Without replying, you form your hand into a fist, and punch the orc in the face. He falls limp. You tell the others nearby "tie him up, and get that spearhead out of his chest. I'm taking him to Traniel." The merchants do as you ask, while simultaneously praising and pattering you. "Thank you for saving us..." "We would have died if you hadn't shown up..." "Stupid orcs..." Some of them offer you gold, but you refuse, stating that they needed it more than you did. Once the orc was tied up, you place him on Bento and ride for the blockade again. The blockade was at a point where two rivers passed very close to each other, and around a dozen Sheadorian soldiers were guarding it. As you approach, a soldier harshly starts a speech he had clearly repeated many times. "By order of king Tybalt, only trusted aristocrats may enter Traniel because... Is that an orc!?" The man suddenly exclaimed in surprise which brought the attention of his comrades. Men from the roadblock approached you to look at the orc. The commander of the roadblock comes up to you, "Is he alive?" He asks while feeling the hastilly patched wounds on the orc. You nod your head to indicate yes. "Halkins, Brisham! Escort this man to Traniel and call for the captain of the guard immediately." Two young soldiers break from the group and mount some horses. The guard speaks to you again. "Were they attacking the merchant camp we sent back?" You nod again. "Makes sense, but not good news. Get inside Traniel as fast as you can. Do not linger outside" You nod a third time, and kick Bento into a fast lope. Halkins and Brisham catch up and ride on your flanks.
It wasn't long until The tops of Castle Traniel came into view above the sparse woods in this area. As the castle grew bigger, it overwhelmed your mind with size. It looked magnificant with it's white walls and towers, giving a sense of richness and prosperity. However, as you got closer, finer details painted a much different picture. Right as you broke through the treeline, Siege engines were sitting abandoned on the field, arrows were embedded into the soil, and fresh dead bodies, both goblins and men, were strewn across the field. In the castle itself, it's outer wall was breached a few feet next to the gate, with dead bodies piling up so high that it plugged the hole. The portcullis was open, and you could see more bodies inside. Halkins stops you, and whispers, "keep your eye out for movement. On my mark, we make a run for it. Full speed." Both Halkins and Brisham scan the recent battlefield, then give a hand signal and they both gallop at full speed towards Castle Traniel. You follow hastilly. Your mind was brimming with questions, namely, who attacked Traniel, but you ignore it for now and rush towards the castle. Halfway across the battlefield, Halkins screams, "ON THE LEFT. IT'S HIM!" You turn your head to the left, and see a lone man in simple garb standing alone. You wonder why they were scared of a single man, but then he starts to bend the laws of nature. The air starts to shimmer in a ring around him, getting bigger while he did strange hand signals. He then released the ring and it zoomed across the battlefield, Striking Brisham. Both Horse and rider were tossed like leaves on the wind, screaming the entire way. You heard an audible thud as both struck the ground. The lone man then disappears into thin air. Halkins screams again, "KEEP RUNNING! DON'T STOP!" But he quickly eats his words as the magic user reappears directly between you and Halkins. You both stop dead. Your mind is reeling as it tries to comprehend what the man was doing, and your animalistic fight or flight instincts took over. You could try to run around him and get to the safety of the castle, or you could fight the man whom you had no idea how to fight...
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Topic: You Can't Die: A Humble Hero (community story) (Read 10658 times)