I'm not very good at writing stories, and I don't always have time to, but here goes nothing! If you like it, sorry, but I can't write very often... ——————————————————————————————————————————— From the west, a new power is rising. They call themselves the Paladins, they have no home, no reason, only the lust for power. Chapter 1 “Sound the alarm! The Paladins, they’ve co–“ Those were the last words from the lookout before an arrow pierced his chest. Most of the guards there were new and inexperienced, and have never even see the thought of battle. Three of these guards, a mage, an archer and a swordsman, knew of this and instead of running into battle like so many others are. Instead, they gathered all of the civilians and made way for the back exit. The gates were soon broken, and the city was overrun by the bloodthirsty Paladins soon after they left. Already far from the city, the guards and villagers could see the pillar of smoke from the now burning city. The city, Morath, was destroyed, along with their riches and home. They knew they had to be swift if the Paladins had noticed them, and made way for the capital of their civilization, Damas. This was the first time the Paladins had attacked the kingdom, and certainly wouldn’t be the last. Chapter 2 After several days they finally reached Damas and with only one encounter, which was a paladin scout, yet the keen eyed ranger, Cera, shot it down quickly. The King of Damas, Darius, was not quite happy to see the guards and peasants in the capital, and quickly asked what happened. After the guards told him their story, he was thankful that they brought him this information, and was convinced they should be rewarded. The mage, Utho, said, “This isn’t something that we should be rewarded for, it is what any guard would have done.” And the ranger, Cera, and swordsman, Rancor, both agreed. “That may be, but I have another task for you. We need people to help an assault on the frontier, and I want you three to help as I am guessing you know a little about what the Paladins use.” King Darius said. All three said at once, “Yes, Sir.” “Then you will leave at midnight, so get some rest, and my daughter, Arsa, is coming with you, along with a few of my royal troops. You may also need some new equipment, I see that your stuff isn't very sturdy.” The three departed for the blacksmith, which equipped them with new armor, and weapons. A new sword, a 6 foot claymore for Rancor, and a new exoskeleton type armor. Cera received a long bow made from a Willow, 2 light knives, and a new cloak, fit for camouflage in the forest. Utho got a new staff, and a small shortsword. Afterward, the three set off for the barracks, where they would sleep for the night. Chapter 3 "Wake up soldiers!" Yelled the Royal Guard Captain Duncan. "We will leave in 20 minutes, pack your bags and meet us at the gate." The three companions quickly got outfitted, ate some fresh bread made by the cook, and set off for the gate. "We are to set for Findza," Duncan explained to some of the other Royal Guards. "We will then plan an attack against our new threat, the Paladins, with the troops already stationed there." As the three walked closer he pointed at them and said, "These 3 rookies are going to come with us, as you are experienced, I expect you to show them the ropes." The group was small, 11, guards including them, along with the princess. As they set off, 4 swordsmen began talking to Rancor about fighting, 2 talked to Cera and the healer and battle mage talked to Utho. The travel was mostly uneventful, eat, and walk. One of the days, Rancor asked Arsa, “Why are you being sent on a battle mission?” thinking that princesses are never fighters. Arsa sighed and said, “That’s what everyone says, but I am not a politician, I am a warrior.” He decided not to question the princess anymore. The group finally reached their destination when, they realized that the outpost was being ambushed. Duncan and the Royal Guards sprang into action, but told the guards and princess to stay behind. The three were amazed at how well the guards fought, when five ambushers tried to take the princess. Cera spotted them and shot one before Rancor and Utho noticed and they also both took down one, but to their surprise, they saw that Arsa took down the other two with ease. With that, Duncan finished off the last of the ambushers. In the battle, the leader of the outpost was slain, and the soldiers knew that if they ambushed us once, they were bound to do it again. In the rubble, they found one Paladin that was still alive. Chapter 4 After failing to get any information on the soldier, Arsa pulled out the strange purple necklace she wears on her neck. It is said that any who stare into that amulet are sworn to tell the truth. The Paladin then, as reluctantly as he could, spoke how the Paladins are supposed to take the next castle, Morkath. He even went into detail how they would destroy the houses, and kill the families, but at that point, Duncan heard enough, and slit his throat. The group decided it’d be best if they told Morkath about the attack, and set off for the castle. The soldiers were ambushed almost halfway through the trip. Although the Paladin force was small, they were still fighters, and killed off many of the surviving soldiers from the outpost. At sunset, the soldiers reached the small castle of Morkath. The leader was surprised to see the guards and when they told the leader about the upcoming attack, he agreed it would be best to evacuate the city and send the families with some guards to the closest kingdom. While that happened, Duncan and the other soldiers tried to figure out a plan to stop the incoming attack. They knew the cities defenses would not hold against such a ruthless force, and needed a way to trick the enemies. After some hours of thinking, they finally figured out a plan, a risky one, but it would pay out if it worked. The plan was that a small group of soldiers would stay inside of the castle, preventing any Paladins from breaching it as long as possible, while 2 groups, one on top of a hill, and another set in the trees. The hills already possess a natural advantage, and the other group will set the forest on fire causing confusing on the enemy side. It is a sacrifice, yes, but if they succeed, they could stop the Paladin invasion for now. And after discussing that with the troops, they were set into their positions, already seeing the glimmering red armor of the Paladins.
I put up Chapter 3 and 4. Also, is this starting to sound familiar? A Mage, Rancor, Arsa (nickname), Red Armor of the Paladins? No, of course not...