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Feel the Silence

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Chuk

Chuk

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Woot!
Back from Cambridge and Boston. Time to get caught up!

One small typo:
"Her she stopped at a door and knocked quickly."
'Here', methinks.
Well done with the adds. I like how you materialize Lucas' doubts, and the tough comfort Martin gives. Seems very realistic to me. I await further chapters. :)

21-Jul-2008 06:53:13 - Last edited on 24-Jul-2008 23:28:12 by Chuk

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The leading soldiers crashed into the masses. The lines converged, piled on top of each other, pushing to get through the confusion to the other side. Lucas was swept along in the wild tide, shunted this way and that, surrounded by a sea of blue and brown armor, before a flash of red caught his eye. A single Kandarin soldier that had pushed through, lost in the enemy, and Lucas watched as he was swiftly cut down. Blood sprayed in all directions and his head rolled through the sand, while the killer waved his sword victoriously. There was a roar from the nearby troops.

The earth shook beneath his feet, there was an impossible heat at his back, and Lucas found himself watching the battle from above. Dirt and grit soared around him, and it was a moment before he realized he had been thrown in the air. He looked behind himself, seeing the fire shooting into the sky around him, and then he slammed into the dirt. No more sea of blue and brown; here he saw only blinding red and white. Gasping, he scrambled upright and lifted his sword in shaking hands. ‘This is it,’ he thought to himself, and let out a hoarse yell as he charged the Kandarin soldier.

The soldier’s eyes widened, and for a moment Lucas stumbled as he saw the fear in his opponent’s eyes. Did that man see his fear too, the blinding terror that made him think he might faint before their swords could ever meet? Then he was upon the Kandarin and swung his sword awkwardly around. The soldier parried, equally clumsy, and Lucas heaved his sword up for another blow. The rapier clanged off the soldier’s larger sword, sending a shock of pain up to his shoulder and causing him to twist backwards involuntarily.

The soldier seized his chance and advanced, baring his teeth. For him the fear had vanished, replaced by a blood-thirsty gleam. Lucas still felt horrified, however. He regained his balance in time to sidestep a slash and swung again. No luck.

28-Jul-2008 02:00:42 - Last edited on 01-Aug-2013 21:28:01 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
It was a dance these two untrained soldiers performed, not as graceful as that of powerful, experienced warriors, but the dance of those equally matched nonetheless. Parry, move aside, strike again. A few strikes made light contact, but fewer still drew blood. Lucas found himself moving in a rhythm that soon felt natural to his muscles. It was instinct guiding him, then, when he sidestepped yet another jab, thrown off-balance by his opponent, and chopped his blade downward with all his strength. Something hot splashed across his face, the blade grated against something hard, and Lucas stumbled forward, wrenching the weapon free of the man’s shoulder.

He turned to see the soldier fall onto his face and lay still, blood pooling in the sand around him. Shock made his jaw drop. Without thinking, he had killed yet another man. He blinked a few times, taking a moment to realize what had just happened. He raised his head and stared across the bloody beach. How long had he been fighting? Minutes? Hours? All sense of time and place had been lost.

He looked at the body, feeling bile rise in his throat, and forced it back down. “Not now,” he muttered. “Get yourself together.” It took all his might to tear his eyes away. The beach spun dizzyingly and a nearby explosion rocked the earth, tossing Lucas off his feet. He rolled away from the body and climbed upward again.

At a yell, he turned, finding himself face to face with another Kandarin soldier. Swearing, he forced his aching muscles to swing the sword again, and barely raised it in time to block a blow. The force of it sent him reeling again and sudden pain flashed in his leg. He looked down to see the blade skimming across his thigh, slicing through the armor there and leaving a bright red line.

28-Jul-2008 02:01:18 - Last edited on 01-Aug-2013 21:28:09 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
He swung the blade drunkenly, without purpose or direction; the panic had clouded all his senses. He couldn’t do this; he couldn’t fight; this soldier could kill him. He was going to die here, today, on the beach with all those that had already fallen. He would become just another body, just another bloody face in the sand for the tide to wash away. “Oh, Justine…” he whispered. “Forgive me, love.”

Then everything flashed red and the world shook again. The scent of burning flesh seared his nostrils. Lucas found himself face down in the sand and looked quickly to his left, then twisted as he retched at the sight. The same soldier he had just been fighting was now nothing more than charred, ruined remains at the edge of a smoking crater in the sand. Lucas spat the last of the vomit from his mouth and reached up to wipe his mouth. He stopped when he felt the wetness on his cheeks. Was he crying?

He lay on his stomach, dipping his head to the sand, and struggled to get his emotions in check. This was too much for him. He couldn’t handle it; he couldn’t watch this slaughter any more. He had to get away. This was madness. Perhaps death would be a blessing, if he was doomed to remember this day for the rest of his miserable life. And he knew he could never forget. All around him, the battle raged. The earth shook and blades clashed, and the ocean frothed red with the blood of Kandarin and Misthalin soldiers alike. Sand and fire shot like geysers in the air, sending flaming bodies to crash to the sand and lay writhing. The dying screamed piteously, their cries drowned out by the metallic sounds of fighting. Lucas wished he could burrow away the sand, just bury himself and hide from it all. Gods help him, he was losing his mind.

28-Jul-2008 02:01:49 - Last edited on 01-Aug-2013 21:28:19 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Kid!”

Oh, hell. Couldn’t they leave him to his misery?

He rolled over, seeing Martin jogging toward him. The older man’s tunic was stained with blood, his long sword dripping.

“Kid, you all right?”

Lucas coughed and rubbed at his cheeks, praying the grit covering him would hide the tears. “As much as I can be, I guess,” he rasped as he sat up.

“Hang in th—get down!” Martin yelled, and vaulted into the air, sailing over Lucas’ body. Lucas dropped and rolled, seeing Martin tackling a Kandarin soldier behind him. The breath whooshed from his body in a sigh of relief and gratitude.

Then he saw the other soldier, a flash of red and white sprinting across the sand. “Martin!” he yelled, and tried to stand, but his legs gave out and he crashed back down. He had to get there, he could save him, if only he could get up -- “Martin, look out—“

Martin never had a chance. As he grappled with one soldier on the ground, the other pounced from above, plunging his blade into Lucas’ friend’s back, just as he turned to heed Lucas’ warning. Martin’s body spasmed as blood spurted upward and despite the din around him, Lucas could clearly hear the scream fade to a gurgle in his throat. And just like that, his new friend, the one man to advise him, help him, look out for him, was gone.

“No!* Lucas shouted, half-crawling, half-falling forward to swipe his sword into the knees of the Kandarin soldier. The man’s legs collapsed and he fell down, clutching at the bloody stump of his leg. Martin had managed to dispatch the other soldier, who lay still beneath Martin’s body. Lucas dragged himself toward it and turned his friend over, clutching at his face. “Oh, Martin, I’m so sorry…” he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks now. *Oh, no, no**

Overhead, the first droplets of rain began to fall.

28-Jul-2008 02:02:46 - Last edited on 01-Aug-2013 21:28:27 by Crystal Smee

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