NationStates Jolt Archive

(OOC: For now, this is closed to Me and Damirez, but we may or may not open it up later.)

During the wars, the two nations fought each other, and neither managed to gain the upper hand militarily. All the wars had been like this. But every so often, a non military victory was scored by either side. Usually, the victory was small, but one of the more recent wars had produced a good catch for the Silandran side.

This time, it wasn’t a prized artefact, or a noble. It was a slave. One that had escaped, and knew all too well about what the Ligbrynians were up to.

So, on the island of Darksan, a wretched figure was running. He hadn’t had a nice life. It was one composed of dark rooms, evil grins and horrible pain. But he had seen much. And his legs were carrying him as fast as they possibly could, as he ran south to the place where he could tell of the practises of the Ligbrynians.

Following him were five Ligbrynian soldiers. They ran though the undergrowth and attempted catch the escapee between a border guard and themselves. They weren’t about to let him leave easily.

And so, the poor man was set up. He knew that he’d rather die than get back into the clutches of his former masters. And as his lungs began to fail him, the deep gorges that dotted this area looked ever more tempting. But still he ran. The food he had stolen on his way had meant he would manage to evade for longer than most.

He could hear the shouts of the soldiers behind him, but then he caught a glimpse of soldiers coming the other way. They were playing with him. So, he turned right, and continued to run. He was close to the border. If he could get over it, the humans of the south would protect him. He knew they would.

And as his hips began to feel like stab wounds, he stopped at the top of a waterfall. The water that it carried made its way to Silandran territory. Then he would be safe. Then he would be able to show his wounds. Then he could tell of the things he had seen. Then he could get back at his former masters. The only problem was that it was a fifty feet drop to freedom. He contemplated finding another way, when suddenly his pursuers emerged from the woods. He would never forget the face of the leader, its evil grin, and the words that came out of its mouth:

“We’ve got you, meat. Welcome back to Hell”

He glanced at the drop, and back at the advancing troops. One held a whip, and the expression told him that he would stop him from jumping to a quick death. Things seemed futile, and his heart sank. He looked up to the sky, and uttered a short prayer, for something, anything, to save him.

The soldiers were worried. It was not often that they had to wander across enemy lines like this. A random patrol mission transformed into something else, just because one of their paladins wanted to know more about the enemy encampments. A dangerous and unbecoming mission for one of his status.

“My lord,” one of the soldiers started, “ It does not do well for you to put your life at risk. Let us retrieve the information you need, we have done so before.”

“Nonsense,” the paladin replied, an amused glint in his eyes, “I am a paladin of Silandra, what good will it do to me to stay copped up in the camp like a coward and wait for the enemy to come at me?”

“But sire, this is not wise, what if we encounter enemy troops!” the soldier tried again to convince the paladin of his folly.

“If we encounter them then we will fight and win, that’s all there is to it,” came the quick, clear answer.

“But sire! They would most likely outnumbers us heavily, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Then we run, I trust your legs are well rested?”

“Sire…”

And on and off it went between the paladin and his escort. The soldiers tried hard to convince the paladin to turn around and leave the mission to them, but alas as stubborn as they were they weren’t as stubborn as the paladin.

Slowly the argument died out as they kept silence, avoiding detection by unwanted ears. But alas fortune favoured the unwilling scouts as they did not encounter any lizards in their mission. The paladin was disappointed but the men were relieved, they had no qualms about fighting lizards, but they were worried about the young paladin at their side.

It was just as they returned to Silandrian territory that something caught their attention.

“We’ve got you, meat. Welcome back to Hell”

They instantly knew what it was, the tongue of the lizards, but what were they doing so close to the border? It was obvious that this was no scouting party, otherwise they would have kept their silence. With practiced ease the men made their way to the edge of the forest, the paladin accompanying them suddenly silent.

Outside the forest, near a waterfall that marked the division between lizard and human territory a lone human was being surrounded by a the vile creatures. Even from a distance the despair of the man was visible as the lizards were enclosing at them, obviously intent on making him suffer.

They then saw the man drop to his knees, almost abandoning all hope and his silent plea to the heavens. It took just a fraction of a second for the men to decide what to do. They could not leave a fellow human in the hands of those monster.

“Right, get ready men,” the lead soldier whispered to the others, he knew that the chances of them getting in time were slim, but they had to try. Alas someone was already ahead of them.

In a thundering voice the paladin accompanying them announced his presence as he advanced with frightening speed towards the waterfall.

“Ask for deliverance and thou shall receive!”

Following his example the soldiers emerged from the forest and with a battle cry they rushed at the lizards.

As the soldiers neared, the escapee’s heart sank further and further, until he could almost feel it rest on the cold rock he was kneeling on. They were three yards away now, and counting. But then, he heard a war cry, and looked at the bushes as something leapt out.

It was a Silandrian paladin.

He slashed at one of the soldier’s backs, his sword piercing the armour, and ducked just in time to avoid another’s swipe. Then, four other soldiers emerged from the undergrowth, and each found their targets and started stabbing and swiping.

The escapee attempted to run, but as he neared the edge of the clearing, his foot was caught by the whip of the leader, and he tripped over. As the leader pulled him in, and grabbed at the dirt, but it was unless – his maltreated body was no match for an experienced Ligbrynian soldier. So, as his leg was grabbed firmly with the scaly palm of the soldier, he was suddenly back in the clutches of the enemy. As he was hoisted onto the soldier’s shoulder, he called out to the fighting soldiers and he was carried off, another Ligbrynian soldier accompanying him.

The band leader was worried about what his superior would say if he failed them. But he wouldn’t. He would get this thing back to its rightful owner or die trying.

The remaining Ligbrynians were losing. The surprise of the attack and the enemy’s paladin had overwhelmed them, and two of the four had already fallen. One was knocked out, and the final one gave up.

But as the Paladin finished off the soldier that had attacked him, the one that he had slashed in the back was beginning to get back onto its feet. Summoning the last of its energy, it picked up its sword and took a final slash at the paladin, as the calls of the escapee made it into the warrior’s ears.

He saw it, he saw the slash as it was heading towards the unprotected back of the paladin. He also realized that there was only one choice left. Rushing the Silandrian soldier jumped between the blade and the paladin.

The slashed intended for the paladin found its way in his body.

"Fool!" the paladin exclaimed as he beheaded the lizard,"Do you think so little of me?"

"Mylor" the man tried to reply but instead of words blood exited his mouth. With his last of his strength the soldier pointed at the running lizard before succumbing to his injury.

"Fool," the paladin whispered gently as he saw the man die. He had expected the attack and was prepared to deal with it, but he would keep it a secret, there was no need for the man's comrades to find out that he had died in vain.

With anger seeping through his veins and with the desperate wails of the man piercing his ears the paladin decided on retribution. He would have no mercy.

"Ready or not, here I come," he said as he started running after the lizard at speeds beyond what was humanly possible.

The death of their comrade enraged the remaining human soldiers and with a fierceness worthy of lions they pressed their advantage against the enemy.

Payback was in order.

The chase was on.

The two soldiers ran, one with the man over his soldier, the other behind him. Seeing the Paladin pursue them, he called out twice. The lizardman who had his arms free hit the man, grabbed the man by the cheeks and said:

"Be quiet, insect. Lest we kill you here and now"

The two soldiers jumped down into a small gorge, and manhandled the escapee under a rock outcropping. Tearing pieced of their tunics, they stuffed pieces of cloth into the mouth to stop him from making a noise, and tied another piece of cloth round his head to obscure his vision. Then followed the tieing of the man's arms and legs, and then they hid. They eagerly held their weapons, hoping that the enemy would overlook their hiding place.

He rushed, he ran as fast as he could chasing after the precious cargo of the lizards. In the hands of the enemy was a human life, one he needed to save in order to amend for the previous loss. For him there could be no failure.

It was only the angry birds that drew to his attention that something was wrong. Flying low above a rock outcropping they were telling him and to the whole world that something was there.

"To think that I would have missed it," the man muttered to himself as he prepared for combat, eager for the blood of the enemy. "You've had this coming damn monsters," and with that he positioned himself above the rock outcropping, preparing himself to strike.

"You are going to be quiet. Because if you don't you will lose a toe. And then another. And when we get you back to your likely home, we will have to make up for this lost time...

This little episode was disturbed when suddenly, the paladin they were running from jumped from above, and appeared in front of them. The two soldiers panicked, and stood up avoiding the first slashes from the paladin. They both swiped at the paladin, but he managed to avoid all the blows. The paladin then punched at the lesser soldier, knocking him out for the moment. He then turned to fight the leader of the party. They both fought fiercely, their swords meeting each time. But the lizard let his guard down, and his sword was knocked out of his hand, leaving him nothing but his ceremonial whip, which couldn't be used in the confines of the area he was in. As the paladin came closer, he remember the weapons that had served his species for millennia. He might not have monstrous claws, but a kick from the natural blades on his feet would do serious damage.

The paladin swiped, and the lizard dodged and punched him in the head. Then he lifted his leg, and swung it round to hit him in the crotch.

As the paladin moved his sword. He cried out as the sword filleted his leg, ignoring the armour there, and fell on the ground, stunned by the pain. The other soldier had by now got up, and just got his bearings back, when the paladin bore down on him.

While this happened, the lizard captain pulled his body into the bushes. The pain was unbearable, but something told him it would get much worse if he didn't hide.

So, the lesser soldier could only resist as the paladin attacked him. Then, he lost his sword, and took the next swipe in the hip, and then was stabbed in the chest. It had happened so fast.

As he positioned himself above the place were the lizards were hidden the paladin drew a deep breath. Calming his enraged mind, he sharpened his
thoughts. He was now ready.

What happened next was, no matter how you might consider it, a game for the human. He was faster, better trained and better armed than the reptiles, as such were the gifts of paladins in these wars. The enemy had its own gifted warriors, but alas such was not the case here.

As he 'duelled' his opponents, the human couldn't help but smile at the sight of their desperate attempts to fight him.

It was short. Too short of a fight in his opinion and the bravery of the one laying in a pool of blood in front of him was marred by the cowardice of his comrade.

"Tsck' What a leader you are," he said as he slowly walked to the bushes, "Abandoning your comrades like this," he continued as he drew closer,"I'm afraid I can't forgive that," and with that he stopped in front of the lizard's hiding place.

What followed next was a swift and brutal retribution. The paladin hacked piece by piece one of the lizard's arms, ignoring its cries of pain. Once nothing else was left but stump he stopped and admired his work.

"It's a pity I can't play more with you," the man sighed as he gouged one of the beasts eyes as a trophy,"But I have more important things to attend to."

Leaving the monster in a pool of blood, the man stepped away and headed
towards the other human, gently picking him of the ground.

"Don't worry, you're safe now."

The pain was so bad it could not be expressed in words. He thought he was bleeding out of every pore. Yet, he still lived. And that was the thing that surprised him the most.

He had lost everyone of his men to five others, and had paid dearly. He crawled and crawled, the thought of six more heads to adorn the mantelpieces of the enemy sickening. He managed to continue crawling for an unknown amount of time, for in that state time is so long you can completely lose you bearings.

Then, by luck, a scouting party found the body. Still living, but unstable. The figure was taken back to camp, where he remained swinging in and out of consciousness. Normally, such an abused body would have died, but a fury kept the leader alive. One to avenge the deaths of his kin. He felt guilty for leaving that final soldier there, but his mind told him that the soldier was dead as soon as the paladin entered the clearing.

It was after an unknown amount of time had past, probably enough for the invaders to leave, that a figure entered the tent. The blurred vision of the lizard couldn't make out who it was at first sight, however once the voice left the being's mouth, he knew who he was.

"You have failed me, Gideakon"

Out of Gid's mouth came a slow torrent of illegible noises, halfway through which the stranger's interrupted.

"Do not try to speak, for you cannot. You may worry that you will take his place. Well, you will not. Why? I have three reasons. One, you have already had your punishment. Two, I shouldn't have brought the wretched thing here in the first place, and three, it is clear that he didn't take out a shard of obsidian and slash you all to pieces. I have seen this before.

This is not the work of dim witted footsoldiers, nor inexperienced officers. No, this has been done by something more than that. You have been turned into a message, Gideakon. One that screams, 'We have your slave'. Your leg may survive yet, but unless you find a really good priest, I doubt you will gain your arm and eye back.

But, it is clear that they have intended for you to survive. If they didn't care for you, they wouldn't have kept you from dieing. All I can say is, tell me of the figure who maimed you, and I will make sure that either me or my ancestors bring you his head, whether you are dead, or alive. For you are my officer, and I sent you to your near death despite they wanting you alive. I will return when you may again speak."

And with that, he left.

After picking the weakened man off the ground, the paladin started running again. This time he had a different goal in mind, one that brought him much more satisfaction than the simple slaughter of cattle.

"We'll be there shortly," he whispered to the man he carried. The slave was wounded and by the looks of it malnourished, but he would live to see another day.

For the paladin that was all that mattered, not the fact that he brutally tortured the lizardmen or that he had won a skirmish, but the simple deed of saving another human life. One to replace the one he had, even though unwillingly, lost.

"Sire," the soldiers greeted him as he entered the clearing. "We have dispatched the other lizards, we should make haste and retreat to the camp now. They might send reinforcements to find out what happened with this patrol."

"Yea, I am aware of that. Let us return home, we have a burial to perform," and with that the men picked the body of their fallen comrade and followed the paladin towards the base.

---

After a relatively long trek they arrived at their camp. To an untrained eye it might have seemed like a silent, dead gathering of tents and wood, but to a soldier the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"It seems they finally realized who I was," the paladin muttered to himself, "Well, there goes my distraction."


"Sire!" a new voice interrupted his thoughts. "Sire we were so worried about you! How could you risk you life so!?" Perhaps this would have been amusing, if not for the revering looks that he was receiving from every soldier in the camp.

"Dammit! I wanted some innocent fun, not to be pampered like a spoiled child!" he wanted to say, but wisely kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to make the soldiers decide he needed extra protection.

He really cared about his men, he really did, but some times they treated him worse than a toddler.

Stopping this trail of thought and dismissing the annoying adjutant, he moved on to the next subject of the day, the slave he had released.

"I wonder, what will you reveal to us."

The slightly hysterical former slave began to tell of his ordeal. Of his nation's capture, as the Ligbrynians invaded his once peaceful land. Then, he told of their attempts to drive them insane by denying them the standards of life, and how he had tried to resist. Then, told of how he was captured, tortured to near insanity, and nearly sacrificed by the noble who had captured him.

It was this part that he thought would interest the man most. He described as four people out of a gang of five, one that he was part of, were sacrificed to demons, and as this was done, on the fourth time, a demon had actually came.

Because of this, he wasn't sacrificed, and instead he was used as a sadist's plaything. He showed some of the scars he had endured. Then, he reached into his pocket, and took out a book.

"Ever wondered why Ligbryne has elves under its banner? This is an account of what drove them to help them. And I can tell you, they didn't do it nicely."

After saying this, he passed the book to the paladin, and waited for him to comment.