Post by BlackCoven on Mar 31, 2005 9:58:16 GMT -5
Act2 - Plains of despair
The plains of despair would be the only name to explain this desolate area. The wake of war was certainly devastating to the Earth, and this place was a prime example. All the vegetation was scorched away leaving only hardened clay and a few scattered weeds. Trash filled the area in a thick cluster. The smell, like burnt plastic and rotten fruit, as if the smell of death and filth has mixed with the air.
“Hey brat, get your ass over here!” A tall man with light armor yells from a small tent. Mercenary’s, these people traveled all over in search of food, water, and other items for trade. Because of the war, only the water beneath the ground was drinkable, so the people had to create a new filtration system to remove the toxins from the water. Because of the specific harmful toxins, it takes up to three days just to purify just a few gallons. Fuel is the next most valuable commodity since people still use old machinery to get around from place to place.
“Yes sir…”
“I hear you only brought in one gallon of oil, what the hell’s wrong with you?”
“I’m sorry sir, it was all I could find, honest.”
“Is that so…. Then why did the others each bring in five times that. We don’t feed you and give you a place to stay for you to do what you d*mn well please. You wont be getting food or water tonight, I hope this will help you realize what happens when you don’t pull your share.”
“Yes sir…”
“Now leave me…”
“Yes sir.” The boy says as he returns to his tent. There was roughly three hundred members of this particular army which made them quite powerful. For a boy who grows up in this army, he begins at an early age stealing and robbing until he becomes old enough to fight. Lucius was only fourteen, which placed him in the 3rd division. His duties are to take anything of value that younger boys can’t carry. He wasn’t that big of a kid, but with such small rations of food, it wasn’t uncommon. He wasn’t too well liked in the camp since he often did what he pleased. He didn’t want this lifestyle, but then again, it wasn’t really his choice. You did what was told of you or you paid the consequences. There was no code of loyalty, it was everyone for themselves, and those who can’t keep up get left behind.
Lucius often escaped his camp in search for artifacts from the old world. Occasionally, one could get lucky and uncover a book from the wreckage. Lucius loved to read of how the world once was. His guardian taught him how to read in hopes that one day he could make the mercenaries a larger and more dominant force. Men of this time were often thirsty for war since it’s all they ever knew. Most were born into the world during the final war, or the war to end all wars as it was often referred to as. Most can’t read or write but Lucius’s father felt that if he was smart enough, he could govern the army into a civilization once more. But he has no desire to follow in the footsteps his father had chosen for him, he always felt he had another calling.
"Whats on your mind Lucius?" Thomas Billings asked his son as he entered the tent with a strong look of discourage. Thomas was also just a soldier, but living as a doctor and preacher during most of the war, he abandoned his life after his family was murdered by a wandering army during the attack on Europe. He left his life behind to enlist in the army, after the wars, he joined some fellow soldiers to form the Iron Sword. Since then, his army grew ten times in size but has become more corrupt as the years went on. He always hoped that Lucius would become a great leader that would inspire them all. But deep inside, he knew Lucius's mind was somewhere else, it always was growing up, but he loved him anyway.
"Nothing sir... If you excuse me, I'm gonna take a walk."
"Sure Lucius, don't be long, it will be dark soon... This territory isn't safe at night, you know that."
"Yes sir."
--------------------
The Iron Sword… food…d*mn them… All they care about is food, water, and fuel for their machines. How can father ask me to lead this group heathens? This can’t be my calling, I was meant for more then leading 2-bit thieves and killers…
“LUCIUS, STOP.” Michael, my only friend it seemed. He was only a year younger then me, but was already much larger. He came from a large family and he is no different.
“Michael, what is it, you look….shocked…”
“Lucius, please you have to come quick, something’s happened to the others..”
A sinking feeling erupted in my stomach as the words rolled off Michaels tongue. “Father…”
I ran as fast as I could with Michael leading the way. I had managed to wander a mile from camp, it’s a wonder how Michael was able to find me at all. As we came up on the camp, smoke was rising from the tents and bloody bodies were lying all across the field. Birds were already picking at the bodies of the dead.
“Mi…Michael…. What the hell happened here?” I asked falling to my knees, “Are they all…”
“I think so…. I just made it back from a second run through town and found the camp like this…”
“Impossible, I was only gone for a couple hours it seemed…FATHER.” I yelled as I began running through the camp when I caught a glimpse of a man walking beyond the smoke. I immediately stopped in my tracks as I scoured for the figure hoping it wasn’t just a figment of my imagination. I watched intently at the dancing smoke as the figure became visible. As the smoke dissipated, the figure remained, he was wearing a white cloak while his back was turned. Confused, I walked around the smoke filled camp keeping my eyes focused on the man. Holding a necklace of beads, he seemed as if he was speaking to himself. As I walked far enough to see his face, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. The figure stopped as he looked in my direction. Shaking, I was never more confused by the face I saw. “me…”
The figure suddenly spoke breaking the silence that seemed to last forever..
“And the wicked shall burn in the fires of d*mnation for I am the word of god.”
The figure suddenly turned is head as if motioning to me. My eyes quickly dashed in the direction to see my father’s body, smoke lifting from his body. “Father….” I quickly shifted my eyes back to the figure but it was already gone, only smoke and ash remain. Spending only a few moments in thought, a voice seemed to wake me up from my daze.
“Lucius…what’s wrong?”
“Did you see him, the man in white?”
“What man?”
Breaking away, I see my father again, I quickly run to his side but he was long dead, they all were. How could they all have been killed in such a short amount of time? This can’t be happening… I remove the cross from my neck that he gave me as a child. I placed it on his chest as tears welled in my eyes…
What do I do now, I wondered as his voice echoed in my mind as the first time I heard them.
“Lucius, you were meant for great things, you are different from us. You were meant to lead. One day, you will lead the Iron Sword to great victories and glorious honor. You will bestow order amongst the people, I have faith in you my boy.”
I always felt he was right about one thing, I was different, but I just wish I knew how….or why…
The plains of despair would be the only name to explain this desolate area. The wake of war was certainly devastating to the Earth, and this place was a prime example. All the vegetation was scorched away leaving only hardened clay and a few scattered weeds. Trash filled the area in a thick cluster. The smell, like burnt plastic and rotten fruit, as if the smell of death and filth has mixed with the air.
“Hey brat, get your ass over here!” A tall man with light armor yells from a small tent. Mercenary’s, these people traveled all over in search of food, water, and other items for trade. Because of the war, only the water beneath the ground was drinkable, so the people had to create a new filtration system to remove the toxins from the water. Because of the specific harmful toxins, it takes up to three days just to purify just a few gallons. Fuel is the next most valuable commodity since people still use old machinery to get around from place to place.
“Yes sir…”
“I hear you only brought in one gallon of oil, what the hell’s wrong with you?”
“I’m sorry sir, it was all I could find, honest.”
“Is that so…. Then why did the others each bring in five times that. We don’t feed you and give you a place to stay for you to do what you d*mn well please. You wont be getting food or water tonight, I hope this will help you realize what happens when you don’t pull your share.”
“Yes sir…”
“Now leave me…”
“Yes sir.” The boy says as he returns to his tent. There was roughly three hundred members of this particular army which made them quite powerful. For a boy who grows up in this army, he begins at an early age stealing and robbing until he becomes old enough to fight. Lucius was only fourteen, which placed him in the 3rd division. His duties are to take anything of value that younger boys can’t carry. He wasn’t that big of a kid, but with such small rations of food, it wasn’t uncommon. He wasn’t too well liked in the camp since he often did what he pleased. He didn’t want this lifestyle, but then again, it wasn’t really his choice. You did what was told of you or you paid the consequences. There was no code of loyalty, it was everyone for themselves, and those who can’t keep up get left behind.
Lucius often escaped his camp in search for artifacts from the old world. Occasionally, one could get lucky and uncover a book from the wreckage. Lucius loved to read of how the world once was. His guardian taught him how to read in hopes that one day he could make the mercenaries a larger and more dominant force. Men of this time were often thirsty for war since it’s all they ever knew. Most were born into the world during the final war, or the war to end all wars as it was often referred to as. Most can’t read or write but Lucius’s father felt that if he was smart enough, he could govern the army into a civilization once more. But he has no desire to follow in the footsteps his father had chosen for him, he always felt he had another calling.
"Whats on your mind Lucius?" Thomas Billings asked his son as he entered the tent with a strong look of discourage. Thomas was also just a soldier, but living as a doctor and preacher during most of the war, he abandoned his life after his family was murdered by a wandering army during the attack on Europe. He left his life behind to enlist in the army, after the wars, he joined some fellow soldiers to form the Iron Sword. Since then, his army grew ten times in size but has become more corrupt as the years went on. He always hoped that Lucius would become a great leader that would inspire them all. But deep inside, he knew Lucius's mind was somewhere else, it always was growing up, but he loved him anyway.
"Nothing sir... If you excuse me, I'm gonna take a walk."
"Sure Lucius, don't be long, it will be dark soon... This territory isn't safe at night, you know that."
"Yes sir."
--------------------
The Iron Sword… food…d*mn them… All they care about is food, water, and fuel for their machines. How can father ask me to lead this group heathens? This can’t be my calling, I was meant for more then leading 2-bit thieves and killers…
“LUCIUS, STOP.” Michael, my only friend it seemed. He was only a year younger then me, but was already much larger. He came from a large family and he is no different.
“Michael, what is it, you look….shocked…”
“Lucius, please you have to come quick, something’s happened to the others..”
A sinking feeling erupted in my stomach as the words rolled off Michaels tongue. “Father…”
I ran as fast as I could with Michael leading the way. I had managed to wander a mile from camp, it’s a wonder how Michael was able to find me at all. As we came up on the camp, smoke was rising from the tents and bloody bodies were lying all across the field. Birds were already picking at the bodies of the dead.
“Mi…Michael…. What the hell happened here?” I asked falling to my knees, “Are they all…”
“I think so…. I just made it back from a second run through town and found the camp like this…”
“Impossible, I was only gone for a couple hours it seemed…FATHER.” I yelled as I began running through the camp when I caught a glimpse of a man walking beyond the smoke. I immediately stopped in my tracks as I scoured for the figure hoping it wasn’t just a figment of my imagination. I watched intently at the dancing smoke as the figure became visible. As the smoke dissipated, the figure remained, he was wearing a white cloak while his back was turned. Confused, I walked around the smoke filled camp keeping my eyes focused on the man. Holding a necklace of beads, he seemed as if he was speaking to himself. As I walked far enough to see his face, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. The figure stopped as he looked in my direction. Shaking, I was never more confused by the face I saw. “me…”
The figure suddenly spoke breaking the silence that seemed to last forever..
“And the wicked shall burn in the fires of d*mnation for I am the word of god.”
The figure suddenly turned is head as if motioning to me. My eyes quickly dashed in the direction to see my father’s body, smoke lifting from his body. “Father….” I quickly shifted my eyes back to the figure but it was already gone, only smoke and ash remain. Spending only a few moments in thought, a voice seemed to wake me up from my daze.
“Lucius…what’s wrong?”
“Did you see him, the man in white?”
“What man?”
Breaking away, I see my father again, I quickly run to his side but he was long dead, they all were. How could they all have been killed in such a short amount of time? This can’t be happening… I remove the cross from my neck that he gave me as a child. I placed it on his chest as tears welled in my eyes…
What do I do now, I wondered as his voice echoed in my mind as the first time I heard them.
“Lucius, you were meant for great things, you are different from us. You were meant to lead. One day, you will lead the Iron Sword to great victories and glorious honor. You will bestow order amongst the people, I have faith in you my boy.”
I always felt he was right about one thing, I was different, but I just wish I knew how….or why…
) 