22 Sep 2011
"Tell us a story Nana!"
"Ok how about the Elf story"
"No Nana, tell us about when you were our age. Tell us how you came to Briggand"
The old lady paused. "Thats a story for another day dear."
"Owww, you always say that, everytime we ask" cried out the twins in unison. "Please tell us. Daddy said we are old enough to know"
The grandmother looked over at her middleaged son. He nodded and sat to hear the story again. "Ok ill tell you a little bit, then bed ok?"
"Yes yes!" Exclaimed the excited girls. The aged lady tucked them in and settled on a wooden stool between the straw beds.
They came at night. My brother and I were asleep in the back room when we heard the first screams from our neighbours.
We jumped onto a hay bundle to peek out of the window. The summer had been a hot one and we suspected it was another fire. The Elders had sent men to our house earlier in the season to warn us of storing wood near the house, and keeping roads clear of debris. Fire was devestating to a street of houses this close together.
The screams stopped. I craned my neck to see more of the house. There were no lanterns lit. Mama had awoken and was tending to our little sister, Kella.
Then we saw it. In the distance up the street right near the main gate a house collapsed into a pile of rubble. A moment later we felt the shock in our feet. My brother Aiden jumped off the hay and crossed the room for his sword. He looked like a dwarf wielding a huge sword, but as this was Papa's time in the militia he had a duty to protect his family and house.
I watched him leave the room in grim silence and turned back to the window. No fire, just a settling cloud of dust. I heard raised voices from the front room, one of our neighbors from behind us had arrived at our door. I squinted in the darkness to see the cause of the collapse - Then the second building was hit.
The Meat store was bombarded with shards of metal and rock. The roof caved in but the structure held. Lanterns were now appearing in many of the houses and worried faces appeared at windows.
As a hail of what looked like rusted weapons flew from right to left across the town and landed in the lower field the alarm sounded in the keep. As the horn rang out, men young and old ran from their houses towards the fort. Some kissing their loved ones others hurrying to dress or attach armour to their clothing.
I watched with horror as Aiden walked bravely past my window with his huge sword and a helmet that would not fit him for years to come. His face was rigid. He turned his back on the carnage and marched towards the keep.
A crowd was gathering around the Meat store. They were salvaging what they could from the wreckage and scattering into the night.
The Horn stopped and the fort doors lowered. I opened the window the get a better look. It was then that I heard the constant rumble from outside the main gate. It sounded like thunder, but on the ground. Our mother had told us that the Empire had all sorts of Magical people that can control the elements. I expected that what was happening to us had a magical origin. Surely nothing natural could make that noise.
As the door hit the ground our local troops marched out in rank with their finest suits of armour. They displayed the towns colours and standard with pride as they walked up the street. They were shouting to stay in our houses and find cover. I ducked down and watched more than 40 men pass the window.
They were joined by four men on horseback. The company halted as the Captain ordered the riders off towards the gate. The men waited in silence. Time seemed to stand still in the dim light of dozens of lanterns.
After a few minutes I saw a horse galloping back towards the unit of troops. Its rider was missing and the horse did not slow down. The captain stood in the way to reign in the beast and was thrown aside. Something spooked that horse so much that it ran without purpose until it slammed into the keep gate. It collapsed in a wail of painful cries. Broken and dying.
I looked back towards the men. The Captain had been helped up and he was shouting orders. Every house I looked at had a least one person pressed to the window. Worried faces that did not know what was attacking their town.
The men marched towards the gate of the town. As their footstep became quieter, the rumble grew louder. It seemed to be coming from all around, but through the dust and darkness I could not see a thing.
I heard a warcry as in the distance the first few rows of our men surged forward levelling their pikes. The cries quickly turned to screams and I saw bodies fly over the ranks of the remaining men.
The militia faltered slightly. The captain issued no orders. The rumbling stopped. I was now balancing on my hands as I had pulled myself half out of the window when I saw the fire.
It came from the mouth of a monster! A huge fat creature twice the size of our men and more than twice as wide. The flames curled around the unit and lit up the street. Maybe a dozen men lost heir lives and dropped to the ground, the rest of the men fled back to the keep.
The burning flames reflected our foe. Fifty or more of these Giant monsters stood three wide in our small street. They brandished huge weapons the length of a man and crude armour.
One of monsters at the front held his hands up to his gaping maw and bellowed in a deep scratchy voice. The ground thunder started again as the massive army moved further into our small town.
The Ogres had arrived....
"Ok how about the Elf story"
"No Nana, tell us about when you were our age. Tell us how you came to Briggand"
The old lady paused. "Thats a story for another day dear."
"Owww, you always say that, everytime we ask" cried out the twins in unison. "Please tell us. Daddy said we are old enough to know"
The grandmother looked over at her middleaged son. He nodded and sat to hear the story again. "Ok ill tell you a little bit, then bed ok?"
"Yes yes!" Exclaimed the excited girls. The aged lady tucked them in and settled on a wooden stool between the straw beds.
They came at night. My brother and I were asleep in the back room when we heard the first screams from our neighbours.
We jumped onto a hay bundle to peek out of the window. The summer had been a hot one and we suspected it was another fire. The Elders had sent men to our house earlier in the season to warn us of storing wood near the house, and keeping roads clear of debris. Fire was devestating to a street of houses this close together.
The screams stopped. I craned my neck to see more of the house. There were no lanterns lit. Mama had awoken and was tending to our little sister, Kella.
Then we saw it. In the distance up the street right near the main gate a house collapsed into a pile of rubble. A moment later we felt the shock in our feet. My brother Aiden jumped off the hay and crossed the room for his sword. He looked like a dwarf wielding a huge sword, but as this was Papa's time in the militia he had a duty to protect his family and house.
I watched him leave the room in grim silence and turned back to the window. No fire, just a settling cloud of dust. I heard raised voices from the front room, one of our neighbors from behind us had arrived at our door. I squinted in the darkness to see the cause of the collapse - Then the second building was hit.
The Meat store was bombarded with shards of metal and rock. The roof caved in but the structure held. Lanterns were now appearing in many of the houses and worried faces appeared at windows.
As a hail of what looked like rusted weapons flew from right to left across the town and landed in the lower field the alarm sounded in the keep. As the horn rang out, men young and old ran from their houses towards the fort. Some kissing their loved ones others hurrying to dress or attach armour to their clothing.
I watched with horror as Aiden walked bravely past my window with his huge sword and a helmet that would not fit him for years to come. His face was rigid. He turned his back on the carnage and marched towards the keep.
A crowd was gathering around the Meat store. They were salvaging what they could from the wreckage and scattering into the night.
The Horn stopped and the fort doors lowered. I opened the window the get a better look. It was then that I heard the constant rumble from outside the main gate. It sounded like thunder, but on the ground. Our mother had told us that the Empire had all sorts of Magical people that can control the elements. I expected that what was happening to us had a magical origin. Surely nothing natural could make that noise.
As the door hit the ground our local troops marched out in rank with their finest suits of armour. They displayed the towns colours and standard with pride as they walked up the street. They were shouting to stay in our houses and find cover. I ducked down and watched more than 40 men pass the window.
They were joined by four men on horseback. The company halted as the Captain ordered the riders off towards the gate. The men waited in silence. Time seemed to stand still in the dim light of dozens of lanterns.
After a few minutes I saw a horse galloping back towards the unit of troops. Its rider was missing and the horse did not slow down. The captain stood in the way to reign in the beast and was thrown aside. Something spooked that horse so much that it ran without purpose until it slammed into the keep gate. It collapsed in a wail of painful cries. Broken and dying.
I looked back towards the men. The Captain had been helped up and he was shouting orders. Every house I looked at had a least one person pressed to the window. Worried faces that did not know what was attacking their town.
The men marched towards the gate of the town. As their footstep became quieter, the rumble grew louder. It seemed to be coming from all around, but through the dust and darkness I could not see a thing.
I heard a warcry as in the distance the first few rows of our men surged forward levelling their pikes. The cries quickly turned to screams and I saw bodies fly over the ranks of the remaining men.
The militia faltered slightly. The captain issued no orders. The rumbling stopped. I was now balancing on my hands as I had pulled myself half out of the window when I saw the fire.
It came from the mouth of a monster! A huge fat creature twice the size of our men and more than twice as wide. The flames curled around the unit and lit up the street. Maybe a dozen men lost heir lives and dropped to the ground, the rest of the men fled back to the keep.
The burning flames reflected our foe. Fifty or more of these Giant monsters stood three wide in our small street. They brandished huge weapons the length of a man and crude armour.
One of monsters at the front held his hands up to his gaping maw and bellowed in a deep scratchy voice. The ground thunder started again as the massive army moved further into our small town.
The Ogres had arrived....
)