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| War Lords | | | Author: | | | IP: | huru27.wXXXX | | Date: | 02/15/00 06:02 | | Game Type: | Other | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 1, Max: 5, Min: 5
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Note: This is a chapter in the middle of a fictional series. To read the other chapters please do
a search on my name.
War Lords
The strong winds carried the voices up and out of the shallow dirt valley and swept loose dirt
and small rocks from across the wastelands against Prn's toughened skin. He strained to hear the words of the
two war lords from his place at the rim of the valley. Prn had seen more seasons come and go than any other member
of the Council and he had lived to see three war chiefs pass into the next life. Grg had died last night. And now
two war lords were contesting for supremacy of the Tribal Council. The contests were always the same. They had been
ever since the formation of the Tribal Council which united the war tribes long before anyone could remember.
It began with the death of the war chief. Grg's death came as little surprise to most of the council and much relief to
a few. He had ruled over the tribes for twenty warm seasons and twenty cold. Forty seasons of defeat and ruin for the
tribes. Over the past couple of weeks Grg had seemed frail and sick, but Prn had no illusions that the war chief had been
taken by the hands of Srdrdrd, Lord of the Dead, unassisted. That was the way it should be though. A weak leader meant
weakness and pain for his tribes.
After the ceremonial burial of the old chief the council proceeded out to the sacred valley. All of the war lords gathered
around the rim of the valley, then one of them would walk down into the center of the valley proclaiming his intention
to lead. Today it had been Rtg who was war lord over Wrplp one of the oldest and most prestigious tribes. If no one challenged
then that war lord would be chief. Someone always challenged. Vrk the youngest member of the council and war lord of
Pkdhb which according to some reports was quickly becoming the largest and most powerful of the tribes, had challenged today.
The challenge itself began with an argument and ended with a death-battle. The survivor was the new war chief.
Just then the winds shifted and Prn could hear what was going on below. Rtg was sitting on his hind legs speaking while
the muscular Vrk circled him warily.
".. no, Grg failed because he did not, could not understand the changing ways of warfare," Rtg was saying. "The devils
have a new weapon at their disposal every week. And what to do we have? Do we not have scientists as well. Can we
not use our heads as well as our strength? And yet the devils now have hundreds of terrible weapons of which we have
none. Should we be content to always hurl stones and sling arrows while our enemy burns up whole tribes with the
power of a thousand fires. If we are I assure you our defeat is already in stone carved."
"And what would you know of these terrible weapons?" Vrk snarled back continuing to circle. "You, whose tribe is snuggled
deep in the heart of our land. You haven't watched your croplands burned and your towns leveled by these terrible
weapons you speak of. I have spent the last years in my homeland Pkdhb where the devils pour troops and machinery
every day and still we grow stronger."
"You are but a child when it comes to historical matters I am afraid," Rtg returned condescendingly. "The Wrplp people
have contributed more to the preservation of the tribes than any other tribe represented here today. We have time and.."
"And I suppose oh learned teacher you can explain the historical significance of the great sky fire we all witnessed two
nights ago," Vrk asked with exaggerated irony. Rtg looked caught off guard. "Perhaps I can enlighten you. The devils
have called on Sktktktktkt himself to come down to earth and rain fire on the tribes. We must attack now, ferociously
and without restraint."
"This is absurd. If we attack now thousands of thousands of warriors will be killed for nothing. We must exercise caution.."
"Coward," Vrk who had finally stopped pacing, spit at the older war lord. "You would have us run from the devils until there
was nothing left."
"That isn't what I am.." Rtg didn't finish his sentence. Vrk lunged with the full force of his powerful hind legs, claws
springing forth from his hands, which glistened in the late afternoon sun as they streamed towards Rtg's face. Rtg who had seen
the attack coming for a couple of weeks now sidestepped the lunge using the back of his hand to push the young warlord to
the right. Vrk landed behind him crumpled up in a ball. He was quickly back on his feet steaming in rage, his eyes red
with hate, spitting and swearing every oath he'd ever heard.
A wild ball of anger he lunged again. This time as Rtg side-stepped the blow he left four precise cuts along the cheek
of Vrk. Suddenly wary Vrk turned to face his opponent this time in a cautious defensive position. The two began circling
each other, spitting and growling all the while. This went on for quite some time. One occasionally lashing out at the
other but never with any real effect. Finally, Rtg took a swing for Vrk's face. Vrk blocked it with his right foreleg
and managed a jab for Rtg's under belly with his left. Rtg fell back off balance and Vrk lunged.
He would not survive his third miscalculated lunge. Rtg an experienced fighter fell on to his back springing loose the
claws of both his hind legs. The sharp blades of his right hind leg cut neatly through the exposed jugular of the young
war lord. He quickly righted himself and walked casually over to Vrk as the blood drained out of him. Even from the
rim of the valley Prn could see clearly the smile on Rtg's face which he could have sworn belonged to Sktktktktkt himself.
Rtg then lowered his face to Vrk's and before a dumfounded council proceeded to rip into the flesh with his sharp canines
until it was no longer recognizable.
Prn almost stood up in shock, although to do so would have been to forfeit his own life. Never had he seen anything like this.
No warriors burial could be performed for Vrk now. Rtg looked around searching for signs of disapproval. He then walked slowly
off back towards the tribal council's camp. One by one the war lords followed leaving the mangled body of Vrk to be
carried off by animals in the night. Prn felt his insides twisted all around in knots. Perhaps if the tribes had a word
for it Prn would have described it as fear. But the tribes did not know fear.
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