Han the Konrus
-
The candles flicker in the wind, which are coming through the tiny gaps between the cracks in the wall. The sky is a dark gray, and its dull color covers the area under it like a blanket. The world seems to be in confusion, the people are all waiting for Death to before them. There is no day and there is no night, there is no hope for the people of Kon.
A hundred year ago, there is one huge elemental war, which the Konrus, the people of Kon, named as the Elemental Wrath. Huge fireballs were hurled into the ocean and waves as high as 15ft pushed themselves towards the hostility that was coming from above. Air was pressurized to such an extend that many of the people of Kon died, busting from their bellies. Their intestines spilled out along with other organs from their bodies. The ground was littered with pools of blood and messy combinations of livers, stomachs, hearts and such. Those alive were swallowed up by the ground, as they split open. Only those faithful to the Shalams were spared.
For a hundred years, Konrus follows the teaching of Shalams as close as possible, fearing that God would return and harvest the sinners, by calling upon the Elemental Wrath again. The people of Kon trembles in fear the moment they open their eyes each new day.
“ Hai~~~, what am I going to do today?” Han yawns. “ There is no damn entertainment in this freaking world!”
Han is a teenage of age 18. He has walked the path of warrior-hunter for the past 5 years. His father, Wak, also a remarkable warrior-hunter, had managed to teach Han the strokes before his death at HelmÂ’s River, where he battled the Elemental minions 2 years ago.
“ Alright, to Helm’s River and hunt down those freaks! That’s entertainment!” Han grabs his sword that his father had handed down to him, and darts out of the cave-house in which he lived in.
Technologies were destroyed a hundred years ago, and the people of Kon all lived in caves-houses and tree-houses. Some of the Konrus are well versed in the ‘secrets’, commonly known as magic, along with others who are warriors and fighters. Han had a childhood friend, named Sigma, the only child of the Great Sorcerer, Chinn, who perished along with Wak during the battle.
Han stands outside of his cave-house and looks at the vast grass plain that distanced to the far north, which is surrounded by cliffs at this end. This is their home, a forgotten land, and safe from the Elementals minions that infested the continent. Sigma is five caves away from HanÂ’s.
“ Common’ out you witch!” Han shouts at the entrance of Sigma’s cave-house. “ Time to hunt!”
“ How many time must I tell u not to call me a WITCH!” A female voice echo out of the cave as a figure starts to appear. “ Please DO NOT make me turn you into a freaking toad, Han.”
A young lass walks out and stares at Han. She wears a white dress with a leather belt made from the skin of the Red Serpent, a gift from Han, his first successful hunt, around her waist. She does not look any older than Han, despite her strange hair color, brown faded to white towards the end of each strain of hair. Holding in her hand is a staff, made of oak, with a head of a medusa, crafted out of brass, on its tip.
“ All ready?” Han asks her. “ Did you bring your brain? It would be bad if you forget any spells.”
“ I can always rely on your sword right?” Sigma plays along.
“ Well, than, let’s go now.” Han slings his sword across his shoulder and walks towards the Deep Forest, with Sigma following closely behind.
.....behold, for the next one is coming right up -
Deep Forest, the only path leading to the HelmÂ’s River, is a very thick forest, that is very much alive as any of the Konrus but seldom pose a danger to anyone of them. The creatures in the forest are the only source of food for the people, apart from the fishes in the lake up north of their homeland. Wild boars roam the forest ground and flying foxes can be seen taking off from a tree and landing on another. The huge varieties of vegetation also provides the Konrus with medicines, of course, with the helps of the healers, Konrus who are versed in the art of curing deadly wounds and plague.
“Its warm in here.” Han complains as he sweeps beads of sweats away with his sleeve. “I wonder how the trees survive the heat.”
“Well, I guess they are tall enough to breath up there.” Sigma says as she points up. “I think it’s much cooler if you are higher.”
Indeed, the trees are tall, towering over Han and Sigma. They can grow to a height on par with the cliffs that cupped their village, and it will not be surprising if they do. However, the danger only lies on the shorter bushes, which have thorns that discourage armature travelers from passing through. Creatures often build their nest in those bushes, as it is safe from the disturbances of the Konrus, at least most of time, but not this time.
“Burn!” Sigma cries aloud, as a wave of flame sweep across the bushes, opening a charred path in front of Han. “That’s more like it.”
“These bushes grow real fast don’t they? You just burn them couple of days ago, remember?” Han comments, as Sigma unleash another wave of fire across the bushes.
Both Han and Sigma paces through the charred walkway and enters a cave, unlike their houses, that will leads to the Helm’s River. Inside the cave is an array of huge rocks, mounted together on both sides of the wall, creating a valley of stone. The brass medusa’s on Sigma’s staff lights up and illumes the dark craven as she mumbles another spell. Han, with his sense of a warrior-hunter, could have no problem making his way out of this cave, but Sigma just make it easier for him. Sigma had always made Han’s life a breeze with her skill in the ‘secrets’. The thought of him going hunting alone is too abuse for him to think about. Sigma, as if able to read his mind, turns and looks over her shoulder, and smiles at Han. After a few minutes walks, they can see the exit of the craven at the far end. The light is not glaring but enough to guide their way towards it. Emerging from the dark craven finally, Han stands on a rock, smiling, as he looks at the Helm’s River.
“Dad, I’m back.” Han always prays when he steps into the place where his father died. “Bless me while I hack those freaks.”
“Father, may your spirit be with me as I fight along side with Han, just like the time you fought along side with Sir Wak.” Sigma prays as well.
...to be continued. -
HelmÂ’s River snakes all the way to the Sea of Etopia, which leads to other continents. On the far left from the craven where they emerge, there is the Grand Falls, a waterfall that used to be a gigantic one. The formations of the rocks and cliffs had shifted a hundred year ago and caused most of the water from the Grand Falls to be channel to the Sea of Etopia, by another route further west. HelmÂ’s River, which used to be a deep and terrifying river, that all travelers would not even try to cross, is now ankle deep, where young hunters and warriors polished their skills. Even the Elementals minions, the more powerful ones, cannot be bothered to guard this ancient battlefield, what is left are slightly more than a handful of freaks, but enough to pose a danger for the untrained and armatures.
Across the river, at a distance, a group of three Konrus is fighting off a fiery fiend, which in this case, prove too much for them to handle. There are waving and hacking the fiend frantically, and one of the Konrus seems to be injured. Blood gushes out from his side as he tries to get away from the fire Elemental minion. The other two, which Han presumes to be the injured KonrusÂ’s friends, are trying to fight the monster back away from them.
“Shall we?” Han seeks Sigma’s permission to engage the enemy. It is a custom for any Konrus to seek the permission of his teammate to engage any battle, minor or major.
“Alright, they are one of us after all. I’m just concern that they might be angered by our uninvited interference.” Sigma foresights the feeling of her fellow Konrus, but too agrees that saving them comes first.
Han draws his sword from his back, and charge towards the lone fiend. The Elemental minion notices his hostility towards itself and hurls a ball of flame at his direction. Sigma, who is covering Han, waves her staff and the ball of flame vaporizes into nothingness. Han had always trust Sigma to cover his back, and this is not just teamwork, but a kind of affection between them. Han, now closing on the enemy, shouts at the two struggling Konrus to make way for him. They fall back to their wounded friendÂ’s side as Han stands in front of the fire Elemental. Sigma catches up with Han and attends to the wounded.
“Feel my blade!” Han cries as he slashes his sword, aiming at the Elemental’s neck.
It is a human like beast, summoned by the God of Fire, standing at least a head taller than Han. Even the easiest of the Elemental minions can prove to be a tough opponent. The fiend wards his sword with his arm and boiling blood flows from the open wound. Han sidesteps as the beast chance to grab his head, and hack his sword deep into the leg, opening another wound. The Elemental minion knees on the ground as it tries to turn around and scratch Han with its razor sharp claw. Han, with a double stroke, chop off the fiendÂ’s hand and buries his sword into its throat. The beast let out a roar as it fades to nothingness, leaving behind traces of its blood on the ground.
...to be continued[/i] -
“Thank…thank you so much.” The wounded man is indeed grateful for their help.
“It’s nothing, just be careful out here.” Han replies.
Sigma blesses them as the two men support their friend, pacing towards the craven, going back to Kon. Han dips his sword into the river and washes away the stains as Sigma looks around them for any sign of danger. Han had always respected this sword that his father, Wak, bestowed to him. It was one of the finest swords in the continent of Kon, made of silver alloy with an iron grip. The edges of the sword are stained with unwashable reddish stains, from the blood of all the monsters his father had slaughtered over the years. Nevertheless, the blade is as shape as good.
Suddenly, while Han is still engross in washing his sword, the water in front of him comes to life. A watery figure appears and kicks him to the ground, creating a wet patch on his cloth. Han recovers from the shock and rolls back as he alerts Sigma, who is looking at the other direction.
“Incoming! Six o’clock behind you, Sigma!” Han shouts as he regains his posture.
Sigma turns around quickly and cast a barrier of protection as the watery Elemental minion trust another kick at Han. The barrier proves to be efficient against its attack, as it recoils backward from its own attempt to hurt Han. Eyeing the chance to counter, Han breaks through the invisible barrier and darts at the watery fiend.
“Freeze still!” Sigma chants with her hands outstretch, unleashing a spell attempting to turn the watery fiend into ice. The spell gives the monster a solid form in which, at the same time, slows it down.
Han knock the frozen Elemental to the ground with his shoulder and jumps on top of it, driving his sword into the chest of the monster, and slice forward. The frozen fiend splits into halves from the impact and melts away, dead. Han let out a sign of relief as Sigma helps him up. Her smile melts the nervousness in him, like how the watery Elemental melts away back to the river.
“That was close.” Han remarks, as he shakes off the waters on his hair.
“Haha, got you there right. I didn’t know you know how to be frighten.” Sigma teases him.
“I’m not frighten of the fiend, just frighten because it suddenly struck me when I’m off guard there.” Han is trying to argue his pride back. In his heart, he knows that if Sigma is not here with him, he will be history.
“Alright, I’ll let you win. You always like to win.” Sigma is laughing away. People thought that Konrus who are trained in the ‘secret’ are normally forlorn and quite. However, it is not the case for Sigma. She is always cheerful.
...to be continued -
Favourite phrase - “Feel my blade!”
This looks promising. Goth-fantasy adventure story with Singaporean twist. Way to go, delusion. -
kindly refer any comments to this thread pls...thanksOriginally posted by FeRoCious:Favourite phrase - “Feel my blade!”
This looks promising. Goth-fantasy adventure story with Singaporean twist. Way to go, delusion.
http://www.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=39982 -
“I’m hungry. Shall we go back for lunch?” Han grumbles as his stomach grumbles as well.
“Let’s go than. I misses those wild boar meat my aunt’s going to cook later on.” Sigma holds her staff at the back as she leads the way back to the craven, humming an old tune.
Back at their place, thousands of Konrus are already gathered outside on the vast grassland. The sheeps and horses are let out for a feast while the Konrus sits in huge group yanking away happily. It is the time of the year where the people of Kon celebrate the Harvest.
The Harvest was passed down a hundred years ago by the survivors of the Elemental Wrath. They followed the teaching of Shalams so closely that the death of other Konrus means nothing to them. Han hated the world that he lives in, where the people are so hypocrite. They put their emotions behind, in fear of the Elemental Wrath, and lives like cowards. Sigma, however, is not bothered much by these things. Her positive characteristic had crafted her out to be an adepter, able to blend into every situation or circumstances well. The people of Ron respects her a great deal, in the name of her father, Chinn, the family line of great sorcerers.
A few men come forward and present Sigma with bouquets of wild flowers. They are all her suitors and at the same time, great warriors from respected families. A smile appears on her face from the adoration shown by these men.
“Sigma, come to my house and have some soup later, would you?” A husky voice comes from a muscular man, standing beside Sigma. He is Lanct, the elder son of the leader of the Konrus, Syn.
“Sure, thanks for the invitation.” Sigma turns to Han and says. “See you later at my aunt’s place.” Lanct walks her to her cave-house, as Sigma tells him about her encounters in the Helm’s River.
Han eyes burns with jealousy, as he stares at the both of them, walking further away. He had taken a liking on Sigma since the time he understands what is love about. Somehow, he feels that he is not good enough yet for Sigma, at least not as good as Lanct is. He can only bottle the fondness for Sigma inside himself, as he walks back to his cave-house, heavy hearted.
Back at his cave-house, he lays on his wooden made shift bed, with his sword placed beside him, as he stares at the low ceiling. He goes into deep thoughts, trying to figure out what are the important things that he cannot do without. He is surprise that Sigma comes before his sword, and he smiles. The sword is his life, but Sigma is his reason to live. Therefore, he will guard Sigma with his sword and his life, something that he had been doing before Sigma becomes so efficient in her magic.
“She don’t need me any longer. She needs someone who can protect her, not someone that she needs to protect.” The encounter at Helm’s River makes him feel so useless. “I need to be stronger, before I can be with her. I will not lose to Lacet.” His determination has the better of him.
Han heads for HelmÂ’s River again, this time alone. He has with him a burning torch, apart from his sword, which he hold on the other hand, alert, as he enters the dark craven. The illumination from the torch causes the shadows of the rocks to moves with the flickering of the flame. Han tense up at every sound that he hears as he moves with caution. His footsteps echo through the cave like a hollow knell. Not long after, he reaches the other side, the HelmÂ’s River.
It is very different from what he feels when he came here with Sigma just now. It is dead quiet here, maybe all the Konrus are at home celebrating the Harvest. He take a sip from the river’s crystal clear water and recalls the moment a while ago which the Elemental kicked him. The thought of that makes him more caution and alert than usual. Eagles soar the gloomy sky, circling and crying aloud, as if communicating with each other. Apart from that, no other strange noise is heard. Han walks on the stones emerging from the river, to prevent any ambush. His father had taught him well: ‘A hunter is never a prey, neither is a warrior with his sword in his hand.’
“Yes dad, I’m not going to be a prey to anything, not like you.” Han mumbles under his breath.
...to be continued -
While Han is still in his thoughts, the bushes on his far left moves. He stands still, controlling his breathing, with his eyes trying to penetrate the bushes. The movement is getting further away from him, towards a huge boulder on the field. A figure charges out from the shadow cast by the boulder. It does not take Han long to realized that there is an air Elemental minion, the hardest foe of all, on the loose. The man continues to charge towards the hostile fiend, with his sword low, and his hand raise to the front. It is not bright enough for Han to make out the features of this man, but something about him tells that he is not an amateur, training at HelmÂ’s River. His movement is as swift as the wind.
“Fiery!” His sword glows to a burning red, as if soak in lava. He wields his sword in front of his armored torso, pointing forward.
The air Elemental minion appears. Han has never seen one so close, neither does he have any idea of how to defeat one. The two being crash together, with the Elemental minion holding onto the warriorÂ’s sword, preventing it from cutting into its shapeless body. The warrior, with a jerk, twists the sword out of its hands and plunge the sword into the empty space. It has escaped.
“Damn!” He cried. “How could I….” He appears to be angry at the failure to destroy the fiend, and looks at Han and shouts. “Who are you?”
“Erm….Han here, son of Wak.” Han responds quickly.
“Wak, this name rings a bell. Refresh my memory boy.”
Han had always disliked it when people called him ‘boy’, but in this case, he feels nothing. Both of them sit by the river, while the man splash his face into the ice cold water. He is slightly older than Han, but already a fine warrior. The Elemental minion knows it, and flees. Han can sense it too.
“I’m Stan. Now I know who is Wak. The great warrior who died here in a battle huh.” He introduces himself. “And you are his son.”
“He’s a warrior-hunter.” Han corrects him.
“Whatever. History is history. No one on Kon will remember what achievement you have unless you survive to tell the story.”
It is sad but true. His father, along with SigmaÂ’s, went to fence off the Elementals on HelmÂ’s River and died, but nevertheless, successful in their task. The people back at Kon choose to forget this, in fear of the vengeance of the Shalams, the fellowship of the Elemental Gods. On Kon, if one ever decided to fight the Shalams, or even the Elementals, either he lives or he die trying. As far as Han knows, no one ever wins the Gods.
“Show me your moves. Let me see how well your dad had taught you.” Stan pulls Han up effortlessly, a display of sheer strength.
They walk to the grass patch nearby, and Stan urge Han to attack him. Han, with all the speed he can gather, rush towards Stan, who stands with his sword behind him. Han wants to prove that he can at least be on par with Stan, as he strikes a forward slash towards him.
“Too slow!” Stan cried, as he block out his attempt easily.
“Too soft and weak!” Stan shouts as he counter Han backhand slash this time.
Han is breathing hard by now. He has indeed tried his best to attack Stan but it appears to be like childÂ’s play to him. Han knees on the ground, as beads of sweats roll down his chin, onto the ground.
“One more time, son of Wak.” Stan prompts him to attack him again.
“Urggggg!!” With his sword tightly grip in his hand, he unleash a combos of attack at Stan. A front slash follows by a backhand slash, with an additional kick to stall the opponent, finally an upward slash. All the attacks are either block out or dodge by Stan with incredible speed.
“Good try. You’ll make a good warrior.” Stan holds Han up, who is already breathless by now. “You need stamina.”
...to be continued -
Meanwhile, the people back at Kon are happily eating away. Sigma is wondering where Han has gone to, after searching everywhere for him. Sigma than assumes that he may be too engrossed in his own problems, goes to the cave-house of Lanct, who previously had invited her over.
“ Today, we will announce a new warrior to shoulder the task of leading the rest of the army to ward off incoming threats. And this announce will be made after the tournament!” Lanct cries out on a lifted piece of rock. “ Let the tournament begins!”
A gong sounds and two Konrus walks into the ring, created by a piece of rope circling a large area on the grass patch. One uses a spear while the other holds a broadsword. Cheers are deafening as the crowds screams and shouts while the two warriors crash. After a few minutes, the man with spear points it at the other manÂ’s throat. The gong sounds as another two men walk up into the ring.
Sigma, who is standing next to Lanct, walks away into the background while he is engross in the fights. She sits outside the nearby cave-house as she starts to worry about Han. In the past, Han will always be here to see the fights, learning from the warriors. However today, he is not around, and it is strange enough.
“The trick in wielding a sword lies not in the strength or speed, but flexibility. Learn to swing your sword with strokes that are unpredictable and at ease.” Stan demonstrates a series of overhead strokes, each one faster than the last. Han can only see the blurred image of his sword. The thoughts of blocking prove almost impossible for him. “Every warrior must have the strokes suitable for himself. For me, I choose a heavier sword to inflict more damage on my foe.” Stan explains further.
Han just sits there and listen to his advices and teachings. Occasionally, he gets on his feet and tries out the strokes and swinging of his sword. It is a few hours later when he becomes really tired and decides to go back to Kon. They bid goodbye and Stan promises to teach him more the next day, at the same place.
By the time he reaches Kon, the celebrations are already over. He heads for his cave-house, not wanting to think about anything else, except his simple bed. He removes his clothes, proceeds to lie on the bed, and wonders what is Sigma doing now. He falls asleep short after.
...to be continued tomorrow -
“Wake up! Wake up!” Someone shouts at the top of his voice outside Han’s cave-house.
Han rubs his eyes open as he force himself out of bed. It does not take long before he recognizes that voice. It is that of Lanct! Seldom would Lanct shouts like this, and when he does, something must have happen. Han slides into his leather clothe and grabs his sword. Outside his cave-house, screams and cries for help from the women and children of Kon can be heard.
“Damn those Shalams” Han curses as he witness the carnage before his eyes, as he stands outside.
Hoards of Elementals minions are invading from the far north, and advancing at an incredible rate. Rows of arrows pierce through the air as the archers grab another arrow from their slings, trying hard to slow down the fiends, to buy time for the rest of the warriors to get in their position. Han races down the north to join the platoon of warriors and happen to see Sigma and the rest of the spell casters behind the archers, protecting them from offensive attacks. Mumbles of incarnations can be heard as fireballs hiss through the air, and disperse into ash. There is another few spell caster attending to the wounded on the left, behind an array of boulders.
The Elementals minions are closing on the archers by now. Lanct cries a command to order the archers to open up and move to the left and right side at the huge entrance where their deadly foes are arriving, in order to slow the earth fiends while the warriors engage the rest.
“You are late!” Sigma says to Han as she stands behind him, preparing to guard him against the magical attacks. She is breathing heavily. The numbers of spells she had cast earlier must have stress her out. Her hair is loosely tossed to the back and her sweat has made some of her hair to stick on her face, giving her an untidy look. Nevertheless, she is still as beautiful.
“Help others, I can handle.” Han does not want to relay on her to protect him, as his ego speaks to him.
“We’re a team!” Sigma cries out load at him, and somehow, it makes Han come back to his senses or rather, lost his senses.
Han charges at the water Elemental ahead of him and think about the lessons that Stan gave him yesterday. Be fast and swift, be unpredictable. On seeing HanÂ’s act, which is as crazy as the Elementals, Sigma has no choice but to enchant his sword with blazing flames. The water fiend Han engages with tries to grab his neck as he nears it. Sigma, who is standing a distance behind him, notices its motive and mumbles a spell to slow the enemy. However, even before she completes the complicated incarnation, Han has already slice the monsterÂ’s legs as he rolls forward to escape its outstretch hand. He follows the momentum of his fiery sword and slash upwards, dismembering that unguarded arm of the water Elemental. With another swing of his sword, he halves its torso with all his might.
..to be contiuned -
The fight between human and the Elementals go on for another hour. The Konrus are giving their best to defend their home. The hour seems like eternity, and more wounded warriors are lead to the side, adding to the accumulating numbers. The battlefield is littered with the remains of the Elementals, as well as those of Konrus, who died in more ways than one. Han, who is still struggling with the remaining Elementals, starts to get weary. It will be just a matter of time before Kon is lost to them.
Han, seizing the chance when a couple of lighting bolts strike a fiend to the ground, runs towards Sigma, pulling her away from the advancing earth Elementals, the slowest but toughest of all Elementals.
“It’s no good…let’s get out of here.” Han suggests as he foresees the danger if they remains there any longer.
“How can you leave the rest to die?” Sigma looks at him, puzzled.
“And die with them? They leave our fathers to die, remember?” Han is trying to make his stand amidst the battle.
Sigma stares at him unbelievably. What Han says is indeed the truth. The Konrus left their fathers to die so that they might live. Is Sigma is willing to embrace this fact, than she will be more than willing to listen to HanÂ’s suggestion.
“Alright. We shall stick together, at all times. No more heroic act of yours please.” She finally agrees.
“Before that, I need to find someone.”
They past through the dark craven and reach HelmÂ’s River. There, Han looks around for the sight of Stan. After a couple of minutes, Han spots Stan at a nearby boulder, blending in with the shadow, just like the first time he saw him. However, there is someone else with Stan. Han make it out to be a girl, around SigmaÂ’s age. Upon seeing Han and Sigma, Stan and that girl walk towards them.
“Call me Lavender, I’m his guardian.” She points to Stan.
It is strange for Stan to have a guardian, given his skills and reflex. From the dressing of Lavender, she could be a sorcerer as well, just like Sigma. Sigma describes the disaster that has befallen Kon and asks if them are willing to help.
“Why not? I always love a good fight.” Stan agrees almost immediately.
“I’m with him.” Lavender reply speaks of a special relationship between the two of them.
Sigma, grins at Han as Stan and Lavender leads the way back to Kon. Hao chooses not to argue with her, there is something distracting him. LavenderÂ’s dress is open at the back, exposing a deep purple scar, between the shoulder blades. Although it has already heals, but the sight of it is grotesques enough.
Back at Ron, it is all chaos. Many warriors have died and injured. The one who still survives have retreated, almost reaching the entrance of the cave that leads to HelmÂ’s River. The sight of bloody bodies lying on the field motionlessly, staining the grass red is more than sickening.
“For Kon!” Stan lets out a war cry as he raises his sword high.
“For Kon!” Lavender, Sigma and Han joins in to boost their moral, as Stan has already charge towards the significant amount of Elemental minions. Hao follows closing behind him.
Back there, Lavender starts to chant in a language foreign to Sigma. It is an ancient language for the use of forbidden spells. The Konrus had been taught not to learn this art from the dark side, because if the caster is not able to control her thoughts, things often turns out to be disastrous. Upon completing the chanting, all the earth Elemental minions catch fire and burn to ash in less than the blink of the eye. Such is the power displays by the forbidden magic.
Stan and Han have already position themselves back to back, among the fiends, slashing and hacking into the pack of monsters, together with the rest of the warriors who are still alive. Sigma joins in the fight with her offensive magic, knocking back the Elemental minions, limiting the amount of fiends engaging with the brave warriors, at the same time, allows Lavender to finish them off with her forgotten arts.
The wounded Konrus at the sides, notices the sudden change on the battlefield, feel that there is a chance of winning this dreadful battle, got up on their feet and join the army of warriors. A smile flashes on HanÂ’s tired face. They are no cowards after all: he thought.
..to be continued -
A cry echo through the valley as Han pulls his sword out of the last fiend stand, while Stan decapitates it with a single swing of his sword. Silence fills the voids left after the bestiary cry of defeat. The injured moan in pain as the warriors rest on the grass. All that remains are the dismembered bodies of monster and human spread across the grassland. Han have somehow been wounded during the intensive battle and Sigma is attending to the gasping opening on his chest.
“We’ve won!” Lanct drops to his knees and thank Shalams for the victory. What an irony. The Elementals are in fact, the zealots of the Shalams and Lanct is thanking the enemy behind all these for their victory. He turns away in disgust.
Sigma helps Han back into his cave-house, with Stan and Lavender following behind. Han serves the three of them hot tea, with the fire that Sigma started. All of them sit on the concrete ground, which remains cool throughout all the seasons.
“Can you believe that Lanct actually give thanks to the Shalams?!” Han was erupting with anger, as he presses on the bandaged across his chest.
Sigma frowns at his remark and ignore him as he mumbles away. “Lavender, you are a Konru also right? Why are you allows to use the forbidden magic?”
“There is nothing wrong with it. The stiff-neck Konrus chase my family out when they came to know that my parents are practicing this art when I was young than.” Her eyes display deep sadness. “My parents, had to teach me a skill to protect myself somehow, and the only stuff they are proficient at is the Dark Arts. They died soon after in the wildness while hunting for food. I’ve been following Stan since than.”
Stan nods his head in agreement, as if sharing her grief, as she talks about her past. “We’ve been guarding each other since them. Her ‘secrets’ had saved my life many than I can remembers.”
“And your sword save mine as well. Remember the scar on my back?” Lavender turns around to show Sigma the purple scar that Han had noticed on their way back to Ron. “This is how I know him, the first time. He saved me from a fiend that appeared from nowhere.”
From their conversation, Han finally realizes that if one ever wants to accomplish anything big, he must work as a team. “I think the four of us make a great team.” Han points out how they turn the table on the Elementals moments ago.
“My sentiments too.” Sigma agrees. She always agrees with Han, at least the reasonable stuffs. Stan and Lavender laughs, and the room is filled with a lighter mood, comparing to the time when they just came in.
The door knocks and a man with a loose helmet appears. He reported that Lanct will have a debrief about the battle and requires all their present in an hourÂ’s time. Han waves in acknowledgment and the man take his leave.
“Are we welcome?” Lavender asks Stan, unsure if she needs to go.
“Nothing wrong with going thou’. We save their ass, remember?” Stan has a point there. Sigma agrees with those words as well.
...to be continued -
Once outside, Han can see Lanct in the middle of the field, with Konrus warriors, archers, spell-casters, women and children gathering around him. Some of the soldiers are bandaged on their head, some on their legs and bodies. Weary looks are displayed on their face. Heaps of carcasses have been moved to the side near the cliff, separating human from fiends, and burned. The women wail over the death of their loved one, husband or kin. The kids are still too young to understand what had just happened. The men bury their sorrow deep inside them, with their teeth clenched, for the lost of the warriors and their teammates.
“It is a day that we should remember.” Lanct starts his speech. “A day that our sins had once again angers the Shalams. A day that we all should look into the reflection in the water, and turn away from our sins, to prevent any further attacks. The Shalams have been good to us, by sparing the most of us and destroy those who sinned.”
“Bullshit! He just condemned the dead as sinners.” Han curses softly, afraid to be heard.
“However, my fear is that many will die as the battle to harvest the sinner have been interrupted by intruders. They are those who were disown by the Konrus, for they hold on to their sins more they their people.” Lanct is looking at Lavender’s direction. Stan stares back at him. “The battle is not yet over. It has just begun. Soon, more Elementals will attack and consume us and the history a hundred year ago will repeat itself.”
“Putting all the blames on us huh?” Stan shouts to attract Lanct’s attention.
“You are no better, the sinner’s guardian.” Lanct snares at him, as he points his fingers to Lavender.
“That’s it!” Stan unbuckles the sword hanging on his side. It looks like he is going to charge at Lanct, only to be stop by Han.
“Not here, not now!” Han tries to talk sense into his thick skull as he push him back with all his strength.
“Well well, what do we have here? If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get!” Lanct draws his sword as well, as he signal the crowd to make space for the fight that is going to unfold.
Cheers are heard as Stan and Lanct stands face to face in the middle of all the Konrus. Stan hates Lanct for treating Lavender like this, he gave himself the responsibility to guard her as a person as well as her reputation. Lanct, on the other hand, could not take it down that the army he leads needs a womanÂ’s help before they can win the Elementals.
“I hope it will be a man to man fight, without the help of anyone else.” Lanct hints at Lavender. He skill is on par with Stan but if Lavender is to help Stan, Lanct will lose for sure.
“No mercy for you, ingrate!” Stan spits at him as he swing his sword towards his ribs.
The stroke is easily block by Lanct, and he thrust a kick at Stan. The powerful kick misses its target as Stan sidesteps to LanctÂ’s right hand side and delivers a series of punches on his side. The pain startled Lanct as he jumps backward to escape the merciless attack. Stan nears him, swings his sword upward, the edge cutting into LanctÂ’s skin lightly. Lanct feels the pain as blood flows down his torn clothing, a burning sensation. Stan seizes the chance while Lanct is still surprise over how can Stan injures him, and delivers a few strokes, so fast that Han could not see the sword. Lanct starts to block harshly, only to lose his balance and fall onto the ground, with StanÂ’s sword, still stained with LanctÂ’s blood, pointing to his throat. The winner is clear to the crowds.
“You are no better too.” Stan uses those words that Lanct had said to him a while ago.
“Well done Stan. Even the best Konru could not win you, how can they ever chance to fight the Elementals?” Lavender make a sarcastic remark, with her nose proudly points to the sky. “We’ll go back to Helm’s River, a place not good enough for the losers.”
“I’ll go pack my stuff. In a minute.” Han turns and run towards his cave-house.
...to be continued -
and the four of them, Stan, Lavenda, Sigma and Han, lives happily ever after