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| Thread: FanFic: "The Revelation Wars" | |
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guitarguy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Rockoon.
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posted July 20, 2005 04:26 PM |
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FanFic: "The Revelation Wars"
NOTE: This story picks off immediately after Erathia's Restoration War. There is far less dialogue here than in most stories, but I'll try to make up for it.
Chapter One: “Northlands by Nightfall”
A man crept silently through the depths of the forest. It had been a long walk, taking many hours to cross over the mountain to reach the northern wilderness. With each careful footstep, he mouthed to himself the exact same words that played through his mind the night before. The sun was setting fast, but he did not care. The darkness meant nothing to him. And while he carried neither torch nor candle, he was certain that he’d find his way through the forest without any trouble. After all, he had been a traveler all his life. If anything, he had to stay quiet and undetected by his enemies.
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The sky darkened as the last traces of sunlight disappeared from the horizon. The wilderness was silent, save for a chilling breeze that whistled through the forest. An outpost sat in a small clearing, surrounded by barricades of raw timber and stone. A small number of simple tents and cabins stood within the walls. A ficticious griffin kept watch from an Erathian flag that was fluttering freely overhead.
A watchman made his rounds along the outpost’s perimeter, looking out for signs of allies or enemies alike. The soldiers were restless, huddling together behind the makeshift walls of the encampment. Clinging to threadbare sheets beside a small fire, various individuals turned their thoughts toward their cozy cottages back home. Meanwhile, two men loitered at the far end of the base. The first man was a monk; he was silent in prayer. On his right was a wizard in flowing red robes who firmly clasped a glowing metallic staff. The latter fellow glanced around at his surroundings with wary suspicion in his eyes.
“I sense danger, but I know not where it’s coming from”, he thought to himself.
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Not a long way off, the man travelling on foot froze in his tracks. Trouble was ahead, and he knew it. Creeping behind an overgrowth of shrubbery, he held his breath. Off to the east, he saw traces of movement. An army. It was a very large group of creatures. The man bit his lip at the sight of it. Closing his eyes in deep thought, he frowned and crossed his arms. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw a pair of monstrosities flying past him overhead, heading westward.
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Elsewhere, the Erathian watchman had nearly finished his patrol of the outpost’s eastern edge when he became aware of faint noises echoing throughout the nearby forest. Walking out to see what it was, he felt a huge lump form deep in his throat. Aiming his torch in the direction of the strange sounds, he waited and watched. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that he saw strange shadows appear and multiply before his very eyes. The sight sent chills down his spine.
“ALARM! Enemy troops sighted!”, he shouted as he ran back to base.
The cries of the watchmen suddenly broke the silence. A horn was sounded and the soldiers quickly assembled. Crossbowmen loaded their weapons while swordsmen unsheathed their swords. The commander arrived on the scene to question the watchman, who pointed out the shadowy figures approaching from the east. As the group peered off into the distance, the two robed individuals came up. The monk was silent, but the wizard had reason to speak.
“This is an undead army from Deyja”, warned the wizard. “Be careful, for they are aided by powerful magic!”
The commander nodded in agreement and ordered troops to form a defensive line. A wall of pikemen formed outside, followed by a group of swordsman who shielded the base’s entrance. Crossbowmen rested their weapons against the battlements and readied their aim. A pair of soldiers wheeled out a massive ballista and began arming it with its massive ammunition. As these arrangements were taking place, the monk watched nervously on the side.
The commander made a gesture and the pikemen advanced forward. The men were feeling hesistant, however, because the undead beasts were very close and gaining ground quickly. The group dropped on the ground when the crossbows were ordered to fire, and then they returned to their upright position afterwards. The arrows had taken down some of the enemy, yet hundreds of skeletal warriors and other assorted undead trudged onward. When the two forces met, screams and the clanging of steel became deafening. At the commander’s order, the ballista was fired and the swordsmen were sent forward. No sooner had the order been given when a terrible plague wafted out of the darkness and struck the human warriors. Several soldiers keeled over and died at every turn; others became very ill.
The wizard was watching all of this from the top of the battlements when he suddenly noticed a dark figure on horseback far across the way. Increasing his grip on his magic staff, he jumped from the wall and ran at full speed towards the fighting. In a brilliant diplay of color and light, a spell exploded across the battlefield, erasing a number of undead warriors where they stood. The wizard, reciting incantations under his breath, charged his way through packs of Skeletons and Wraiths in hopes of reaching their Necromancer leader.
Slashing their swords through a crowd of fiendish vampires, the team of swordsmen ran ahead in an attempt to overwhelm the dark horseman. Their charge was halted within fifteen feet of the Necromancer when a pair of skeletal drakes descended from the sky. The soldiers turned pale and retreated, some tripping over each other in the process. When the wizard saw the twin dragons, he shouted to the soldiers around him for a desperate regroup. The pikemen and swordsmen who were still alive managed to reassume their formations in time to meet more oncoming undead. Survival, at that moment, seemed plausible.
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The traveler watched the carnage from behind a tree half a mile away. His face became tense with anxiety as he saw yet another plague spread among the human combatants. Knowing that the Erathians had no hope, he got up and ran quickly towards the mountains. He could not stand observing the battle any longer.
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Disease was widespread among the Erathian soldiers. Not long after one of the dragons was shot down by crossbows, another necromantic plague was unleashed upon the battlefield. Lying on the ground and quickly approaching death, the wizard continued fighting off as many skeletal warriors as he could with his magic staff. A cadre of vampires surprised the crossbowmen at their posts, leaving the outpost at the mercy of the undead troops. One by one, the archers fell, unable to defend themselves against the raw power of their foes. The Erathian commander, in the midst of strafing an undead’s attack, shouted out orders to anybody who could hear him. On the far side of the base, the lone monk silenced a random attacker and fled over the nearest wall. Landing in the dirt on the other side, the man quickly picked himself off the ground and ran for his life. As he ran, the horrible screams of battle played over in his head.
-guitarguy
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zsa
Famous Hero
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posted July 21, 2005 03:16 AM |
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This was a more enjoyable read than the other chapters you wrote (the naga one was good too).
Nice chapter overall, I liked it, hope you'll follow up on that .
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guitarguy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Rockoon.
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posted July 21, 2005 05:43 AM |
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Thanks, Zsa. This is a totally new project of mine; I have no idea how many chapters there will be. I will be brainstorming the next part of the story, but I have to admit that I have the hardest times writing dialogue and battle scenes. Sadly, a Heroes story without action would be junk. I might try to add more dialogue next time.
It's a complicated story, now that I think about it. The next chapter might take a while.
-guitarguy
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zsa
Famous Hero
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posted July 21, 2005 07:17 AM |
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Quote:
Thanks, Zsa. This is a totally new project of mine; I have no idea how many chapters there will be. I will be brainstorming the next part of the story, but I have to admit that I have the hardest times writing dialogue and battle scenes. Sadly, a Heroes story without action would be junk. I might try to add more dialogue next time.
It's a complicated story, now that I think about it. The next chapter might take a while.
-guitarguy
well I say take your time. I'd rather see a good chapter than 10 average ones (and I'm sure others would agree). Quality over quantity I say. I'm taking my time with my story, because of my other activities and because I don't wanna rush it.
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guitarguy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Rockoon.
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posted July 21, 2005 07:49 AM |
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I agree about not rushing, although I am infamous for becoming too lazy to continue unfinished projects.  I intend to avoid that this time around, hopefully.
I estimate the next chapter might take three or more days to complete. I'm so lazy. 
-guitarguy
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mr_niceguy
Famous Hero
of power
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posted July 21, 2005 01:25 PM |
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nice story, cant wait till ur next one
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a stich in time saves nine... what the hell does that mean?
If u enjoy telling ur friends of how uve never been beaten with ur own legs, u'd rethink making a comment
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guitarguy
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Rockoon.
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posted July 22, 2005 03:32 PM |
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I figured out that I need to get the overall story organized so I will know what to cover in each chapter. After some contemplation, I estimate there will be four chapters so far. I will start writing the second chapter tomorrow.
-guitarguy
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