Tartaria: Thrones Of War

Finally summer break! I had been looking forward to these 3 weeks ever since mid March. Therefore, just like every year since I started my degree, I had packed up and went hunting. Before we continue allow me to offer up an introduction. I am Yohan Benz, a 22 year old architecture student at the university of KE Leuven, Brussels, Belgium; and this is the story of how I brought peace to a land of perpetual war that I hadn't even known existed. Despite training to become an architect, I had a hobby of recreating medieval weaponry enhanced with modern technology. This is why I am on this hunt; to test out my newest rapid draw crossbow. Yes, I would admit and time out into the woods is a fantastic way to alleviate the stress of my student life and rather taxing hobby, but the sheer joy and actualization that comes from seeing my creations in action cannot compare. The forest onlooking my university campus had an overabundance of deer, with the wolf and bear populations being wiped out by some freak virus a couple of years ago. This has caused deer populations run skyrocket and threaten the ecosystem. Since then, the local government has encouraged hunting, as long as the hunters have a valid hunters licence. Not wanting the trip to go in vain in case my crossbow didn't prove to be as effective, I had packed a hunting rifle as well. Our city had also been having a refugee problem and lacking funds to sometimes properly feed them. As a result, I normally had the tendency to donate the venison I had hunted to said refugees camps. After cycling up until as far as I could as I could, I parked my mountain cycle and began my hike. My preferred hunting spot was about a mile deep within the forest, overlooking a lake, popular amongst deer. I know that i life have told you about the healing effects of nature, but I truly cannot reiterate how amazing they are. I have to confess that I am a dreamer at heart, therefore I often find myself day dreaming about what is around me; in this instance it was that of the breathing scenery around me. Although you really can't blame me for being mesmerized by something as amazing can you? Despite still being enamoured by what was around me, I did start to notice sometimes abnormal. The deeper I travelled with in the forest, the more the shrubbery around me appeared to change as well. From lush green underbrush and the canopy above me, and the sound of crackling from the forest floor, the colours around me appeared to change. The once lively trees appeared to be .more darker and dead in nature and the lush surface of the forest started to morph into sand. The most absurd aspect was my apathy to the changes around me. I continued march into the forest despite almost every fibre of my being screaming in confusion and fear. It's as if I was in a trance of inevitable destiny, called by a cause that I had yet not understood or realised. Despite fearing for my very life and questioning the foundations of my sanity as well as how I perceived reality as a concept, I was happy for on some level I was aware that this is what my life had been leading up to all along. My musings were shocked back to the present when I came to the realization that my surroundings and now fully transformed to that of a desert, devoid of the life at beauty of the now nonexistent forest. And suddenly all the positive affirmation of grandeur and purpose were drowned by the fear of my survival instinct. I was in the middle of a freaking desert! How on earth was I going to survive?! -X- I lost count of how long I had wandered like the the hopeless individual that I was. Hours? Days? Given the fact that I was still alive and still being able to tow my relatively heavy hunting kit, I knew that it wasn't any more then that. During the nights I would snuggle in my bedroll and pray to whatever higher power that was listening that I would not die of the cold or be mauled to death my a hungry desert predator, or poisoned by an adventurous scorpion. My terrible luck was not for long tho as I soon found what seemed to me smoke emanating from what seemed to be a settlement of some sorts just on the edge of the horizon. Given that it could very well have been a mirage, formulated by the despair of my brain, to at least give me an ounce of respite; to at least offer me some obscure goal to strive towards, but I knew on some level that despite the risks and I had to take the risk and strive for it. See, when you are on your last stand, any semblance of hope was all you can ever ask for. That is what I did, I strived for hope. Too my absolute luck, about mile away, the residents of the settlement spotted me and sent a couple of villagers to meet me half way. "Greetings, strange-" "Water please!!! Mine ran out yesterday!! Please!! I beg of you!" Was my desperate plea before passing out at their feet. When I woke in what I assumed to be now the evening, judging by the lack of light emanating from the windows, I realised I was in someone's home. I saw and immediately downed the water flask beside me. Afterwards, I noticed it to be made of leather. "You picked the wrong time to visit stranger," said an older woman from a corner of the room. She had several bundles packed with almost all of her belonging worth any value. Was she leaving? "You picked the wrong time," she continued, "The black hawks are coming to raid our village because we couldn't pay our taxes." "But why do you know this?" In asked, " Surely if they were to attack, they wouldn't inform you in advance. " "But that is their game, for that is all we are to them. A game. They send an envoy to tell us in advance so that we may run, and they chase us down. That is their sport. We are their pray." Another woman walked into the what I now surmised to be a mud brick hut. "Why do we not fight grandmother? Surely dying with honour will be of more value then to die on the run... As prey. We cannot let them dominate us like common livestock or animals?!" "Pack your things Farija, and leave behind your bow and arrows If you are lucky, you may survive the attack and be sold to slavery. But not if you dive headfirst into their attack!" "Grandmother... How could you!" She turns to me, "And you! Why must you increase our burdens? Do you really think we may shelter an invalid such as yourself? You bizarre traveller, you will attract bad omens for us all!" The venom in her voice was palpable. I asked the woman, "I am a hunter from a distant land. I can offer help. Where have you kept my belongings?" "Farija, show the man his belongings. Mister, please leave after you find them. We cannot accommodate an outsider during these times. And you do not have to share our fate." The younger woman, who I now knew as Farija stormed out. Scrambling to my feet, I followed her. "Look," she pointed, "the horse shed. Take it leave!" Looking up she cursed, "Bisahum be cursed! A flying Voltur-Lion!" "A what?" I looked up as well and saw a massive winger winged bird similar to that of a vulture. "It is a scavenger, it senses death in places before it even occurs. For one that big, it has to be a m******e. It is over, we have been marked." She looks over to me. "If you have any shame strange traveller, you will stay and fight with the people that saved you. It is our right." Retrieving my belongings, I said, "I'll do better, I won't die beside you, I will save you!" With that I took my crossbow and shot at the Vultor-Lion. It's accuracy was far greater then I could have imagined. A perfect hit! Straight through it's eye. As it fell down with large thud, Fariha gasped, "You killed a Vultur-Lion! One as big as a horse! Who are you?!" The loud thud from the centre of the village, caused almost all of it's inhabitants to check that had caused the noise; I could almost sense their sense if doom dissipate. Their collective hope empowered me, and I found myself speaking without even fully understanding it myself. I had to give them salvation. I just had to.  "EVERYONE! I HAVE COME TO SAVE YOU! I AM YOUR SALVATION!" I yelled at the top of mt lungs. -X- My speech the previous day had done wonders. What was once a scared village was now invigorated with the desire to protect their homes. The village wasn't as populous as I had first assumed it to be. Overall, there were just over a hundred people here. A headcount the previous afternoon revealed it to be a hundred and twelve. 43 adult men, the rest women, children, and the elderly. But as long as people were willing to fight, the village had a chance. The tactics just had to be up to the mark. "What can you tell me about the man hunters? Do you know how many we will be facing tomorrow?" In asked Farija the previous evening while we were set up in the largest hall to discuss tactics. "From what I understand, they are a small but highly efficient group of mercenaries. We have a source in the lords guard who once told be that they number in the twenties" "Even if we have the numerical advantage, we are mere farmers. How can you expect us to fight them? They are trained and equipped killers!" Exclaimed Robar, a tall and burly farmer.  I looked at the rough drawing of the village map on the table, before picking up a piece of charcoal and drawing a circle on a narrow three feet passage between two houses. "With the right tactics! Now, do any of you have doors or large pieces of woods?"   -X-   Today really was the day. Like many others I hadn't gotten any sleep the night previous. I had gone over the plan a hundred times already, but there was still doubt. Unbeknown to the mercenaries, we had a technical advantage: my rapid loading crossbow. All the villagers expected me to wield it. But that was not a part of the plan. At the late hours of the previous night I had taught Farija how to use the crossbow. She was to take position on the roof a nearby house overlooking the narrow alley between the two houses. She was our trump card. But we can only use her if the rest of the plan worked. The horizon gave way to a cloud of dust. They were coming. We didn't have much time. According to our plan, we took our positions. 7 men will guard the entrance of the village. The rest will lie in wait to implement the trap. "Hah! Look at that! Only seven of them. The rest must have fled.!" Yelled a mercenary. "Let's give them a quick death for their bravery!" Exclaimed another. I was amongst the 7. If one has to lead, they must put themselves in the riskiest of situations. We were the bait. We were the most at risk. I had to therefore lead my example. When they were a hundred yards from the village, I gave the signal, and we ran. "Hah! Look! They are running! Not so brave now?!" Exclaimed the same mercenary. The timing had to be perfect. We had to make a swift sprint, and lead them through the narrow passage. Then, the men would corner them from both sides of the passage, blocking it off by holding unhinged door. The rest of the men are to then spear the mercenaries from the windows of the two houses while Farija shoots off and kills of the trapped mercenaries while also protecting the villagers holding the doors by killing off stragglers. The boors are our key. If we can hold them at least a minute, we should win. But to do so, we had to get past the narrow passage first and the mercenaries had to take our bait as well. The reason I had insisted on only 7 men as bait was to solely give the mercenaries the false confident that was needed for them to take the bait. And to my greatest of reliefs, the first phase of the plan had worked. Now it only gets more difficult from here. Just after running the most intense sprint of my life, I gave the screech which was the signal for phase two. Just as the mercenaries entered the passage, villagers from both sides blocked of the passage with doors. I, and the other seven men joined in with keeping the doors firmly in place to keep the mercenaries trapped. "Hold your lines men!!! Hold these doors as if your lives depend on it!!!" Judging my the sound of panicked cries and of steel puncturing through flesh, the farmers were already skewering the mercenaries from the windows of the houses. The initial push against the doors were now over, with the mercenaries now more busy with protecting themselves from the sudden skewering. To divert their attention even more I ordered our the men on my side to push against the doors. This was particularly designed to divert the attention of the mercenaries trapped and protect the villagers skewering them. But I heard horse steps coming from behind. Turning back I saw one of the mercenaries had not gotten trapped and was about the flank us. Acting almost on instinct, I took out my rifle and shot him. The adrenaline had made my aim impeccable as I hit him straight between his eyes. With the immediate danger averted I noticed an archer on a nearby rooftop aiming at Farija, who was firing away with the crossbow. I had to act fast quickly reloaded as fast as I could before taking the shot. Safe to say my aim wasn't as good this time as I only hit him on his upper thigh. But it was enough to deter his balance and cause him to fall off. Quickly charging the now fallen foes, I battered him with the butt of my rifle. "What magic is that weapon?! Oh heavens save me!" Were his wails before passed out After I made sure that he was no longer an immediate threat, I could hear cries of triumph reverberating through the village. This could only mean one thing. We had won. -X- That very evening we had another visitor to our village. Farija was the one on lookout, using the scope of the automated crossbow. I personally was immensely confused with her not sounding the signal that would show such an arrival. My worries were alleviated somewhat when I saw her approaching with a massive grin; looking back, it was the first time I had seen her genuinely smile. "Remember the informant I told you about, he's in the Lord's personal guard and he's here." She said in her elation. With that a horseman rode into the village centre. Robar, as well as several other villagers greeted him enthusiastically. "Well met Zahir! Never thought I'd see you again..." commented Robar. "Likewise brother. I had come here fearing the worst. How did you survive the m******e?" He asked, his voice filled with both hope and incredulity. "Because of him!" Beamed Farija, drawing attention to me with her hands. "We had stumbled upon him dying only yesterday. After he had recovered, he orchestrated the defence plan that led to our survival." "What luck..." His gaze shifted to the crossbow on Farija's shoulder. "And what is that?" "One of his inventions, a marvellous thing. It can shoot out a Vultur-Lion right of the sky. One of the larger ones too!" "Thanks you brother," said Zahir, shifting his attention to me, "But I have more bad news. I was sent by Lord Behfar to confirm the success of the black hawk mercenaries. If I tell him of your success, he will without a doubt send a proper battalion this time." “They can’t! They can’t kill their own people this deliberately! “ Explained Farija. “That’s the thing. He will tell his troops he they are raiding a Black Hawk hideout. As no one knows their actual hideout, this will suffice….  And just like that, the flames of hope brought forth by our victory were beginning to dwindle once again. But just then, the flickers of our salvation sparked across my brain. “Farija, where is the Black Hawk mercenary we took prisoner earlier today?” “In my grandmother’s cellar, but why? What are you planning? “ She enquired. “The Black Hawk hideout is a secret. We can go there. “ Her response to my proposition was a single solemn nod. Gone was the glee from just a moment ago, in it’s place the stoicism I had come to identify her with. As she led us to the cellar, I made a silent vow to myself: that I’d create a world where she needn’t have to be as hardened. Where she could be the carefree kid she truly would have been, had it not been for the cruelty of her era, robbing every single soul not born to privilege of their childhood and ultimately their very lives. I had actually managed to shoot him through his spine. Luckily, the bullet had managed to evade all other internal organs, and had it not been for mine and Farija's grandmother's emergency treatment, he would have died within the hour. After approaching his bound frame, he shrieked at the very sight of me. "You monsher! What have you done to me!? I have even feel my legs! What magic is this?" Despite her abrasive exterior, Farija is surprisingly adept at calming people down. After she had calmed the man, which also had to include me leaving the room, she laid to him the proposition: That we would henceforth care for him as long as he told us of the Black Hawk's hideout. Apparently, they had attacked with their full forse, so their base was now empty. So the next morning the entire village, all 112 of us along with the now crippled Black Hawk member, began our journey for their hideout while Zahir made way for Lord Behar in Helmar. We had made a plan to burn the entire village to the ground, along with all the corpses of the Black Hawk members so that Zahir cam report back their "success" in massacring the villagers to his Lord. The goodbye between Zahir and Farija was rather emotional, as they didn't know of they'd see each other again. Zahir had no intention of knowing the location of the Bkack Hawk's hideout, in case he was found out, so there was no way for them to meat. We were lucky that most of the horses from the Black Hawk mercenaries were unharmed from yesterday's battle, allowing most of the villagers to be either carried on carriage or horseback. The journey took about half a day as we approached the Black Hawk's secret hideout a few hours before dusk. However, upon seeing what would be our new home everything felt worth it. It was a narrow valley, nicely tucked between two large hills. Three caves were expertly dug into the hills and there was even a small pond amongst it all, a rarity in these arid lands. So here I was, responsible for the safety of an entire village, within a week of appearing in this strange new world. If only I knew then, just how much of an impact I would play in it's history. If only I was given a chance of choosing my fate then.