Chapter Three - Maple Leaf
Here is chapter three of The Chronicles (no title again). This is my first shot at a battle scene, and unlike Ah Chi's, I barely use speeches.
So far, the party has been brought into the tale and has learned that the story revolves around their life in that story. What took me so long, was the name, Maple Leaf. At first it was Mapleton and Mapleshire, but I figured that I should keep it more nature based as with the other famous names: Cornwood, Mirkwood etc
So ... oOOooOo ... Let's get onto ...
Chapter Three - Maple Leaf
The flame was still diminishing that following morning. All, but Jackey was still asleep. He was awakened by a strange calling from a distant. He felt a presence lurking around them and had that unease feeling. But like most common holidaying students, he went straight back to sleep rather than to observe.
When the camp fire diminished, several men on horses came down the small hill and approached the unsuspecting group. It appeared that the group was now surrounded by ten mounted soldiers.
One of the guards withdrew his sword and raised it above Jackey’s throat. Fortunately for Jackey, the horse snorted, waking him up just before the soldier made the attack.
Jackey rolled away from the sword’s path. “Wake up, guys,” He shouted.
“What the hell?” Patrick said, looking around him. “We’re in ambush”
“Ooo?” Winnie does it again.
“This is no Renaissance Fair”, Michael thought that a little humor would relieve some tension.
“What are we going to do now?” Lawrence cried.
The soldiers began circling the group to concentrate them towards the centre. And as they did, they came closer and closer. Doom was assured. One of them closed in on Jackey and raised his sword again. Panicking, Jackey panted heavily, but suddenly, he felt the presence again and quickly turned his head towards the trees. A sharp arrow shot in and drove through the soldier’s throat. The soldiers panicked and fled.
“Can anyone explain exactly what just happened here?” Patrick asked. “Where did that come from?”
Jackey pointed toward the branch. “There”
They all turned to the pointed branch only to see nothing. But Jackey knew what he was looking at. Not too long, a humanly figure leapt off the branch and only the dirt ground in front of them. However, the shadow of the tree, and the thick morning fog around the area, made it difficult to see the person clearly, and thus raising questions as to how Jackey could.
“You have the gift,” it said.
Everyone looked at Jackey.
Michael asked the question on everyone’s mind. “How could you see like that?”
Jackey, himself, was confused. “I didn’t. I sensed his presence for some reason”
“That is no surprise. You have the sixth sense,” it repeated.
“Wha…What? That Bruce Willis thing?” Janet asked.
The figure came closer, and removed the hood of its cloak. It was clear to them that it was an elf. He appeared to be a young adult, about the age of Michael. He had long, sharp ears, gem green eyes, sharp face, and had pale skin.
“Who are you?” Lawrence asked.
The elf did not respond. He and Jackey could feel a disturbance.
“We must make haste, it is not safe here,” the elf said as he gestured the others to follow.
The group unwillingly, and anxiously, followed the elf through the forest and eventually, they entered a strange gathering of other elves. Unlike the elves in the movies, that they were familiar with, these elves were worn, tired, and appeared to have been attacked by the wild.
“Oh my God,” Janet was just as shocked as everyone else. “What happened?”
“It’s like Saving Private Ryan,” Patrick added.
“More like a bad anime,” Winnie commented. “Or a good one with a twist”
While the group disbanded to observe the tragedy, Lawrence pursued for an answer. “Who are you? And what has happened?”
The archer assisted an elder to sit down before answering Lawrence, who was calling the others:
“My name is Xrik, and this is what remains of the once peaceful, Village of Maple Leaf. It was once a village dedicated to preserve the beauty of the woods. For many years, Maple Leaf lived in harmony with the woods and keeping it safe of possible threat from beyond. But two years ago, a strange army, of what elders described as, dead warriors raided our village. All the greatest elves gathered to defend our home, but they were greatly outnumbered. They destroyed our homes and took away our children. I am the last child of my village.”
“But why did they come here?” Janet asked.
“We do not know what happens in the outside world. All we know is that these soldiers will continue to stalk us until the last elf is dead,” Xrik clenched his fist. “It is my sacred duty to protect us now”
A coughing elder called to Xrik. “Young one, you mustn’t stay here”
“But I must protect what remains of this home,” Xrik’s sense of duty surprised the group.
“Young one, these six humans are not whom you think,” the elder said. “You must escort them in search of the Blood Amulet”
Patrick stepped forward. “Who are you? And what do you know about us?”
The elder coughed. Xrik went to brush her back. “She is the priestess of our village”
The elder removed her hood. There were no pupils and she was indefinitely old aged. “You were brought here and bestowed an important mission to recover the Blood Amulet, so that you may seal the gateway of the Netherworld.”
“So,” Jackey said. “Another Lord of the Rings story? Or Wizard of Oz?”
“Ooo,” Winnie said once again.
Shriek. An elder was pierced with a bow. Roar. The soldiers were invading. Before they could react, fire catapults smashed the ground spreading flame and panic erupted. The elves are completely defenseless. Light cavalries charged in with their swords and lances, violently slaughtering several elves. Everyone began to flee, but found themselves already surrounded.
It was a foul play of bloodshed and massacre. It was clear that the soldiers wanted complete annihilation.
Xrik boldly fought with his two daggers, as archery was not wise in close combat. However, with the intensity of the soldiers’ offense, he was barely managing. Patrick and Michael harvested weaponry from the fallen cavalries and came to his assistance.
Janet, Lawrence and Jackey were driven away from the rest of the group, and ultimately had no form of defense but their own hands. Fortunately, horses cannot turn quickly, so the three took it to their advantage.
The priestess grabbed onto Winnie’s wrist and clutched it tightly, chanting incomprehensibly, while a small group of younger elves defended them.
Once the wave of cavalries was stopped, the foot infantry advanced. The sound of their marching was like thunder clapping on a stormy night. They had time to unite and arm themselves, but the number of survivors was so few, it was impossible to survive the next assault.
After the priestess released Winnie’s wrist, she ordered the group to leave and that Winnie must be kept safe at all cost.
Xrik refused to leave, attempting to rescue the remaining people of his village, the last people of his village. Patrick and Michael pulled him away from the approach onslaught and the group fled. Jackey picked up Xrik’s bow and continued. Xrik watched in horror as the priestess was beheaded and lodged into a pike.
The soldiers pursued the survivors. The group was slowly separating due to the physique and endurance of Patrick, Michael, and Xrik as compared to the others. As she was keeping with the group, Winnie dropped book and turned to retrieve it, followed by a tiring Jackey. However, cavalries, which entered the pursuit reached them and forced them to a large tree where they had stopped. With all swords raised, Winnie panicked and closed her eyes. Then suddenly, the tree, she was leaning on, swayed and its branch violently crushed the soldiers. While the two were recovering from the shock, Lawrence pulled them away from the havoc.