Friday, July 30, 2010

Well if he doesn't, he's no friend of mine

They all stood there quietly. Convincing Emir Bhravo to take action was clearly not going as well as they had hoped. Even Kain, with his to-the-point discussion of risk vs. gain, wasn't helping. The Emir was unwilling to risk the lives of his people.
Gade understood the Emir's feelings: the innocent far too often die for the not-always-greater cause. But the Emir must understand... There is a difference when choice and faith are involved.

This disguise of Kain's was good: a monk named Inigo of the Order of the Blue Crescent (how the painted-on blue crescent tattoo on his forehead wasn’t running made Gade wonder about the makeup of the paint), under a vow of silence. But how could Gade convince the Emir that his people have faith in him? It was a hopeless cause, unless...

Amidst the silence Gade walked to the center of the tent. I hope this works, Gade thought as he started to move. His muscles were still sore from his wounds, but he was more worried about getting the message across...
---
The man and his dawg companion stood near the cliff face. They were both hungry and tired from their journey. The man knew his family was just another day’s travel down into the valley. The man had to travel far, but he finally managed to find the seeds to replant his garden. He and his family would have one last harvest before the spring drought.

Only now a pack lizard lay between him and his loved ones.
It was a big beast, the biggest lizard the man ever saw. For three days the man and his dawg had tried to find a way around, to avoid a confrontation. But it was useless. This was the only path into the valley. Otherwise the man would not make it in time for planting.

Left with no other option, the man knew he must confront this enemy. The beast was even bigger up close, but the man knew the importance of his actions. In-and-out, dodge-and-weave, the man attacked with his makeshift spear in hand. The dawg barked, drawing the beast away so the man could get a thrust in with his weapon.
Suddenly the pack lizard caught the man in his tracks, and pinned him to the ground. One quick strike and it would be over. But the man's dawg leaped at the beast, biting down on its throat, tearing out chunk after chunk. The beast reeled and swung the dawg side-to-side, until finally throwing the mutt over the edge of the cliff. But by then the beast’s hour was up, as it turned to see the man at the ready. He drove his spear up into the beast and it died.

His walk down the cliff side was a slow one, he hurt from where the beasts teeth got him, but soon he would be with his family. Along the way he came upon the body of his companion. If not for his faithful dawg, the man would have been killed, and his family would starve. A tear ran down his cheek, but a smile crept across his face. His companion was gone, but the man and his family would live. And live they would, to honor the sacrifice his companion made.
---
Emir Bhravo and his councilor Girard stood there flabbergasted. But after not too long the Emir's face changed to a simple smile, he nodded and thanked Gade for the display.

Kain leaned in close to Tom and muttered, “You know, I think this vow of silence was the best thing to ever happen to him.”

1 comments :

Certain Betrayal said...

I love it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPau5QYtYs


 
Hermes 72 - Heavy Gear RPG - Most artwork Copyright 2002 Dream Pod 9, Inc.