Here's a story I've been writing recently. While reading it, do watch out for the themes behind it. Darkness falls on Brizan. The bright stars over the city of Brizanthus twinkled as if in blind ignorance of the happenings below. They shone inexorably like strong torches in the midst of a gale as screams echoed upwards into the sky. These cries bounced from tower to rooftop and from market stall to well as a massacre was steadily unfolding within the city. The bright light of the moon illuminating beads of blood which were cast up into the sky as sword met sword and sword met flesh. The minds of many were combined into a single common thought the urge to kill which guided their blades into the bodies of others. This bloodshed continued on the wall tops of Castle Zerfendal as groups of similarly clad soldiers met each other. One such group stood on the outer battlements backed up against a large defense tower. There were six or seven of them in all each wore the heavy chain coats of militia and rounded helmets whose steel form covered only the top of the head, relying on chainmail hanging from the ends to cover the ears and neck. Stand your ground men! The rebelling forces are almost upon us! shouted the captain of the small group as they compacted into a formation. Each held out their shield and extended their swords to meet the coming forces. Down the battlements came another group of men clad likewise. Their swords met as human fought human and countrymen fought countrymen. A sword slashed at the captains face and he quickly parried but only to realize a sword was sticking in his gut. He gasped in pain as the blade was removed form his body and he toppled downwards. The same blade was quickly lodged into a shield, followed by a skull. The skirmish raged on for a moment or two as the twenty or so men in the division drove back the squad with almost unanimous results: victory. Kill the swine who slew our king! exclaimed one of the triumphant soldiers, burying his spear into the body of an already dead soldier. His boot met the corpse and he kicked it off of the wall cackling with mirth. Kill them! Kill them! Fire was now rising from the highest chambers of the castle as the coup reached its darkest stage. One of the forces the soldiers with the blue cloths tied around their wrists was steadily crushing the plain soldiers and pushing them back to their barracks, which were promptly set on fire and sealed off from the outside world. Soldiers panicked as they were shoved in rooms with their comrades rooms they had once enjoyed in and even slept in only to find that their pseudo-safety was merely like the safety of a fox running into its hole. Like a fox, they could be smoked out, but their hole only had a single entrance. Torches were cast in and the doors were bolted. Flames licked at their bodies as they were toasted alive in the rooms turned ovens. Old ways must be extinguished with new and cruel methods of punishment, said a commander as he kicked a door shut. He looked through the barred window at the dying soldiers and smiled. They were finally destroying the pesky fools among them in a single coup de main. There would be no more prattle form them, as their nation was now ridding itself of its weakness. He smiled in at the soldiers whose faces, hair, and limbs were not alight. For a short moment he waved to them before finally turning his back on the window. We will forge for ourselves a new order, this one more unified and much stronger than our last. Two soldiers came up to him. The captain nodded to him and they all walked across the court. They were met by a few random enemies but nothing on the caliber which could put up a fight. They were all sliced to pieces and cast aside like dummies. Behind them the castle was steadily burning, the flames now spreading into the court behind them. Once they had reached a safe distance away they stopped and watched the high towers of the castle sparkle with fire. The dark night was now illuminated by the pyre. Meanwhile atop the main tower a shadowy figure was walking down from the thronerooms steps. He was standing in a long hall dominated by the staircase he was moving down. The walls were high like a cathedral, all centered on a large oaken door at the top. His blue cape flourished ominously as the flames rose behind him. His face shaped itself into a smile as he extended his fingers as if pointing. Another man was now before him at the bottom of the staircase a man in golden armor. So, are you the one who is behind this! exclaimed the armored man from behind his visor as he glared at the man. It wasnt a question, it was a statement of disbelief. No, at least not according to the public. The media has been informed that the Zerfendal Security Brigade has betrayed our king and thrown him from power. The 25th Division, which happens to be stationed in the castle, has now leaped to the rescue of the king but sadly he could not be saved. Now we have assigned ourselves to avenge his death. Do you expect me to believe that load of hogwash! I didnt kill our sovereign and look who the one with the bloodstained sword is! You killed him you fool, you killed him! I will avenge our great king Randibal! I dont care if you believe it or not. Soon youll be dead, so why does it matter? I only care about whether the people who will be alive tomorrow believe me or not. If they dont believe me then they must follow my path and if they do not follow my path they must die. Its that simple. If your ideals are limited to a single finite being our former king then I do pity you, because he would have died anyway and theres nothing you could have done to stop that. My job is not to defend a single person but to defend the entire royal family. Can you not understand that? My ideals are not limited to that of a monarch but my ideals are the same as our royal family! Those who interrupt my ideals are my enemies and sadly you have done that! I am not the one who will die but you are and your death will be very much deserved. On guard, committer of regicide your minutes are numbered so I suggest you right yourself with your deity while I hack your body to pieces. Die traitor to this noble nation! The knight lunged up the stairs and his blade struck the mans blade. The mans sword was a short rapier whose blade was ragged with years of battle but it moved with a slender grace. As if he was conducting an orchestra he easily blocked each of the hate-fueled blows with a cool efficiency. One lunge form the golden sword after another was parried aside. The sword came towards his chest but suddenly the man disappeared. He appeared over the knights head in a summersault and he landed behind his foe. The man a high ranking nobleman had the agility of a cat and the skill of a master. Without a single air of offense he thwarted all actions made by the knight without exerting any effort whatsoever. No matter how quickly the sword moved it was parried, dodged, or blocked with utter ease. The lord again disappeared and immediately he was at the top of the stairs again. Do you see how far your brute force has brought you? All you have managed to do was ware yourself out to the point of exhaustion. Youre pretty tired, arent you, especially with those heavy weapons. You fool! My will to fight for my country will overcome you. You have little offensive power I take it, as you have merely made efforts to dodge. I only have to hit you once and then you will be dead! Oh really? Well, I guess well find that out then. Watch as your body is torn asunder by my power! Suddenly he threw his hand to his side and a powerful blast of energy exploded under his feet. Pure power surged from his body as he stood there, his hair blowing in the wind and his eyes twinkling with a bright glow. The knight thrust his sword at him but as the sword entered the area where the noblemans body was he was gone. He appeared high up near the top of the vault-like ceiling. He was suspended in air as if he was standing on a surface, power still soaring from his body. He floated down to the bottom of the stairs and with a single slash of his hand the collected power was used. Tresfredourus Mechinhaftyertar! Gather winds and strike my foe asunder! cried the noblemen and his arm flew forward in the direction of the knight. The power amassed into a single wave and flew at the knight who was busy charging at the man. He was thrown up into he air like a rag doll. His body crashed into the ceiling creating a gigantic creator and he plummeted tot he ground. So, you are using the ancient magic long forbidden by the law of this nation. That strange tongue... I have heard it before... that is the tongue of races long past. You are correct. I am surprised you even know of these abilities, as I doubt a bodyguard to the king such as yourself would profess in sorcery. I thought your sort despise it and shun it as a weapon for the weak? It is my place to know the laws of this land, the very same laws you are disgracing! He did not respond, but instead rose up into the air once again. Firatone Tres Greghartysef! Flames of the eternal torment of the damned I claim you as my tool! He sliced the air once more with his hand and a flurry of fire flew form all around. The stones of the floor transformed into fire and the flames which were consuming the throneroom collected into balls of fire. The cascade of heat soared down onto the knight as he attempted to struggle. The flames formed from balls into daggers and from daggers into weapons of torture as they solidified into liquid magma and covered him from head to toe. The knight overcame the attacks with his immense stamina and charged at the sorcerer. Bloacardo maru Cealstor! The light of the moon, the light of the sun, convert yourself into rays of binding light! Hold this man fast! Light began to solidify into chains around the warrior, picking him up off the ground and hanging him in mid air. This incantation was continued by another. Dagres Transfe Greghartysef! Stab my foe with the bright blades of a thousand daggers! The ceiling transformed into a bright and shining wall of blades. They all came crashing down at once at the helpless body and lodged themselves into his armor. He wailed in pain as the knives poked and prodded at his body like needles. He attempted to free himself but it was impossible; his body was mauled from head to toe. Finally as the daggers began to vanish a terrible sight was unfolded. The bodyguards armor was gone and all that was left of him was a barely clothed body covered in stab wounds. He crawled down the stairs towards the magician, blood covering the floor behind him like water leaking from a bucket. All was covered in his gore and little to speak of was left of him. He was a brown-headed man of around forty but that was about all that could be seen from his broken body. His limbs were all broken and smashed, his body was covered almost entirely with wounds, and his face was stained red with his own blood. Tormente, came a single word as the man pointed his finger at the knight. He howled in pain as if a thousand invisible spikes were being rammed into all parts of his body. What were you saying earlier? Something about defeating me? No, you are not even on the brink of fighting me on an equal footing. Clouded by doubt you challenged me and clouded by pain your body shall go. Goodbye, ignorant one, the only joy you ever gave anyone was the joy of allowing me to kill you. All you accomplished in life was to serve as a weak barrier standing before my power. Goodbye, Sir Greshew of the Royal Guards. The man stepped away from the body and headed out towards the oaken door to the room. The light of the moon was now shining in on the still wailing corpse as most of the room had been destroyed from the battle. Rubble covered the floors in a quantity only rivaled by the amount of blood. The sorcerers blood was not shed, only the knights. The doors opened and he emerged out onto a balcony overlooking the carnage the soldiers had created. A guard walked up to him a blue armband was on his arm and began to speak. Commander, we have killed many of the Randibal Faction of the military. Most of the guards whom we have located have been duly executed and now we are pushing the battle to the interior of the castle. We have sent out twelve assault groups into the main area of the city who are promptly clearing out any remaining patches of resistance within the urban complex. Sir, I estimate that within twenty-four hours we will rule Brizanthus. Good, he said in a satisfied voice, at that time I will address the people. We will unite under the banner of a new nation and will subdue the former areas of the Kingdom of Brizan. Soon more than this city will be ours but the entire nation. Go along Commander Fregtre and teach our foes new varieties of pain! Yes Lord Monkar! I will fulfill your wishes and bring our enemies to subservience! * * * * * Come this way, I think I see a small guard post across the street! A squad of about ten guards ran down an avenue in the dark city. Lights were on in the surrounding houses and several people had awoken due to the battle in the castle but for the most part the populace was too disoriented to make any sort of action. There they are Captain Zerfos! The captain stared at the small wooden building which was the local guard station from behind a small fence they were observing the activities from. A few guards were standing out but not enough to create resistance. Attack! he cried after deciding no further surveillance would improve the situation. He raised up his sword, his blue armband flashing in the moonlight and raced forward with his men at his heels. What? Were under attack! Its the 25th division! Kill the traitors! Three guards ran up from the outpost with their spears and lunged at the charging squad but after a short skirmish they were overpowered. Zerfos sword cut through ones helm and then he quickly dodged an attack at his waist. He leaped into the air with a cry and slashed at ones face. He recoiled clutching at his wound and wailing but he amassed enough energy to make one final attack which was quickly parried. As one of his comrades overpowered the guard beside him a few more ran out. These five reinforcements wielded long scimitars and were clearly of the elite watchmen sent out to break the backs of the most infamous criminals. Their helms were larger and instead of chainmail they wore padded leather clothing with chain-link sleeves and leggings. For King Randiabal the Benevolent! Before a moment had passed a scimitar was shoved in Zerfos face but it was shortly parried. Their two swords met with sparks and they engaged in a text of strength, each straining their swords to defeat the other. Zerfos broke away and whirled around with his sword but it again met a scimitar. He managed to make a quick faint and but the soldiers arm but it was his left so it didnt go very far. The soldier withdrew his arm as if in pain but suddenly the left arm was gripping a dagger. The soldier slashed at Zerfos and almost cut off his head with his little faint and both of them were now a short distance away from each other. The guard was holding a small pouch of fake blood in his fist along with the silver dagger. A tricky ploy, but you will still be defeated! Commander Monkars forces are invincible! Zerfos attacked with a finishing blow which struck the mans right arm. Heralded by a cry of pain, the entire arm was lopped off and with another stroke of the sword so was his head. Keeping the momentum Zerfos swung around to face two guards at once. He thrust out his hand sending a blast of blue energy a the two soldiers. The wave hit them full in the stomachs throwing them backwards a few feet but they both landed unharmed. Within a moment Zerfos threw himself forward. Oh great thunderer I cry upon they self for aid! White blast of lightning! Three bolts of energy sprung from his hand and hit the guards full in the face. They were both injured by the spell but the real damage came when they, disoriented, were caught of guard and promptly killed. Crier of many tears wash away mine enemies with your torrents of rain! He again cried out an incantation as a blast of water flew at yet another battalion of incoming soldiers. He drew his sword and met them head of. Some had been knocked down but the first few withstood the attack and went onwards. After making short work of them, along with his allies, they sprinted towards the outpost in mind to destroy. Zerfos grabbed a torch and threw it up against the structure. Within moments it had burned down and the soldiers had assembled before Zerfos. We must proceed to meet up with the main liberation army, men! I have heard that they are heading down the main street to storm the main guard headquarters. Once this is down the resistance in this city will be at a minimum. After we take out that fortress this battlell be over. They ran over to the end of the street and after going down a few roads they finally reached the main city road. Before them was a long avenue stretching through the city and ending in a large stone fortress surrounded by crude wooden fortifications. The entire road had become a battlefield as rocks flew from the air and soldiers clashed with soldiers. The squad ran into a pack of archers at full speed as they joined the battle with their comrades. Zerfos cut forward with his blade killing one archer but before he could decapitate another he had dropped his bow and pulled out a short sword. He parried and attack or two before somersaulting backwards and lunging forward for the kill. He swung his blade in several deadly cuts slaying several more archers before rushing down the street with his sword held with both hands to his side. Suddenly, in the midst of the fighting, he spotted a single lone figure who stood like a mediator in the middle of the struggles. As both sides fought on around him he approached the figure with his sword held ready. The figure was a tall gentleman wearing expensive clothes of fines silks, a fancy top hat, and a cane tipped with rare onyx. He gave a genteel smile as he ran his finger down his fancy mustache and stood unwaveringly as Zerfos bolted towards him. Zerfos raised his sword and struck at the man but before it made contact the gentleman was soaring up into the air. His arms were outstretched and the smile was still there. Zerfos prepared for another strike but before the gentleman touched the ground he held up his cane and pulled it into two pieces. The hollow wooden body was containing the blade of a sword with the canes tip as a handle. He dropped to the ground and their weapons met at full force, sparks flying everywhere. Aw, Captain Zerfos, commander of the 12th squad within the 25th division of the Brizan army, the same division which is holding a military coup this very night. Glad to meet you I am Colonel Vertoc, Commander of the 17th division of the army. Prepare to be defeated! He lunged his sword-cane at Zerfos who quickly leaped backwards and slashed his left hand forward in a karate-chop manner. Wind who dispels flame and conquers all else hear my plight! Tornatic Strike! cried Zerfos, crying out his incantation in the brief pause which then transpired. The shock wave created by the spell struck the man full in the face sending him back a few feet. He recovered instantly and leaped backwards a safe distance away from Zerfos. So, you resort to the basic magic? Bah, you weakling. As you well know there are three kinds of magic in this land: Basic Magic, Sagely Magic, and Ancient Magic. Only those hardened with experience and skill in battle may use the first, but still greater are the requirements in using the second. One must spend years training to unlock these skills and must devote most of their life to master it. The third is so mysterious we have very little understanding of it. I have achieved this second level of skill which surpasses the first by several times. He smiled and continued, since you have begun with your crude spells the spells of a warriors but not a magician I will demonstrate the purified and untainted version of your skill. I will defeat you with a greater and more powerful version of your own weapon. He thrust his arm forward and cried with all of his voice, Engulf! Pillars of flame the size of building flew from his fingers as he whipped his arms around like horsewhips. He swung his hand forward and a giant stream of fire shot at Zerfos. He jumped to the side but the flames struck some of the links of his chainmail and melted them away like ice. The purest magma of engulf is hot enough to melt iron. You, a clumsy soldier with heavy chainmail, cannot challenge me. Before you can dodge your very armor will have melted off of you. Then it will be your body to slowly melt. Zerfos swooped into the air but the flames still pursued him. As the blaze shot up behind him he quickly dropped back down to the ground and sprinted at his antagonist. His sword met the metal tip of his foes cane with a clash as they dueled in the heart of the burning flames. The fire had now begun to swirl around them in fear of hitting its master and the two had become gripped in mortal combat. He knew that if he disengaged the fire would be after him within moments so he concentrated on getting a close as possible to his foe. He slashed at Vertocs face but the attack was quickly parried and the follow up struck Zerfos s left arm causing blood to pour out in gushes. He blocked a blow which was clearly aimed for the skill and attempted to get past Vertocs nearly impenetrable defense but with no success. Each of his blows was countered and sometimes his short pause was taken advantage of and Vertoc nearly killed him once or twice. The two fought on, oblivious from the rest of the fighting, the battle swerving form ones favor to anothers. You will be defeated you mere captain! I have fought and trained for years and this will not go to waste. Prepare to fall in battle for the first and last time! Suddenly a sword was lodged in Captain Zerfos chest and he let out a cry of pain. He fell to the ground. He had finally been overpowered. Liberty, Equality, and Freedom The sun shone brightly down on the ruins of the castle. The battle from the day before had reduced many of the rooms and several of the higher towers to rubble and now the fortress, surrounded by a spike filled ditch, the citys walls, and a large meadow, was clearly a little bit worse for wear. The courtyard of the castle was filled with a large crowd of commoners, all wearing the russet clothing of merchants, craftsmen, traders, and townsfolk. They stood nervously as if waiting. In the midst of the crowd stood two guards, each wearing the blue arm bands of the 25th division. The firsts arm was in a sling, though he wore the attire of a captain who is marked by a green cloak marked with the symbol of captaincy he was also accompanied by a common soldier wielding a halberd. The captain leaned over to his body guard as the crowd moved around him and said quietly, That was some night last night. Im lucky to be alive, but fortunately our forces were strong enough to fight without me... Sir, if you hadnt stalled that colonel until we got reinforcements we all would have been toast. If It wasnt for you Id probably be dead by now... dont talk like that sir... No, I failed... lets just change the subject, okay? Sure, Captain Zerfos. So, what is going on? Why were we instructed to guard this common dirt, or more appropriately, why did we even let them through the gate? Quiet, they might hear you. Our general now our sovereign s going to give a speech I heard. Apparently he will be laying out the new government, though I bet you not half of what he says is going to be true. Care to elaborate? As a shroud politician and wise military commander, General Monkar isnt about to let the populace actually know the truth, which is likely not to their benefit. A wise politician does not tell his subjects the truth in fact he does the contrary and tells them what they want to hear. Any experienced politician who wants public support will do this and everyone knows it, except the gullible. As the rabble will flock around the banners of change they will lead themselves to their own destruction. Isnt that a bit underhanded, sir? Not one bit. The weak and foolish deserve to be cheated. If one lacks the intellect to see through little tricks like this then they are of keen mind and those who are of keen mind will likely flock to us. Anyone with intellect will flock to the ones who have the power us so we dont really have very much to fear. You have much to learn, soldier, so make sure that you watch closely as His Excellency speaks! ...Right! Heh, the fools, said Zerfos to himself as he stood for a moment with his eyes closed, they will buy his majesty Monkars change, but they will fail to realize that change can be for the better or for the worse. The illusion of change is one of the best ways to captivate a crowd of fools they believe that this so called change will be for their betterment and if this change doesnt even exist they will follow it blindly. By the time they realize the truth, continued Zerfos, they will realize that this change which they welcomed in was not what they had bargained for. Either the change will be the same as previous years with a different ruler, or this change will be something they did not expect at all. Either way, we win and they lose. * * * * * Sir, we have finished all of the preparations. The populous of the city of Brizanthus have all been assembled in the courtyard. We have selected the single most proactive and gullible from each family and given them an invitation to the speech as you have specified, sir. Good, you may leave now, Gresdej, I have no more use for you at the moment. Sir, before I go I just have one question... said the man. He stood at one side of a stately office by the door, staring at General Monkar who was sitting at his desk. Gresdej was an aging man of around sixty who sported grey hair, a brown cloak, some greenish armor, and a very large sword at his belt. Speak, said Monkar briskly. Well, sir, what are ya trying to accomplish here? You know all youre saying are lies, and I do to. Do you really think theyll be convinced by that load of trash? Just one wrong move one wrong move... and were toasted! We need to watch what we say. Dont worry, Gresdej, I have this planned out very well. First of all we have only invited the gullible radicals who will surely swallow what we are trying to get across. One from each family. These family members will be told to report to us if anyone disagrees with our ideas for statistical reasons so that we can be sure that the public opinion is on our side. We will ask the persons name, address, and all other information we need to meet up with the. Ah, I see, very clever. So whoever disagrees with our ideas gets rubbed off early on and only the fools and the radicals remain? Smart. Yes, and we may even find some new recruits for our army amongst the tattle-tales who seem things our way. Who knows? Gresdej nodded and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Monkar leaned back in his chair and whistled for a few moments. He had finally conquered the city it was all his yet he still wasnt satisfied. He sighed and after a few moments of pondering he stood up and walked towards the balcony at one end of the office. He reached out his hand and pushed open the double doors and stepped out onto it. It was a bright summers day but that did not take anything away from the glory of the occasion. The commander stepped out to the ornate railing and placed his hand upon the top of it, the other stretched out like the hand of a visionary. A large crowd had amassed under him and he was all ready. He began his first address to his people and most certainly not his last. People of the Kingdom of Brizan, I bring you back to neigh on one-hundred years ago. Back then we were a mere tribe in the hills to the north of us 1 we were all alone and with nothing, not even technology, to help us. We eventually came to odds with a nearby tribe and a vicious war began. Once these foes were driven into subservience by the great king Kalsheron the Great. Together they formed an alliance by the name of the Kingdom of Brizan. This alliance lived on until this moment in time. No I bring you to a second period in time just a few days ago, yesterday to be precise. Again the strong clashed with the weak but this time the circumstances were different: a powerful military organization called the Royal Guards attempted to overthrow our great and noble king Randibal. These imbeciles burst into the throneroom and murdered him before we, the 25th division could stop them, but we quickly took revenge. Now look what has happened to our castle because of their fowl acts? They, in their military coup, have disrupted this nation to the core. Now, I, your liberator, will take command of the armies and drive the knaves of the Kingdom of Brizanthus into the piles of slime where they belong, but I will not stop at that, I will set alight their piles of slime and let these murders burn! Now, I wish to cleanse this nation of evil and from the evil will emerge something new. Like whenever you clean a trophy of dirt it becomes like a new object and this new object, like a trophy, shall carve a path of victory before it! This nation has endured long in this single form but a trophy cannot stay for long periods of time undusted. This nation shall be cleaned to the point of becoming new and sparkling. I will shape this nation with the iron fist of the law, the divine benevolence of God, and the bright and glorious gleam of change! This bright change will bring forth a new day, a new light, and a new glory. I will now give name to this newborn which has been born of the union between order, divinity, and change. I hereby form the Brizanthian Alliance in the wake of this catastrophe but do not fear, this nation will be greater than our last! Now before me I see the bright and glorious light of our future. This future is filled with joy, prosperity, and hope! I now call unto this future and cry out to all of you to make this future happen. To call forth the bright and shining rays of this prophecy I have dreamed we must fight for the ideals of these three forces which will shape our nation. If we do not then we shall fall into misery and despair. With all my heart I beg each and every man to enlist into this new militia I am forming, this new standard bearer for peace, liberty, and change! I call this the Brizanthian Grand Army! Now what is this change I bring? This change ism wealth to all, happiness, peace, joy, and security. I will do all in my power as the new commander in chief of our army to create this world, and still I will hand my power willingly to its origin: the people. As tge royal family has ceased to exist, their last dying in the coup made by their own bodyguards it is down to me to decide what happens now. Yet still, I chose to give this power away to the people, to the common Joe! How can this be? Why would a greedy man relinquish such power? It is because my heart is honest and pure. Now I establish the office of chief Prime Minister of the nation. This office I herby bestow to he whom the people have sided with for who knows how long. I now give full administrative authority to Mr. Gresdej! Cheers rose up form the courtyard as Gresdej stepped out onto the balcony. He now wore the cloak of his new office, a pair of clam glasses which made his face a thousand times more amiable, and a wide grin. I now surrender this speech over to the new Prime Minister of the country, Mr. Gresdej! He will be concluding our speech with his admittance address. Hello people of the Brizanthian Alliance. I now will declare the plan which me and Mr. Monkar have been formulating over the past few minutes. This plan we have devised will stress the rights and liberty of you, the people, and will keep you all safe and secure! As of now I declare that we shall strive to unify the populace of this nation 1 of the world into a single consortium who will work for the greater good of all! This new nation, the Brizanthian Alliance, will be comprised of the nations of the world coexisting in a peaceful manner! This new nation will become the ultimate nation, the nation without strife or fear! We will build ourselves a utopia where man lovers his fellow man, where city loves its fellow city, and where nations exist together in harmony. Gone will be the days of strife and war; gone will be the suffering and the pain. This nation, the nation of the world, will be without flaw and without tribulation! We will form ourselves perfection and we will do this through conquest and the proliferation of arms for these few months it will take to establish the utopia! I now declare each and every man in here a citizen of the Brizanthian Alliance; I now declare each and everyone in here a soldier for pacifism, joy, and coexistence! All of you are now enlisted into our campaign to expand total peace and justice! Order to squash the enemies of peace; the grace of the divine to illuminate our way and cast the grace of peace over us; change to renew what is old and bring forth a new day from the darkness. These forces are our sword and the banner of world peace is our shield! Fight on, citizens, for the day we establish our ideals is the day the utopia is born! A rising cheer filled the courtyard as the occupants leaped up into the air with joy. The promise of peace and prosperity blinded them with mirth as the new Brizanthian Alliance was formed. A rising cheer turned into a cascade of festivities as the downfall of their liberties was celebrated with excitement. They all took in the lies like sheep. Zerfos leaned back and watched in amusement as the surrounding people celebrated. So, are they really this stupid? Why on earth are they celebrating their own downfall and our rise to glory? Ignorant fools the common Joe really is as dumb as we suspected. Lets hope their passion for this lasts as long as their ignorance, said Zerfos, So the Brizanthian Alliance eh? Looks like the brass did a pretty fine job of polluting everyones minds. Gresdej stepped back from the balcony with a smile across his face. Gresdej and Monkar both stepped back into the office, their capes raising up in the growing wind. As they close the door a storm was beginning to brew just like a storm was beginning to brew over the nation. War was neigh and on top of that a reign of terror beyond imagining. The new democracy of the world was about to set off on its world-conquest mission. Hah! The speech went splendidly Gresdej! declared Monkar with a wide grin on his face. It will be quite difficult sleeping tonight for many of our populace though, until they fall into the eternal doze, of course. Monkar smiled with that last phrase and sat down at his desk. What do you mean my lord? Youll see come midnight tonight, I dare say. * * * * * The light of the moon would have lit the alleyways of Brizanthus quite well had there not been a feverous thunderstorm raging all around. Rain poured down from the vaults of the heavens like a barrage of artillery as it struck roofs, houses, and vehicles. Lightning tore open the air as it moved with a serge of electricity from one cloud to another and occasionally from the sky down to the surface. It was quite a belly-washer but the dark omens did not stop there. The sound of torrents of rain striking a tin can echoed through the alley for a few moments. The origin of this noise was a squad of armored soldiers rushing through the drench. This house! cried Zerfos, the lead soldier, as he came to a door in the side of the alleyway. Sir, are you sure, I dont see any sign of life from inside. Theyre expecting us, said Zerfos ominously. He reached out his hand and knocked on the door three times. His loud fist struck the wood echoing an auspicious warning of impending death to the occupants. There wasnt a sound. Suddenly the door flew open and a sword slashed downwards at the guards. They scrambled backwards and through the door merged a commoner wielding a very large weapon. Die hounds of the new democracy! You think you can come and kill my wife and children because of my political views! Ill give you political views right where it hurts you dogs! He swung the blade with a hate-filled slash and leaped forward once more with a quick blow. His strokes were filled with righteous indignation and the urge to kill. One of Zerfos men attempted to apprehend him but he was sliced down the middle and after only a moment he had lost an arm. Right before the man could finish off the poor soldier Zerfos lunged forward and parried the blow. The mans counter attack was swift but Zerfos managed to dodge it and stick his sword in the mans chest. Fools who do not pursue the new democracy must die a painful death! You go full in the face of freedoms and long for monarchy. You are truly a pitiful creature if you cannot manage your small share of the government! For the New Brizanthian Alliance! He new every word he said was bosh, and he knew that the man had done the right thing, but no matter the level of the trickery it did not matter to him. Monkars world would be a better place than the previous one where the strong ruled the weak as all should be governed. His squad rushed into the house. They began their practice by kicking over vases, demolishing property, and slashing open clocks, the floor, and furniture. They ran all over the house pulling loot from drawers, smashing prized possession, and grabbing hold of the familys possessions. The lust for riches filled them as they tore apart the house for any sort of monetary gain they could get their hands on. As the weak are made to be subservient to the strong, why should they even own property? All should and does belong to the powerful. To deny this is to defy the will of nature. Power rules and weakness serves. Eventually Zerfos happened upon the master bedroom. He walked into the room and stood there for a moment. All was silent. After the pause he said in his sharp voice, I know youre there get out now or Ill put an end to your lives! Two children crawled out from under the bed. They both looked at Zerfos with tears all over their eyes. Their faces were livid with fear and their eyes wide open with shock. Any last words? The door slowly creaked as it closed. Screams of pain came from inside mixed with cried for mercy and wails for the childrens parents. The crackdown had begun. The streets of Brizanthus were filled with greedy soldiers running into the houses of their own brethren. The smell of smoke was in the air as the property of those who still opposed the rule of Monkar were sacked and pillaged. If a single member of a family was known to have opinions contrary to the beliefs of Prime Minister Gresdej and Commander Monkar then the entire family was tortured, abused, stolen from, and then finally murdered. Fires which were started in neighborhoods of rebels were not contained but allowed to spread strategically in the inquisition against the fools who opposed the new government. The savagery of the looting soldiers was beyond parallel. This nation had never seen such a savage coup as this and this was the very first time the city of Brizanthus had been sacked. There was no mercy, no pity, and no regret,. There was only the desire to kill and expand ones riches Common thieves and rouges joined in the thieving and were allowed to selectively pillage the houses of rebels as well but as soon as they showed any signs of leaving they were promptly killed and their collected loot was taken. The soldiers were comparable to fire and forget missiles since as soon as they were launched they went without bounds. If one was wealth enough, regardless of their political views, their house was stormed, their possessions were taken, and they were left without a penny. * * * * * So, it looks like the crackdown you mentioned has begun. Rather early if you ask me though. Speaking of which, when will you stop those soldiers, havent they pledged enough? said Gresdej as he watched from a window of the castle. The vast city was lit by the occasional fire, which was magnified by the crashes of lightning and thunder. The rain poured chaotically down on fires, soldiers in the streets, and the dead bodies of citizens. They are removing any and all opposition to our rule. They must not be allowed the stop because the more innocent civilians die the greater the vision of this deed is on their minds. Tomorrow we will address the public and inform them that this was done by rebels against our nation. That will fuel hate against the rebels and draw attention away from the possible corruption of our new government and towards this new terrorist group of has-beens who are taking their spite out against the people, said Monkar. Then we will use this energy to enlist every single person who can wield a sword for the self defense of their families. They will be told clearly that if they do not then their families will be endanger of being killed by these terrorists. Its only a partial lie because if they do not join then they will be killed in our next crackdown. The strong shall rule the weak in our new world order as nature has intended. No mater who is the ruler of the strong and who dominated the world this is the way it must be. Why do you hold these ideals, anyway sir? Dont you know? Within the strong there is stability. The strong are the only ones who can run a successful utopia without it falling apart. For us to build this utopia we must first remove those who are weak enough to believe that they can run then government all on their own. With strength comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes the ability to govern. The rabble, those who are weak, may not govern effectively so we must ensure that the strong rule the world. I understand sir. Your ideals are quite admirable. These weak and flexible fools cannot rule the world on their own so we must rule it for them. A democracy is the embodiment of instability and madness as the weak rule over the strong. We must turn he tables and bring the world back to reason. That is our idea and that is our goal. I propose a toast to the new Brizanthian Alliance, and the new pseudo-democracy which will rule the entire world! Propaganda, Lies, and the Arousing of a Nation Monkar stared out of a window on the floor above his office. He watched as the usual routine of his Prime Minister walking out onto the balcony to give a speech. This, the dawn of the third day of their rule over Brizanthus would be just about as important as the second, if not more. Today the new Prime Minister would make the call to arms which would ensure their nation world dominance. He smiled. His plan to rise the strong above the weak was flowing perfectly. Good luck Gresdej. Your job here is to make sure that not a single person in that courtyard leaves neutral, un-invigorated, or uninterested. Your job is to make sure that everyone is fired up with hate and despondency towards their former ruler. On the first day of our rule we set about to destroy the military presence of our for in Brizanthus. On the second day we set about destroying the civilian resistance and work towards turning their hearts to our side. Now on this third day we will turn these bitter emotions made by the second into a cascade of hate and anger against our foes. Now on this day, the most important day, our army will be made. We will expand ourselves beyond the single division we have and lead our effort into the hearts of those it is engineered to demean. The irony, thought Monkar as he smiled at his Prime Minister who was about to speak, the movement to destroy the power of the commoner will be a movement of the people. The rabble will work their best to unweave their own power and give it over to us. Their shaky hands will drop the power into our steady ones. Meanwhile Gresdej waved his arms and began his speech, his second public oration in his career. People of The Brizanthian Alliance, I regret to inform you that as of last night our nation has been viciously attacked by a group of terrorists who defy the new government and stick to the accursed ways of the past. These vial fools have viciously undermined our citys operation in a series of crimes ranging from arson to murder. These imbeciles who reject the truth have declared open war on us, The Brizanthian Alliance. These deniers stand right in the face our the upcoming utopia and plan to deny world peace! There is no greater crime than standing in the face of change and so therefore we must hunt down these figures of the past and kill them to the last man! If anyone rejects the ideas of peace and liberty then they must be slain, there is no question of that! The balance of our land has been interrupted by their attacks so now I call upon us to disrupt them with the full force of our military before things get even worse. Their unprovoked attacks on their own people cannot be forgiven and as such Iam now declaring things to be at a state of emergency. These attacks are cruel to the extreme and will not stop until our troops quell their revolt and slay every last one of them. I now call on each and every one of the attendance to go up in arms against these reels. If anyone defies this order then they themselves are a rebel and clearly have other motives! Now to preserve our struggle for the people you, the people, must join us in our crusade against the strongholds of tyranny. These strongholds are the cities who followed this nation of old but now are the strongholds of the twisted mind of the radical. The radicals there would do anything to stop progress, change, and justice so they must be crushed under the iron boot on those who they wish to oppress. The people! For the sake of the people, for the sake of this land, and for the sake of the new world order of peace, order, law, and pacifism I hereby declare war on the Brizanian rebels. We will follow them to their holes; we will follow them to the mountains; we will follow them to where they keep their loved ones. We will chase them down to their very dwellings and then the dwellings will be destroyed with their families still in them! The children they have are murders in training and must be slain before they slay us. Even their wives must be murdered for the sake of peace! Now go people of the Brizanthian alliance and join our effort to save your families from this accursed group! We must band together to destroy our enemies before our enemies destroy us! We will sack the cities of the former nation and make them our own to achieve peace! I cannot believe the insolence of them coming to our city to burn our houses and kill our populace so we will now take the fight to them and commit twice the atrocities they have committed against us! We will give them what they asked for, no we will give them more than what they asked for! Rally, my friends, for the utopia of The Brizanthian Alliance! Monkar watched from his window as the thousands of screaming people leaped into the air just as they did last time. The fools... the gullible fools. Monkar began to smile as he watched the mirth of the peasantry at this happening. They were excited over such a fight. You did well Gresdej. Perhaps you arent such a bad Prime Minister. You just succeeded in convincing the crowd to follow us blindly in their hate of these terrorists. They will now beg to join our army. Now I must go out and find the commanders for this army. These commanders will become my staff and help me to create this new world order. Monkar walked slowly down the magnificent hall he was watching from. He stepped over to a flight of stairs and walked down to his office once more. He opened the doors and walked in to his ornate room awaiting the return of his minister. Gresdej entered from where he had been giving his speech and sat down in one of the two chairs in front of Monkars desk. So, what now Sir? Whats the next step in this plan of yours, said Gresdej, looking quite satisfied. There is just one thing we must do, we must select the standard bearers for our policy from our captains in the 25th division and man our new army which will be formed of the people. Id like you to send messages to five confident individuals who will soon become the five generals of the Brizanthian Alliances Grand Army. They will lead our five task forces which will then take over the rest of the nation and bring peace to this country. A wonderful plan Master! Who do you propose and what will be the selection criteria? We need these people not only to be good commanders, but we need ones who are gullible enough not to question our orders and to execute our plans to the end whether it involves murdering thousands of innocent civilians or murdering their own families. We need people who will live for us, die for us, kill for us, and sacrifice the lives of their friends for us. We need people who will not hold back unless we tell them too and when we instruct them to jump they will bow and ask How high, my lord? And which ones of our twelve captains is worthy of this honor? We must be very cautious in deciding who will be chosen and who will be given what information. If we cannot trust anyone then they most certainly shouldnt become one of our five generals, do you not agree? Our prime candidates are Captain Retreg, Captain Alferex, Captain Zerfos, Captain Jerhas, and finally our very own Captain Yersauf of the new Ministry Guard Force we formed to protect from possible riots against the new government. Gresdej, I would like you to privately interview each of these candidates and see just how weak they really are. As we would like to craft the illusion that you are the new head of the government and I am merely your subordinate it will be quite appropriate for you to meet with them. Also I would like you to made a public statement on your selections. Make sure these people know the glory of our ideals and will gladly sacrifice their lives to fulfill them. To change the world there is a cost, some of it in dollars, some of it in cities, and most of it in lives. Do you understand? Yes sir, Ill get right to it! * * * * * A pen kept scratching, just as it had been for the last couple hours, across a piece of lamp-lit parchment. The fine ink moved across the yellowed paper in a rather gruff but still effective scrawl. The tip of the pen laid out line after line of flowing English, half of the spellings rather crude and the other half correct by some miraculous chance. As the author of the ever enlarging scrawl continued a knock came at the door. For a moment it was ignored but after a while the person said gruffly, Come in. The door opened, sending a flood of light into the dark room and a soldier stepped in. He walked up to the desk where the man sat and bowed down like a servant does, saluting. Sir Zerfos, Commander of the 12th squad of the Grand Brizanthian Army, his Lord, Prime Minister Gresdej of the Brizanthian Alliance, would like a lord with you, sir! With me? Interesting. I will be there shortly. After a few minutes Zerfos stepped out of his office and into the courtyard of the 12th squads new headquarters. It had formerly been the base of operations for the 15th division of the Brizan Army but now it had been taken under the control of the New Brizanthian Alliance. As Zerfos stepped out of the compound and walked down the streets of the city, signs of the new regime were everywhere. Soldiers stood on street corners, small groups of guards patrolled down each road in a fairly impenetrable web of security, recruiters stood on street corners drafting dozens of citizens at a time. The road led up to the main fortress of the Brizanthian alliance. This was the main stronghold, and had been ever since the old days of the Kingdom of Brizan. The repair crews were just cleaning up some of the residue from the first days of the battle and rebuilding houses, shops, and other buildings to mask the terrible happenings of the first day of the government but still the repairs could not mask the changes for there was a mixture of exuberance and outrage among the populace. Though almost everyone showed joy there was still the person or two who despised the new government at the bottom of their heart. Finally Zerfos reached the foot of the ramp which led up to the gates and walked up it, past guard after guard. All were as silent as statues. A short walk later and after climbing a few flights of stairs within Castle Zerfendal he was finally at the door to Prime Ministar Gresdejs administrative office. He knocked. Come in, said a heavy voice. Zerfos stepped into the office. He walked across the ornate rug and up to the carved mahogany desk. Have a seat! said the voice. Zerfos followed the command and set down in one of the two chairs in front of the man, right beside another. Thanks for coming, Zerfos. Before I get to what I wanted to discuss with you I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Commander Yersauf, the head of the head of the new Brizanthian Ministry Guard force, which will be our new polite unit, who is also the general of our 2nd division within he Brizanthian Grand Army. Nice to meet you, said Yersauf, shaking Zerfos hand. Second Division, sir? asked Zerfos after shaking Yersaufs hand and greeting him. Yes. We are reorganizing the Brizanthian Alliances Grand Army into five battle groups. These five battle groups will each be given independent command under our democratic government and will pursue our goals throughout the world. We have selected you, Zerfos, to command the third division in the new army. You will become the third Colonel to be appointed in our new organization, do you accept? Wow, sir, this is quite a proposition. Thank you for the honor of offering this promotion, my lord! Zerfos stuttered with excitement and continued, I accept! Good, welcome! Now, your first orders as commander is to assemble your forces to embark upon your first mission. We plan for our five armies to march out from our capital and take the five major strongholds of Brizanthian resistance. Each army is to level their assigned city to the foundations its built upon. For the sake of peace and justice we must kill every last one of these rebels, as those who do not follow the political trend deserve such, do you not agree? I agree sir, they are merely swine! Im very glad that we have so much in common, Zerfos, said Gresdej enthusiastically as he shook Zerfos hand, Nice meeting you. Collect as many recruits as you can, you leave tomorrow morning for the city of Hershbourg, Brizan. Also I would like to assign the first captain to your division, his name is Captain Jerstoc of the former 3rd squad of the former 25th division. He is an expert in hand to hand combat and you will find him very suitable as your subordinate. That is all, you may head back to your headquarters, Colonel. Your new subordinate will be at your office sometime later today. Zerfos walked towards the door and a few moments later the two were in the office together, all alone. Gresdej looked towards the ceiling and called, Jerstoc, you can come out now. A slender figure slid from where he had been perched the entire time above some curtains. After getting silently to his feet he walked towards Gresdej. He wore a brown cloak and an oversized steel scimitar at his belt. Those his face was affable there was the slightest sign of something else, something hard to notice, beneath the beaming yet silent disposition. I assume you heard our conversation? Yes, I did, Lord Gresdej, said Jerstoc in a quick and to the point manner. Gresdej nodded. You know what to do. Im right on it, sir! * * * * * The silence in the streets was finally broken when a single figure emerged from the shadows of the late afternoon. The beautiful sunset lit his scimitar with an ethereal light as he stepped towards the gates of the military headquarters of the third division of the Brizanthian Alliances army. His young face lit up with a dark sort of enjoyment as he handed his pass to the guard and was let into the fortress. He walked across the pavement up to the commanders office smiling all the way. I wonder what sort of man my new commander will be, he said aloud as if talking to his scimitar, lets hope he is not of a rebellious sentiment. If he causes uproar I may just have to kill him. Lets go on to this new chapter in our lives, Kleveung, and see what fate has in store for us. He reached out to the handle of the door marked Commanders Office and opened it slowly. * * * * * Monkar stared out at the brilliant sunset. He leaned up against the marble of his upstairs window and looked out onto the large city of Brizanthus. Lanterns were going on all across the city and a majority of the traffic was settling down as everyone was scurrying to their houses to avoid the looming darkness. Monkar smiled. The sun worked its way down into the gloomy bowels of the heaves just like the freedoms and joys of the people. Just like the sun shining a beautiful light before its setting the people were rejoicing. Soon both the day and the nation would go down into the darkness of night. This sun sets its last on the peaceful city of Brizanthus. Tomorrow when it rises it will gleam upon the helms of warriors, the halberds of soldiers, and the weapons of war. An Uneasy Encounter The morning sun slowly rose from one corner of the land and worked its slow way across the city. It was a chilly morning in early autumn when the fall leaves were just beginning to think about falling and the occasional surrounding trees were beginning to turn orange. Though the civilians usually were up and bustling around by this time all was as silent as the grave. Not a single door creaked and most houses were completely silent. The only people in the streets was a slowly growing host of soldiers. Division by division they assembled in a long line, each not daring to take a breath. Captains patrolled down the liens with their swords brandished like whips ready to silence any idle chit-chat. There was to be no talking in the presence of the supreme commander of the Military, Monokar. Whats going on? One of the soldiers leaned over to the man beside him. His eyes were darting all around to make sure no one was looking but the captain was several yards away berating a couple of their chatting comrades. His friend grunted and attempted to ignore the question but a few moments of angry hissing coming from his companion he was forced to intercede. Blast it, will you just be quiet, he snapped, trying to keep his voice down, cant you see that that guy means business? If were overheard... He was cut short as the captain looked suspiciously in their direction. His eyes were narrowed and he had clearly heard the commotion. The perpetrators face turned red as iron heals tapped austerely at the ground coming closer and closer to him. Whats the meaning of this, private? What are you trying to do? By order of our commanders you are not to chat amongst yourselves so stop your conversing! What a load of trash, sneered the first of the two. The captain slowly turned and his eyes slightly bulged with disbelief. What did you say? His teeth clenched in anger. Now see here you little brat. You are now in the army of the Brizanthian Alliance and we do not intend on babying you and conforming to your every tantrum. We have had enough with your constant whining so just listen to what I have to say. We expect discipline from our troops and breaching this is not tolerated. You are a soldier and therefore a representative of the Brizanthian Alliance! We are a professional fighting machine not a nursery! Shut your trap, Ive had enough of your yammering. He scowled. He was a teenager of around eighteen years of age and he had had enough. Are you even listening to me? I have had enough; I am going to teach you a lesson the hard way! You two, he pointed to a group of soldiers angrily, grab hold of this cry baby and we will teach him some discipline! Two men stepped forward from the line and lunged at the soldier. He ducked under ones arm but after a short struggle one of them had him by his hair. He struggled but soon they had him by the arms and the captain was looming over him. His friend was watching in horror, too afraid to pipe up. The soldiers around them glanced on like indifferent civilians watching a mugging in the streets without a care as to the result. Monokar turned his head from where he sat on his horse and watched coldly. Now just listen here you rascal, said the captain. He raised his sword ominously over the lads head, the steel glinting in the early morning sun. I have a lesson to teach you a lesson in discipline! Here in the Brizanthian Grand Army we do not allow behavior such as the type you have exhibited. People are watching you, do you understand what type of impression you are giving them? Do you understand the magnitude of your insolence? You signed up for the military so you will have to follow orders, do you understand me! There was no response. Do you understand me! the captain was now screaming at the youth. Still no response, only an angry glare. The captain leveled the pommel of his sword at the rebel and loomed over him. The end struck him full in the face; blood flew up and splattered on the handle of the sword. He was struck again and a yelp of pain followed. The end of the sword bashed the lad mercilessly, one twice, and then thrice. He was now on his knees and his face was covered in blood. He was crying and his eyes were beginning to well up with tears. Do you understand me now? Do you? He bashed on vindictively, his cruel eyes lighting up with fury and excitement. Blast you! The youth coughed up a mouth full of blood and sank to the ground. The blade of the sword was now directed at him and his life seemed close to its end. No words escaped the lads mouth. He lay on the ground face-first, blood all over him. A red spot was growing in the back of his chainmail uniform where he had been once by the metallic butt of the blade. The captain as panting, the crowds were watching in anticipation, the friends mouth was open in shock, Monokars face had slowly formed a scowl. The army has no use for you, pathetic dog. Life is wasted on you, each bite of rations you consume is lost to humanity as if it was thrown out the window. You are nothing but a pathetic excuse for a human who cannot follow orders and only thinks about himself! You should be ashamed, but no matter how hard you endeavored you could never be as ashamed of yourself as I and the whole race of humanity am of you. I will now end your pathetic existence with a single slash of my sword and setting an example to all who are present here. You, swine, are not needed here; you are a relic of a bygone age! The sword slashed through the air. The crows was tense and waited for the scream which would announce the early end to the teens life. The arch of steel grew closer and closer to his incapacitated body. All eyes closed as to not see the last, gruesome, moment of his existence. There was a long pause. The expected scream, the crunch of bone, and the splatter of blood were not heard. Silence. Thats enough, Frelan, I think you have made our point, said a voice. The captain turned. There, standing with his boney fingers wrapped around the blade which was only a few inches above the lads head, was Monokar. The fingers tensed and there was a logn pause. The end of the blade shattered the shiny steel pieces flew like a glass struck against a stone wall. Frelan, devastated, took a few steps back. W-why, my lord? His pitiful life had to be put to an end, he is ruining our image, sir! Monokar walked slowly away from the scene. He passed by the captain and right before proceeding on he turned to Frelan. Captain, your act of violence ruined our image three fold more than what this child has done. I hope you come to consider a slightly less violent public relations policy, if you value your life. He walked away coldly, his hand straying towards his blade as if in warning. The captain scowled at the youth. I want that youth to journey to our destination in irons. He must still be taught a lesson to talking back to his superiors! Two soldiers grabbed the lad and wrestled him off to one end of the square. After a few minutes they returned and the line straightened once again. Now that the commotion has been brought to an end the commander began to speak. His horse rode along the gigantic line of soldiers, stretching across the center square of the city as he reviewed each of the cohorts of his army. Once he had passed by each of the columns he wheeled around and began his oration. Soldiers of the Brizanthian alliance, today we stand on the threshold of a new age. This new age will soon come to prominence and will dominate the entire earth around us. This will be the age of peace, the age of justice, and the age of prosperity. Before the glory of this age will come upon us there is one last war which must grip the countryside of Brizan! Before this age of unending joy for humanity comes there must be a relatively miniscule age of bloodshed where we must forge the foundation for peace! There is only one last stretch and today we can now view the light at the end of the tunnel! He continued in his booming voice, Today we liberate the people of this world from oppression and tomorrow we untie them into a single land of peace. Before a new dawn arises there must be the dark of night, so we will endeavor with all of our strength to pull through and into the joy of sunrise. I now announce the next phase of our plans, the liberation of the people. Today we, the army of the Brizanthian Alliance, march forth to liberate. We will march to the four capitals of Brizan and we will conquer each. For each of these cities we will allocate one fourth of our fighting force which will go onwards to crush the enemies of peace! Each city has great fortifications: soldiers clad in the strongest of iron, walls carved out of mountains, and armies vaster than the seas but together we will conquer them because our goals are right. There is no standing in the way of change! We, the armies of the Brizanthan Alliance are the chosen saviors of the world, the ones who will take it upon themselves to purge the world of these cretins and bring a true age of peace! A gigantic cheer arose from the mouths of the soldiers as Monokar wheeled his horse around and shouted the last words of his speech. The calls of commanders sounded as the army formed into square after square of troops in a single line stretching for what seemed like miles. The column advanced in a tide, marching towards the gates of the city. Finally they were off to battle the war for the liberation of Brizan had begun. Monokar watched his legions march on and he smiled. After a few minutes of watching the hordes pass by, column by column, he dismounted and walked away from the proceedings. He stepped into the very edge of an alley way and leaned against the stones. He closed his eyes as if waiting for something. Its been a long time, Monokar, said a voice, coming from somewhere in the center of the square. By this time the two were all alone and the army had completely departed. Monokars horse was grazing in a nearby clump of grass. I knew youd come eventually, Wenjav. Monokar, it seems we are meeting on much graver circumstances than we did last. Im sorry, but I cannot approve of what you are doing, your actions are misguided and will result in the eventual undoing of everything you preach you will give the people! Monokar sighed, his eyes still closed. You still dont understand, as always. Im sorry, but I dont think we can continue being friends. Monokars eyes flashed threateningly as they slowly opened. He turned to the fan he was speaking: tall, gray-headed, around the age of 30. He smiled. That is, if you decided to get in my way. We dont have to do this. Wenjav, if you dont want to. An uneasy silence filled the space. Not a soul other than the two was anywhere near, they both just continued to glare at each other. I will not let you ruin this world, Monokar. You have gone too far, you have ideals which are dangerous! I cant believe you are turning into such a monster. We used to serve together we used to share ideals! But now, look at what you are doing to this country, look at it! Answer me! Answer me Monokar! Wenjav continued on desperately but after a moment Monokar raised his hand. Stop, Wenjav. I really dont want to do this but.... but..... Monokar reached for his sword. There is only one way we can settle this, Wenjav, and it is through battle. IF you are not going to follow with the times then I will have to kill you just like I killed his majesty the king. Farewell, Wenjav. I am sorry to see you go. Wenjav jumped backwards at these words and reached for his very owe weapon. He drew it out, the large blade of the two hander shining in the light now radiating from Monokars drawn blade. Monokar lunged forward with his stabbing sword Wenjav ducked to avoid the strike but within moments the sword was redirected right at his face. He threw himself onto the ground, just dodging the attack and within moments rolled to the right to avoid yet another stab. He leaped to his feet and swung his sword with an almost lethal blow but by the time the sword was halfway to its destination Monokar had vanished. Monokar was suddenly floating in the air several dozen feet above Wenjavs head, chuckling cordially. He sheathed his blade, leaning against an invisible wall in the sky. etting old, are we now, Wenjav? Wenjav scowled. Before Wenjav had a chance to retort a vortex of red light formed around Monokars hands and a giant blast of energy flew down and struck Wenjavs blade straight on. He went flying several feet from the force of the impact. Monokar hurtled after him with his fist outstretched and his body in a horizontal line like a bullet. He struck Wenjav and his antagonist went flying backwards againt his time into a brick wall. Blood was running down his mouth and his eyes were squinted in pain. Wenjav picked himself up and wiped the blood off of his face. My turn, he said climactically. He raised his sword. He swung his blade and a large ball of flame soared from the center straight at his foe. Monoka leaped up into the air and did a back flip. His hands then outstretched like a professional mdiver and he flew at Wenjav. He struck him, landed on his feet and followed up with a punch in the face. A sword swung at him but Monokar grabbed it with his bare hand and wrestled it away. Another strike hit Wenjavs face. Monokar was now striking him form all around, continually disappearing and appearing where it was least expected his a strike from his fist. Wenjav reached for his sword but he was hit again and fell to the floor. He struggled. The steel edge of a blade touched his back. And you thought you could challenge me? And yet I defeated you with my bare hands. You live for now, Wenjav, but only because you are of no threat to me. Killing you would bring me no satisfaction I do not enjoy killing those whose power is miles beneath mine. He turned and walked away. His sword was sheathed, not a single drop of blood on it. And I thought more of you. What a fool. My legs... my arms.... I cant........ move. Wenjav winced in pain. His world was dark; he was surrounded by torturers all sneering at his pain and thinking of cruel ways to inflict more upon him. The... pain.... His eyes grew red as the puddle of blood in front of his face grew ever larger. I... am so weak... he thought to himself. His eyes slowly shut as he slipped into unconsciousness. Mono...kar.... what... have... you done.... The First Shots Bright hues danced across the field as the sun rose up above the far mountains, bathing the meadow in the light of morning. Heralded by the rise of the orb, trumpets sounded loudly calling out their battle tunes. Troops jumped out of their bunks, throwing on clothes, armor, and helms. They rushed into the armory and grabbed piles of lances from the weapon racks. A bellow as now ringing and their sergeant was standing shouting On the double soldiers! One after one they filed onto the green, their chainmail jingling and feet pounding in unison. They formed into four rectangles and stood straight at attention, awaiting their orders. A man strode out onto the parade ground and stood to face the line of troops. After a short pause he reached into his armor and withdrew a scroll from between the plates. His fingers slowly opened it, taking good care not to damage the frail papyrus. He cleared his throat. By order of Commanding General Leonard Vertoc, all troops of the Brizanthian Empire are to be mobilized on Fort Greshar on the River Brizan. Inelegance has reported that several armies are marching from our former capital with the intention of conquering the rest of the Brizanthian territories. Though these men may be your brethren, we assure you that they are no longer part of the empire and are rebels. Their ideals are dangerous, thus I am now ordering that every member of the insurrection to be executed by the sword on spot. I now pronounce this sentence to all benefactors of the rebellion, as well as the entire population of the city of Brizan. There are to be no exceptions to this punishment. I also hereby proclaim that the personages Monokar and Gresdej as traitors to the realm. Effective now, the garrisons of Fort Greshar are now to be increased by 500%. That is all. The captain unfurled the scroll and faced his unit for a moment. Soldiers, he said, As part of the garrison of Fort Greshar I expect you to be prepared for the worst. We will be reinforced by several thousand soldiers from abroad but we still may not hold against the enemy if we face them with cowardess. I am now ordering double guard duty for each shift and will be imposing half rations to anyone who is found lacking. Am I understood? The unit echoed Sir, yes sir! You are now dismissed. As the crowd began to disperse two men stood atop the watchtower which presided over the grounds. Looks like the war really has begun, said the slightly meeker one. Indeed it has. A hand reached up from the shadows of the watchtower and pulled an elegant black tophat down its face. There was a sigh. I hoped things would not come to this, but alas, they have. I am afraid that the death knell for Brizan may have finally come. Urinjar, this is just too much for this poor nation to handle. The figure turned and walked into the darkness of the tower. Urinjar frowned, and followed his commander into the shade. * * * * * Three dozen bugles sounded as a column of troops wove its way forward. ?First came a line of trumpeters playing battle tunes to announce their coming, followed by lines of banner carriers and finally a long procession of battle hardened veterans. Finally, the cavalry came, their horses trotting at a pace calculated to run over any stragglers but keep the soldiers in front well within a reasonable speed. The lead horseman turned to his subordinate and spoke. Jerstoc, have you ever been into battle before? Why yes, of course, Zerfos, sir. I have experienced many campaigns during my career and I assure you, me and my blade have never been found at fault. Jerstoc, you may have been into battle many times before, but this battle we will soon experience will be like none other. Previously we have fought barbarians on the open battlefield who have threatened the very existence of our society. Now we stand poised to launch a campaign against our very own brothers. This is the first time this has happened in our history, surely you must feel something. What about the events surrounding the birth of our glorious alliance? Are you exempting what may very well be known as the first clash for the liberty of our fellow Brizanthians from the picture? That was quite different, my friend. While that was a surprise coup, now they have had enough time to organizer. We are now facing the machines of war, the fortifications, and the very weapons that we ourselves have developed to stop a crisis of this magnitude and to defend our nation. Before they are not organized, now they are. No matter how many barbarians you have killed, there is nothing you can do to prepare yourself for a slaughter like this one. So what? Jerstoc, I cannot guarantee that I will survive this battle. If I fall then I am giving you command of this army. You must follow the orders dictated by his lord, Ministar Gresdej, to the letter, Do you understand? Yes, sir. We plan to assault the fortress at night with one hundred percent of our combat forces. They are probably calling for reinforcements around now but if our plan is successful then we will be able to decapitate their line of defense before the main armies arrive. This assault will be mainly spearheaded by a force of several ladder units, a battering ram we have prepared specially, a few siege towers, and finally our artillery unit. We are unsure what to expect, but we know for certain that we will be met with a walled fortress surrounded by the River Brizan at some points. We plan to strike at the most critical weak points, the main gate and the two sections in our area which meet the land. This will not be easy, but its doable. What is our plan after we have breached their walls? We must disable the internal defenses such as catapults and militia units and then fight our way to the central command post. After we have put all of the commanders to the sword all order will be lost in the remaining forces and we should be able to fan out through the remaining areas of the city, burning military institutions and slaying any soldiers which get in our way. There is a small town inside the walls, but we need to stay focused on our military targets rather than looting. I have already warned all soldiers that they will be severely punished for any looting prior to the declaration of victory. Is this understood? Yes sir. I will try to keep my men in order as you have commanded. Good. We should arrive at the River Brizanthus and set up camp by nightfall. Tomorrow night, we will make the attack. * * * * * For a long moment all was silent on the field. After a short while, the silence was broken in one moment. Suddenly a line of soldiers was charging down the plain, arrows were slicing through the night sky, and torches were flaring up all around the stone walls. To arms, to arms! The attackers are finally here! To arms! A bell tolled loudly through the fortress and soldiers poured like ants out of their barracks. This time the alarm was real, this was not a drill. The line of attackers met a volley of arrows from the sentries, several of them fell. Shields rose and the missiles deflected off. A retaliatory volley struck the wall tops and several soldiers fell down, arrows in their chests. A pack of about 50 soldiers ran forward from the line. They screamed out war cries as they carried their heavy latter up close to the barricade. Rose up and it struck against the ramparts. The soldiers scrambled up the ladder, more soldiers joining them at the foot. Men, push down the ladders! We must keep them from reaching the top! A sergeant drew his sword and clashed blades with the top invader. The attack was blocked but the sergeant stabbed forward and sent the attacker plummeting down to the ground. He reached forward and threw all his weight against the ladder, sending it backwards An arrow came out of nowhere and pieced through the links of his chainmail. Hje cried in agony and fell down to the floor of the battlements. He would have survived if he wasnt trampled by his own men who were feverishly rushing to push down the several other ladders hitting the wall tops. The same ladder was now up again, and attackers were streaming one by one onto the ramparts of the fortress. They met heavy resistance from soldiers on both sides. A this point a battering ram was pushing its way through the onslaught which had flared up on the ground around the fortress. Arrows bounced off its steel plating, ricocheting off into the ground or the body of an unaware soldier. Now the defenders efforts were supplemented by volleys of ammunition hurtling through the air: large rocks striking units of men at a time, demolishing siege engines, and flattening soldiers. Both sides fielded long range trebuchets and heavy catapults, the stones from the attackers knocking rubble into the air. Dust was now being cast in the air with the trample of horse hooves and the clash of soldiers and men were beginning to cough and stager around in the chaos. The battering ram was now at the main gate. The rams head struck against the double doors, wood chips flew on both ends. It was pulled back and it struck once again, the gates now trembling. A line of soldiers stood at the entrance, their spears clutched readily. The gate lurched once again. The captain walked up to the front and drew his sword. We never did get all of those enforcements, did we? What a waste, he thought as the hammer plunged through the gate and the doors to the outside were flung open. He twirled his blade and raised his shield. He knew this would be his last battle. For Brizan! he cried out, meeting the wave of soldiers heads on. His blade carved a path through his foes, the steel connecting with arms, legs, and chests. Finally he slashed his blade forward, it met another, but the opponent was too quick for him. Suddenly he couldnt move, pain was surging through is body. He looked down slowly, and saw a sword sticking in his chest. It withdrew. He gasps and staggered backwards, falling to his knees. The attacker loomed over him, raising the sword one more time. The captain dropped his blade. Blood soared up and splattered his killer in the crimson liquid. Forgive me... Vertoc. I have failed you. Now the fray had expanding to all three corners of the battlefield. Soldiers fought on the wall tops, two forces clashed in the courtyard, and a large scale battle was going on outside the walls. On all fronts men of both sides were being cut down equally, but the attackers had far more men in their army. It was a losing battle for the defenders, who were beginning to be surrounded and cut down, one unit at a time. This is bad, really bad, commander, said Urinjar. He looked grimly down at the skirmish in the courtyard and shook his head. By this time their men were routing. They seem to be overrunning us on all fronts, sir, there really isnt much our forces can do... The commander scowled. Then I guess its about time that I join the forces in the battle. When a commanders men fail, then the commander must either flee, meet his fate, or fight along side his very own soldiers. I will chose the latter, Urinjar, I have always wished to go down in a fight. But sir, youll get yourself killed! You know me, Im not just going to sacrifice my life this easily. I will fight, and I will win. All hail the nation of Brizan.
