Ringworlds and magic
ZET: Zombies and bad spelling
It's the End of the World as We Know It: FPS post-apocalyptic action.
Waste: Another post-apocalyptic thing.
Rose: Knights and racism.
Hunters: Vampires and werewolves and zombies, oh my.
E.L.F: Only one kind of alien was evil in that. The rest were just wacky.
Stories with evil aliens:
Darkside
Darkside: Extermination
Darkside: Extinction
Homecoming.
See?
-
Guessmyname
- Posts: 3301
- Joined: 28 Apr 2005, 21:07
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SwiftSpear
- Classic Community Lead
- Posts: 7287
- Joined: 12 Aug 2005, 09:29
Er. yeah, if you wanna work of steam about Smoth, make a different thread about it.
Here, the discussion is limited to:
Me
How awesome I am
How I suck
And any predictions on what will happen next. If you are right, I won't tell you. If you are wrong...I won't tell you. But if you were right, you have the right to go: "Aha! I knew it!"
Here, the discussion is limited to:
Me
How awesome I am
How I suck
And any predictions on what will happen next. If you are right, I won't tell you. If you are wrong...I won't tell you. But if you were right, you have the right to go: "Aha! I knew it!"