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The almost harmonious sound of the raindrops pelting the canvas walls of the tent was loud enough to be maddening. Why was he here? He was following a mad man to a maddening death. The general believed that the only way to bring salvation to the country was to free the sage ChiZao. It was for his glory and honor that they were out in this god-forsaken country side. The leaders of the other lands felt that ChiZao posed too great a threat to be freed. They feel that he is beyond evil, and that his agenda is not we think or he says it is. And so they came to stop us from freeing him from his tomb. Three armies have gathered here in Nagnang to wage war and decide the outcome of, if you believe some, the world. He cared not for sages or prophets or any of the like. He did not believe in any of the old world beliefs and as such was here for one thing and one thing only, gold. If the pay had been any greater he would have be unbelieving. The pay from this one job would sustain him for years to come, provided he lived through it. So he gathered his band of mercenaries and set out to partake in this bloodshed. It was only when he arrived that he had learned their enemy was not one army, but two. He would have retreated and thought more carefully before selecting another job at such a high pay would his reputation have not been ruined. And so he stayed, enduring the rain and the long marches to the battlefield, all the while trying to concoct a plan to save his hide and win the war. He couldn't sleep this particular evening, not because of the rain as he told himself, but because it was the eve of the battle. This would decide the fate of the thousands of men gathered in this valley. When the sun climbed over the mountain peak and the first rays shined through the gloomy clouds the battle would be under way. It was with this thought that he finally laid down on his cot and went to sleep. As predicted when the sun was still just an orange glow on the horizon the armies gathered. The earth itself trembled and shook as the armies marched towards one another. As the armies crashed into one another the sound was deafening. Everywhere he looked he saw nothing but enemy banners and uniforms. He was in the middle of the battle and it had just started! His horse took an arrow to the neck and screamed in pain. He jumped off of the poor beast as it went down, getting blood on his face and hands. As he tried to get his bearings a bear of a man approached him, yelling in a battle rage. As the barbarian approached, swinging his broadsword in a wild arc, his eyes bulged as an arrow protruded from his throat. He grabbed the arrow in disbelief, staring at it as his death rattle began. It was then that he felt a searing pain blossom in his thigh. He had been hit by an arrow! The assassin must have been meaning to hit him with the arrow that killed the barbarian. He fell to the ground and as he lay there trying to clean his would the would be sniper approached the ditch he was hiding in. Their eyes met briefly as he notched another arrow to his bow string. All that the mercenary could think was, "I'm going to die in a war about something I don't believe in, and for a man that may well destroy the world. ChiZao's glory be damned! I want to live!" as the arrow seemed to slowly fly towards him. As it found its home in his chest he resolved to die with some dignity. He lay there, drowning on his blood, and looked his killer in the face. He took his last breath and found some comfort in the mace he saw swinging towards the back of the assassin's head. Perhaps they would share a brew in the afterlife and talk about the irony of this moment. Thus he passed, not knowing that their defeat would keep the sage ChiZao imprisoned and the world safe. ChiZao's glory is that it is he, and he alone, who populates this world with magic. -Brad | |