Chapter 5 - The Warrior
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Chapter 5
The Warrior
Cole sat on his end of the bench and waited, sulking. It had not taken him long to find the key, but it seemed to take ages to find a way to get it down. The old man who had insulted him earlier sat further down the bench, both men had their backs to each other.
The training grounds were really more of an arena. Jousting tournaments were held here as well as regular troop training. Bleachers surrounded the entire grassy field. At one end, the royal box was being prepared for the king and Princess Lilly to watch the final trial.
Cole fidgeted, and kept looking to the box. He made sure to keep his back to the old man, but couldn't help looking over his shoulder every few minutes to see if the royal family was there yet.
Finally the stands started to fill up with spectators, and as the final grains of sand trickled through the hourglass the royal family finally took their seats.
When time had finally run out, the two men were escorted to the box. As Cole stared up at Princess Lilly, all his years of training, all the years abroad, melted away. He was once again that boy of six years old, standing in line, waiting to be picked again. His blood boiled, but he thought of his family, and it calmed him.
"It seems my challenges were a little too hard, I had thought there would be more that would make it this far," the princess said as she addressed the men below her. "No matter, the rules are simple, you have already proved your strength, and your intelligence, now I ask you to use anything at your disposal in a one-on-one sword fight. This is not a fight to the death, rather one must yield to the other, please take your places. The battle begins on my signal."
Cole turned his back to the royal box and strode down the field. The old man hobbled away from the box, but stayed on that side of the field. The old man hefted his sword a little easier than someone in his condition should have been able to.
The princess signaled the start of the battle, and Cole walked towards the old man, his own sword drawn. The old man started to move a little lighter on his feet, and as Cole swung his sword for the first blow, it was easily deflected by the old man.
"You have some tricks, old man," Cole said.
Again, Cole swung at him and again the blow was deflected. Cole swung again, and again, and each time the blow did not hit home, but each time the old mans arm dropped lower and lower. Cole could sense that the old man was tiring, and pressed his attack.
"DO YOU YIELD?!" he shouted as sword met sword again.
"Never," the old man said calmly.
Cole swung again, and as his opponent raised his sword to deflect, Cole kicked out with his foot, tripping the old man to one knee.
"Yield," Cole demanded.
The old mans eyes blazed red, and Cole knew the answer was no. Cole raised his sword over his head with two hands and swung downwards. The old man's hand started to glow red as he brought the sword up to block. This time, when the swords met, their hilts locked together. The old mans sword was glowing a molten white, and the heat quickly transferred to Cole's sword.
Surprised by the sudden heat, Cole released his weapon, staggered back and looked at his hand. Smoke was rising off his palm, the pattern of the grip of his sword was burned into his flesh.
The crowd gasped and Cole looked up from his hand, and saw the old man back on two feet, holding a sword in each hand.
"Do you yield?" he asked.
Cole looked at the princess, then to the crowd, and then at his hand. Again, he felt like a fool in front of her. She had been right, he had not amounted to anything. He lowered his head and said, "I yield."
The princess had come down from the box, and stood on the field a few yards away from where the battle had been. "Come forward, both of you," she said. "I would like to congratulate both of you, and appoint my new champion."
The old man turned, and instead of hobbling over like he had always done before, he strode confidently over to the princess. Cole sheepishly walked quite a few paces behind him, not looking forward to his first meeting with Lilly since his days as a page.
Then the old man started running towards the princess. Cole tried to catch up, as he sensed something was wrong. As the old man neared her, he threw his hood back.
"I will have your heart, princess," he shouted. "The great furnace demands it!"
He grabbed one side of his cloak and wrapped it around her. As soon as she was concealed under the cloak, the cloak crumpled to the ground.
Cole arrived before any of the guards could. He pulled back the cloak and on the ground where the two had been standing was simply a ring of scorched grass. The princess had been kidnapped by the Fire Lord.
posted by Ben Gorski @ 10:27 AM,
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Chapter 4 - The Head
Monday, November 3, 2008
Chapter 4
The Head
"You see father, the first round eliminates the weak willed and craven, and those just looking to line their pockets," Lilly explained. "The second round makes sure that they are quick of mind as well as brave of heart. Finally, the third round is where we find who really wants to champion me. The first two trials are just to select those with the qualities necessary to perform this task."
"Such a bright daughter I have raised," the king boasted as he beamed down on her, "but I must ask, why not just choose someone from the castle? We have many fine guards who would be more than adequate."
"Father! Are you listening to me at all? I want someone who wants to be here. One warrior with the drive to succeed could best ten of your finest guards if I was in danger."
"Again, daughter, you have taught me a lesson I should not forget. You are wise beyond your years."
The large oak doors creaked open and the tournament masters entered. Princess Lilly stood and addressed them.
"I trust you have found me some warriors who are strong of body, but, are they also strong of mind? Please lead the remaining warriors to the dungeon, and lock them in the cells. Inside each cell is a means for their escape. Those that pass this test, should then be escorted to the training grounds."
The tournament masters returned to the contestants and carried out the will of the princess. Of the hundreds of contestants that had stood this morning, less than fifty remained. Each was then locked in a cell.
"You have two hours to escape from your cell. The doors are reinforced steal, so this is not a test of your strength, rather a test of your mind. Inside each cell is a means to open the door. If you remain in the cell after two hours has elapsed, you will have failed and you will be free to go."
The old man pulled his hood closer to keep the chill of the cell off him. He was used to warmer climates. He sat down on the floor and started his spell. He could feel the familiar pull as he visualized the other side of the door, and his body faded and started to flow towards the door.
The spell failed. As his body neared the door, it banged off of it, and flicked back into view as he tumbled to the cell floor.
"Oh, and spell casters, the cells prevent you from simply teleporting out," chuckled the tournament master from outside the cells.
"He will be the first to burn for mocking me," the old man mused to himself, as he started to look around the cell. Built into the ground, lined with thick stone. He couldn't heat the stone to make his way out, with out cooking himself first. He started to check for loose stones, when he saw it. There, suspended above his head, and out of reach was a key connected to a chain. He looked at the door and sure enough, there was a key hole on the inside of the cell as well as the outside.
The old man's eyes flashed red, and he shot a fireball from his fingers. The fire melted the chain, and the key fell to the ground. He picked up the key and dipped the molten chain into a bucket of water in the corner.
The hooded man turned the key in the lock, and heard the click of success as the lock fell free. The old man threw the door open and walked out into hallway. The tournament masters escorted him out of the dungeon, and up to the fresh air of the training grounds.
Cole was already there waiting on one of the benches along the side of the field.
"Good job! How did you get your key," he asked.
"None of your business, boy," the old man spat, as he moved to the far end of the bench so he would be left alone.
The hairs on the back of Cole's neck stood up at the mention of the word boy. Cole stood and grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Do NOT call me boy!" Cole shouted.
"You don't know what you are meddling with, sit down!" hissed the man from beneath his hood.
Cole advanced on the old man, and drew his sword. Two guards grabbed Cole and hauled him back to the opposite end of the bench. "Save it for the final trial" one barked at him.
Cole sat on his end of the bench, and turned his back to the old man, sulking.
posted by Ben Gorski @ 7:25 AM,
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Welkin Battle
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Did you think it was JUST going to be words on a screen? Here's your trial of the Beast.
posted by Ben Gorski @ 11:55 AM,
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Chapter 3 - The Beast
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Chapter 3
The Beast
Cole and Ian headed out of the city walls to the forest. He, along with fifty other men and women grouped together to get their instructions from one of the tournament masters. There were dozens of other groups at different locations hearing the same instructions.
"In these woods, there are several beasts from around the known kingdom. You are to venture inside, and come back with proof of a kill. This means of course that not everyone can advance to the next round as there are less beasts than there are contestants. This trial of The Beast will test your physical abilities. Good luck!"
Many of the warriors hefted their swords into the air and charged into the woods screaming, in hopes of intimidating their prey as well as reaching them first. Others shuffled off into the woods meekly. Cole, however, waited.
Cole watched the other tournament members rush in, crashing through the woods as they disappeared into the undergrowth. And still, he waited.
There came a great roar from the woods, that shook the very tops of the highest trees. A large blast of fire blossomed out of the canopy, visible from the edge of the wood. Shortly after, many of the weak contestants, as well as some of the bold ones, came running out of the woods. Shouts of "Monster!" and "Beast!" could be heard as the contestants rushed past the tournament master and Cole. The sounds of battle could still clearly be heard as the toughest of the contestants still battled whatever beast was in there.
"Well, guess I should get in there, huh?" Cole said to the tournament master. He sheathed his sword and slung his bow over his shoulder. He then walked calmly into the woods.
Once inside the cover of the trees Cole stopped and listened. He could hear the sounds of battle off to his left. Knowing that these were beasts, and whatever was over there was probably tying up the majority of the other contestants, Cole set off in the opposite direction. The sounds of battle faded, and the sounds of the forest became easier to focus on. As Cole continued on he came across wagon tracks.
"This is probably how they carted these animals into the forest," thought Cole. He turned and followed the tracks till they stopped in a clearing. Cole stopped and began to look for tracks. Finding none, Cole quickly drew his bow and notched an arrow to the string. He crouched low and looked around the clearing's tree tops.
As he scanned the tops of the trees, a loud screech let out behind him. He dropped the bow and arrow, and whirled around as he drew his sword. He got it up just in time to block two large talons from tearing into his back.
The welkin was, for all intents and purposes, a very large eagle. It was about three times the height of Cole, with a wingspan that would easily cover Cole's family farm house and the stables attached. With intellect near human capacity, it made for a formidable foe. Cole watched as it crossed the clearing and landed in a tree, readying its next attack.
Cole notched an arrow and fired it directly at the bird. It was batted away with one of the huge wings.
"Clever," Cole mused as he dropped the bow and readied his sword. This time he would not be caught unaware. The welkin swooped down with its claws out. Cole side stepped and slashed at the beast.
The welkin crashed to the ground and flopped around. Cole had managed to slice one of its wings, rendering it unusable. He grabbed his bow and backed away from the bird, as it tried to right itself. While not as dangerous on the ground, the welkin could still cause damage. Cole drew back another arrow while the bird was still trying to get up, he let it loose directly at the birds head. The arrow plunged through it's eye and became lodged in the welkin's brain. The giant bird thrashed about and finally came to a stop.
Cole loped its head off with a swing of his sword, and started to follow the wagon tracks out of the forest.
On the other side of the forest , the hooded man hobbled out of the forest, with the claw of a fire hound in his hand. He flipped it towards his tournament master.
"Hmm, It must have taken you a lot of effort to down this," said the tournament master.
"Yes, err, it was rather hard," the hooded man responded. He was still weak from the spell he had used to sever the beasts paw from its foot, and then send it back from where it he had summoned it from.
"We'll take this as a mark of passing the first trial, congratulations. Now head up to the castle," the tournament master instructed.
The old man hobbled off towards the castle.
posted by Ben Gorski @ 5:25 PM,
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Chapter 2 - Tournament
Monday, October 20, 2008
Chapter 2
Tournament
The day of the tournament came faster than Cole had imagined, and it turned out to be a bigger deal than he first thought. His initial thought had been that a few guards and some hopefuls, like himself, would show up. However, about a week before the tournament was to be held all manner of people started showing up at the castle gates. The inns in the surrounding towns and the city proper posted signs saying, "No Vacancy." Some with lavish caravans from afar, brought odd, never-before-seen animals into the stables. The taverns were crowded, the streets were unnavigable and even the back alleys were packed.
"And you know shes up there looking down on all of this and just loving all the attention that she generated," Cole said to Ian as he was strapped onto his horse. "You know I can do this myself, Ian"
Ian, Cole, the twins and Cole's mother and father were all standing eagerly at the front of the house. Cole was already up on his horse, and Ian was adjusting the saddle straps and checking the saddle bags while the twins held the reins of his horse.
"Oh, I know, but every one else has a page or a squire or some sort of help. You don't want to be embarrassed," Ian said as he fussed some more with the straps and buckles.
"Fine, well hurry it up then...don't want to be late," joked Cole.
"Yes, your majesty," Ian said as he bowed low with a wide smile on his face. Renée giggled.
"Oh get off it," Cole said and reached down to tug at his collar, and pull him upright.
"You know you are going to have to get used to that, what with your new job and all. You are the best out there, you are sure to win!"
"It means a lot that you believe in me like that," Cole said, a slight glisten in his eye. "Now, let's get going!"
"Good luck, son," called Cole's father as Ian and Cole started down the path to the gate.
As they neared the gate that lead to the main road, Ian prepared to get of his horse and to open the gate when it suddenly blew open all by itself. Cole and Ian both looked back over their shoulders and waved to Renée and Ren. As they passed through the gate, the twins gestured at the gate from the front of the house again, and it slammed shut.
"Gentle," they heard their mother say, "Your father doesn't want to have to go fix that again."
"It must be nice having a pair like that around the house, huh," Ian asked.
"Yes and no. Mostly they use their gifts for mischief. Mother tries to teach them how to control themselves, but if they ever lose their temper it can be quite destructive," answered Cole.
The ride into the city was short, but the wait to get through the gates of the castle was long. Hundreds of people were there, including dukes and princes from far away lands, hoping that this would be one way to gain favor with the king. Cole sized up most of that lot and found that few, if any, were of any threat to him. Then there were the thugs, street brawlers and generally unsavory types. While they had experience, Cole guessed that none of them had formal training. Finally there were among the rabble, a few sizable warriors.
"Size isn't everything, you know," Cole told Ian, whose eyes had bugged out of his head at some of the people signing up. "Quick and nimble will usually win against slow and powerful."
Ian seemed to relax and the pair stepped up to the registration table.
"Name?" the registrar asked with out looking up.
"Cole..."
"...Tanner," the registrar's head shot up, "Well I'll be!"
"Geoff! I see they have taken you off guard duty, and put you behind a desk," Cole responded to his old mentor.
"Aye, not to my liking, but it's pretty much required these days, what with this bum leg and all. Well I won't need any more information from you. I can just fill the rest of this out. Let me get down to business and tell you how the tournament works. There are three trials today, The Beast, The Head, and The Warrior. The first pits you in single combat against a beast of random choice. Most of these softies will fall out at that point, but I suspect you will be moved onto the second challenge. This one will test the strength of your mind, and important quality to the princess. Finally, whoever is left at this point will compete in combat to choose a winner. Single elimination sword contest. You, sir, are to report to this location in an hour," Geoff said as he handed Cole his assignment.
"Thank you Geoff," Cole said. "It's going to take an hour to get there through this crowd, Ian, lets get moving."
Further back in the line, and old man limped along behind the people in front of him as he slowly moved towards the front desk. His eyes smoldered with a dull red glow beneath the hood he had pulled up over his head. He watched Cole move off through the crowd and then looked back to wait his turn to register.
posted by Ben Gorski @ 12:50 PM,
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Chapter 1 - The Flyer
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Chapter 1
The Flyer
"Tournament? What do I want with some silly tournament," Cole asked.
"You know you are the best swordsman here...you have to," Cole's friend Ian pleaded.
"What, just so I can run around like a fool looking after....her? No, not again. Look at this..."
Cole and Ian looked over the paper. Many just like it hung from every pole and announcement board all over the city.
TOURNAMENT
All able bodied warriors have the opportunity to report to the Castle grounds on July the 22nd for a tournament, the winner of which will become Princess Lilly's champion.
Report promptly at noon.
"Listen, I know you used to work in the castle...."
"I was practically her slave," Cole interrupted. "That stuck up little princess ran me all over that castle cleaning up after her, running errands...and she ALWAYS called me 'Boy'," shot Cole.
"I think you are over-reacting a little," chided Ian. "Plus, you aren't doing it for the honor of serving her-royal-pain-in-the-ass...YOU my friend are doing it for the pay," Ian insisted as he pointed to the bottom of the page.
"16 talers! You would be rich! Your family wouldn't have to work their field anymore. Comeon...don't do it for yourself, do it for your family!"
"I"ll think about it...I've got to get going."
As Cole trudged home his mind wandered back to those days in the castle. His family, trying to get him away from the family farm, decided to send him to the castle to be a page. The idea being that he would get exposed to a higher standard of living, and get an education that would carry him higher than the simple farm life they felt he was destined for.
He remembered his first day at the castle, a young boy of only six, lined up with all the other boys in front of Lilly, as she walked up and down. It was as if she was picking out a sweet from the bakers window.
"That one, Daddy. That boy there is the one I'd like," Lilly said as she pointed a stubby finger in Cole's direction. And that was that. From then on out from sun up to sun down he would do the young princess' bidding.
"Boy! I'm thirsty, bring me a glass of water" or "Boy! Ready my horses, I'd like to take a ride." Along with all the other chores that being a page brought, Cole felt run ragged. He would slide into bed later than the other boys in the page's dorm, and typically would be get up earlier to have enough time to complete all his tasks in time.
Some good had come of his days in the castle. Having been told by Princess Lilly on a daily basis that he would never amount to anything, only drove Cole harder to do better. He had made friends with a soldier on the castle grounds, who had taken it upon himself to teach Cole the way of the blade. Cole trained hard and was quick to learn and became a top notch swordsman. Ten years had passed since he had been picked to be Lilly's page, and having become a young man, Cole made the rash decision to leave his position and travel as a hired sword.
Not quite the life his family had wanted for him, but it earned a living. All that was in the past now. Cole was home, living just outside the city that surrounded the castle, working the family land. Cole was now 22, and the years he spent working the farm had not dulled his skills, nor his body. He was a lean man, with shot jet black hair. The years of battle had hardened his skin and scarred his face. Cole had picked up a rather nasty scar that just peaked out of his shirt up his left shoulder. When he removed his shirt, one could see the extensiveness of the scar, as it reached all the way across his chest.
All the hate for the royal family melted away from Coal as he rounded topped the hill that lead down to the farm house. Through the open window of the cottage that rested next to their field, Cole could see his mother and father preparing dinner together.
"Welcome home," Cole's father called to him. There was a shuffle from the back of the cottage and two more sandy haired little faces appeared at the window.
"COLE," Renée and Ren said in unison, and then ran from the window out the front door.
"PUT YOUR SHOES ON BEFORE YOU GO OUTSIDE," bellowed Cole's mother, but it was too late as the twins were already half way up the road to greet their older brother.
It was then that Cole decided that for the good of his family, he would have to at least try to become Princess Lilly's Champion.
Deep underground the Fire Lord fidgeted restlessly on his throne. His city was dying, and he wasn't sure what to do. So many beings relied on this underground city. He could not, no, he WOULD not loose it.
Suddenly there was a bang as the great doors flew open.
"Chamberlain! What news have you brought me," the Fire Lord asked.
"Regrettably sire, I have not found the answers you seek. The great furnace is going out and the magma inside has cooled. We are slowly losing power."
The Fire Lord swatted a nearby tray at the Chamberlain, "THAT'S the best you can come up with after two weeks of research? Why am I keeping you around? You haven't told me anything I don't already know after two weeks with the old texts!"
The Fire Lord stood, his arms shot up and his hands pointed directly at the groveling man. The Fire Lords eyes blazed red, as he prepared to unleash hellfire in the Chamberlain's direction.
"Lord, please..." cringed the Chamberlain, "...there IS mention of a heart..."
"Go on," the Fire Lord said as his eyes snuffed out and returned to their normal state.
"Well, the old texts did mention a heart. A heart so fiery that it could possibly reignite the great furnace."
"Where do I get this heart?" inquired the Fire Lord.
"That's the tricky part..."
posted by Ben Gorski @ 2:10 PM,
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Here we go again
Thursday, October 9, 2008
You KNEW I wasn't going to be able to stay away.
It's new. It's not a blog. It's a little project to see what I can come up with/how creative I can be. It's not going to be updated with any regularity, it's not about YOU, and while it does come from me, it's not about ME either. Hope you enjoy.
posted by Ben Gorski @ 12:08 PM,
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