Men of Fire

Really rough lil story I've been playin around with.

 

Chapter 1 Death and Bloodshed      

  All was calm in the cool valley, the village settling in peace at the end of the long summers day. The villagers lay settled in their beds, unaware of the eminent threat to their peace they took so for granted.

     Late in the night, under cover of darkness and seen only through moonlight, came the feared Sect army. The villagers woke in shock, to such a rude awakening to see their homes and land burned to the ground. Blood spread throughout the valley, and the peace was no more.

     The morning rose and all but the shattered remains of what once held a calm serenity existed, now transformed into the image of terror, blackened by blood and drenched in the unholy stench of chaos and disorder.

     In the smooth grass, freshly wet with the dew of the morning lay a child, about 14 years of age, unharmed and newly awoke. She walked calmly down to her home in the valley, and passing over a hillside came into view of the destruction.

     Tears rolled from her eyes, hardly able to accept what had come of her home, she fell into an uncontrollable madness, all innocence left in the past when she could roam free without worry, when her family and friends still stood by to comfort her. Her only thoughts came of despair and hatred; hatred of those tainted souls who slain her family and village. Such disbelief that any human could be so stained as to take the life of an entire family, much less an entire village. Mankind must be so much more of a monstrosity, capable of such acts she had not imagined people to be capable of, for her herself had never seen the gruesome sight of war, and imagined life in all its splendor, without hate or murder, without the darker side of man, without knowing what it was capable of and of its cruel lack of respect for life and caring towards others, all human emotions gave into a simply primal behavior.

     Days past and she lived outside the village, unable to bear its horror. Her eyes dry from tears, she lived like a shell, devoid of all emotion but the hanging sorrow, and the desire for vengeance.

     She made her way to the nearest town, persistent to reek the vengeance she so craved. She walked through a dense forest, and emerged on the other side to see the little town just on the other side off a hill. She came into the town and was greeted with disgusted looks and bewildered stares.

     She walked to what looked to be a circle of the village leaders, just outside a hut with some elders. They stared questioningly at her mangled appearance, and one finally spoke:

     "Hello child, where are you from and why do you look so worn?" asked a tall man, with a royal look about him.

The girl did not speak but burst into tears and pointed in the direction of her village, and from that the men of the circle cast knowing looks around each other.

     "She must be a survivor from a village attacked by the Divine army.." stated an elder.

     They took the girl into a small hut while they conversed outside, she was afraid in her new environment but it did not overwhelm her, everything was not of much importance, because what once meant life for her was now turned to ash by mortal men.

    She fell into a deep sleep, one of the first good rests in days, and when she awoke it was to the motion of the village leader, the tall man who spoke so royally, now clad in ceremonial robes beckoning her out of the tent.  She followed the man to a group around a large fire, where men women and children were all dancing in a circle.

     "This is the village of my people!" said the man, "We have long lived untouched by the red army for ages. The foul creatures that call themselves 'holy men' have terrorized villages and destroyed tribes for many years, with their so called cleansing."

     He spoke to the girl about the cult and their mangled beliefs while the tribes men and women danced in harmony.

     "The Divinity have long believed man was a parasite on the earth, and to end man would be to save it. They believe by doing this 'cleansing' they guarantee themselves salvation in the afterlife as a reward for realizing their fault to mother earth. We believe we help the earth as best we can, and it benefits from us as we do from it. Look around you, all animals in nature including humans help the earth. Bees pollinate its flowers and man plants its crops, such fools we believe them to deny this reality. They persist on slaying our men women and children, many villages have fallen..They came to our village under cloak of night, but we were ready, and they fell defeated at our hands. We believe they will come back one day when they have taken more villages, but when that time comes we will still be ready. Our only loss and regret is that we lost some of our own dear to us...And my own son was taken as a slave. We searched for him but nothing was found, and little hope of his existence remains."

     This man who seemed so powerful, fully able to lead the village and then some, with an almost godlike and knowing appearance had finally suppressed some sign that had made him seem more human: the slight sign of sorrow.

     This emotion was not long lasted, and his face now full of ensurity and a calm positive look that gave the villagers courage, and had the feeling of security in him, and he spoke:

     "The Hallowed army is upon us! More villages fall at their hands, but our army is great and cannot be withstood! They move swiftly and brutally but we have greater power on our side and must still strike while we have greater numbers; soon I will lead an invasion to the nearest town of the hallowed, and we shall set an attack on it and let our resistance be known!"

     The large circle broke out in cheers, warriors shaking their fists in approval. The leader then again took his seat, and informed the child,

     "You will stay here and become a part of our village and help protect and take care of it while we are away." He said solemnly.

     The dancing and festivities past, and soon night fell and not a sound was heard.

     Sometime in the night the girl awoke with a start. She crept to the side of the tents opening to listen, and could hear the soft pitter patter of hoofs on the soft dirt. She thought nothing of this, and soon fell back asleep.

     her sleep however was short lasted, and she this time awoke to the sounds of clashing blades and screams, she crawled to the tents opening to get a look at the commotion. As soon as she stepped outside she wished she hadn't, she caught sight of the hallowed army, decked in black armored robes, which looked elegant but strong, waging war against the army of the village.

     For a short time the army seemed to have the advantage due to their surprise attack, but it soon became apparent they were no match against the angry force of the warriors defending their village. She stayed back in the tent, thoughts of what happened to her village boiling in her head, terrified of the army yet amazed by the fighting of the warriors of the village.

The fighting grew gruesome, the clash of blades and splatter of blood was almost unbearable for the girl, it was like reliving the terrible experience of seeing her family slain all over again, the grotesque sight of war was too much for her, and just as she thought she would faint she heard a rip in the back of her tent. A sharp pain spread across her head and she saw white, then only darkness as she fell over.

 

 

 Chapter 2 Twisted Religion

 

[[ at this point the girl is 16, just captured from her town that was burned down and taken by a strange religious cult, and they wish to turn her to their side so they take her to their church and put her under charge of a younger man ]]

 

 

     She awoke in what seemed to be a chapel, glass windows tinted with images and figures, with the new light of the morning shining through. A few beds around and desks neatly placed in the large room, and at the further side of the room sat a younger man around 18 years of age, in a dark satin robe, facing the opposite direction and appeared to be praying. Confused and still afraid and in shock from the night before, she thought of approaching the man but her fear held her back. She made a slight cough to get the mans attention, and it seemed to work as he turned his head to look at her.

     "Good morning!" said the man in the robe, "I'm glad to see you up and well!"

She stared at him, not knowing what to say.

     "Ah you might be a mute..or i guess i can understand if you are simply afraid in a new place! Well have no fear, you are safe hear. You are at the church of the Hallowed! Right now your in our orphanage section."

     He said it with such a nonchalant attitude, an almost pride in the fact that they were at the temple of those who murdered the villages! The girl was terrified and disgusted.

     "Stay away from me! You people are nothing but murderers and madmen!"

     Weak from what had happened she still had will enough to force argument.

     "Poor thing, you must be confused from your hardship, and tired as well. Don't be afraid though, all is well! Why don't you take pride in being at this holy church? The teachings of the Hallowed are virtuous, and will lead us to salvation in the end! Look around, can't see the human effect on this planet? We are truly like leeches, breeding and sucking at the earth and her resources like parasites, and when we realize this truth and work for prevention of it then and only then can we find salvation in the afterlife; by realizing what we are we can free ourselves and become something better, because heaven won't hold foul souls unknowing of their own toxicity 'less we have done something to cease the consumption of earth by us humans, so at last peace can resume for it. You should be happy to be here!"

     The girl stood in awe, this logic was unthinkable to her. How could someone find themselves a manifestation and a parasite, and how could destroying thier own kind possibly bring them to salvation? Oly one thought held the answer for her: This was madness.

     "Then what happens to you in the end? You die by those who shared your same sick views?" she said placidly.

     "No, as a sign that we have reaslized that we are nothing more than monsters on this beautiful place, sucking this world dry, killing the peacefull things, and only spreading our pollution through it, we end our own lives to prove to god that we have realized that we in ourselves are a sin."

     She again stood in awe. Their sick religion would end us all.

     "Don't you understand that the earth benefits from us just as we do from it? Without us what of an earth is there? We coexist with this earth and do as much help as we do harm."

     "We are an unpure species, a blood sucking bug. With us gone, all unholy unpurities washed out, a true and pure society can exist, the way god intended it."

     "How do you know god wanted this?? What makes you think he can't control it on his own? If he wanted something changed, he would change it! Things now are the way they should be without your grim army! This is madness!" The girl was starting to get angry.

     "It is clear to us. All our lives are for is destruction, and the world is a far better place without them, and we know God has intended us to realize this, thus freeing us from ourselves...and beside the point, if this is not how it is then we are all doomed anyway, we will die without purpose. If we were pure, God would have sent us some sign of his existance. Since he hasn't done so he must know we are an impurity, or not exist at all, and in that case there is no point in life at all. The church makes it clear. Once you attend it for awhile it will all come more clear and the leaders of the church will explain better than I.We ARE a parasite, and only by realizing so will God except us."

     In a fit of rage and pain, she ran for the door, but the young man grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her back with ease.

     "I'm sorry, that's the way the world is, and we can't let you go anywhere."

    And with that he walked from the chapel, and closed and locked the doors.

 

[[ i plan to change the name 'hallowed' to something different but idk what! lol]]

 

Chapter 3 Memories and Change

 

     She ran restless around the empy chapel for hours, till daylight faded to darkness of night. She didn't know what to do, she was hungry and worn from her venture. She heard a door open on the far side of the temple and thought nothing of it, men in robes, varying in colors, had been coming in and out of the chapel paying no attention to her other than to give her grisly looks. This time however a man tapped her on the back, and when she turned 'round she saw he was not in the robes the others were in, but in the clothing of the villagers she had seen the day before. He spoke silently,

     "Come with me quickly, we haven't got much time! The Hallowed army is under a silent attack from our village and we must keep silent as we leave!"

     He led her to the other end of a chapel where she found one of the doors pryed open, he beconed her through it. One the other side they made their way to a near feild covered high in grass. She now got a full view of a chapel and the town it was in, it was dark in the night, lit only by streetlights, and they could see figures creeping into the village, undoubtedly the village army. The chapel was dark, but a building near the center of the town was illuminated.

    "They're holding a meeting in the towns center, thats where were planning our attack." Said the man who had escorted her.

    "But aren't you going to help them in the incasion?"

    "No, im only a scout, not really fit for battling the hallowed, though id like more than anything to get my hands around them! Well come on we better get you back to the village, theres a wagon nearby that can take us."

 he led the way back to the wagon and once there handed her bread. She ate and soon fell to sleep.

     When she woke up she was in the village, she was in a small room with the scout who had got her, the village leader, and a number of villagers she hadn't yet incountered.

     "Good to see you up and well!" said the village leader, "The siege was a success, many hollowed fell to our onslaught and their army is weakened. That base was just one of many, but it was a great success none the less. Our next target is a village not far from here and we will be departing in a few days. For this mission, we will need your help. First we will need you to tell us everything about what you encountered in the chapel and the town when you were help captive."

     She relayed the events that had happened with every detail, the leader listening closely.

     "We suspected as much. the colors of their robes symbolize their order. There are five colored robes, the satin robe you saw being second on the list. The list goes dark green, satin, grey, white, and black. To wear a black robe is the highest honor in the church, and is only awarded to the dead. It's given to those who have taken their own lives after their duty was done.

     "These people are truly mad, all reationality seems to be gone in them. In our invasion in a few days we will need your help, we will send you into the town impersonating someone wishing to join them, they souldn't be surprised, they get requests every day. They won't kill you because they want people to work for them in taking out those who resist them first, and unfortunately people go with them just to stay alive for a time, even if they don't believe their twisted religion. This evil persuation has gained them many followers."

     She stared blankly at him for a moment. She was expected to go into the town and become one of the hollowed?

     "You will of course be watched from a distance by one of our scouts," He motioned toward the scout who had rescued her, who nodded while smiling, "and overall you should be safe. With this victory we will be in reach of defeating the Hallowed, the town we are going to is their secondary main base, and after this their forces will be weakend and we will attack the first. You may explore our town as you wish, get something to eat and get the rest you need." and with that he walked out of the room.

     The scout showed her around the town; the markets, the feilds, fun places to play, a church, the other children of the village, and even the places were the village leader stayed and where meetings were had. The village was inclosed by a great wall, surrounding most of it, with archers and soldiers gaurding it. It was a larger village than it had first seemed, and many people now came around to meet her. The scout quickly became a close friend of hers, and after a day of two she had warmed up to the village and its people, making many friends and finding it as the only home she knew.

     The night before the invasion of the next Hallowed base, the leader gathered the village people and the elders to converse aroudn a fire.

     "Tomorrow we will send this young girl into the hallowed base, and once in she will find the layout of the area. Without her we would be running blind. A day after we send her in we shall come, rescue her, see what information she has recovered, find if there is a meeting between the hallowed and when they are clumped together so we can take as many as possible. Under cover of darkness we shall use her information to attack the Hallowed and weaken their forces best we can. Be ready men! The time for action will be soon upon us!"

     The men of the village let out a cheer and the leader took his seat. There was a small celebration around a fire, while the elders and leader conversed and some of the towns people danced and drank. The girl was afraid of the day ahead, but the joyfulness of the moment kept her calm.

     The next morning came and she was awakened by the scout. He led her to a wagon where she rode with him and the village leader, who spoke to her calmly.

     "Don't be afraid, your job is to observe, keep an eye open and remember what you can."

     The wagon wheeled its way nearer and nearer to the village, and it stopped near the bottom of a hill. The group made their way up the hill and looked over toward the village, when they did she saw something she wasn't entirely ready for: the village was her old home captured by the Hallowed. She informed the village leader of this and he seemed pleased.

     "This could help us, you already know the area to some degree though undoubtedly they have changed the landscape to suit them and added onto it. Well here is where we depart, head down to the village and declare your alligance to them. Don't be afraid, they won't harm you and we'll be here watching. The scout will watch over you when the wagon driver and I leave and set up camp here."

     The scout gave an assuring nod and she slowly started to make her way down the hillside. She was terrified but knew there was nothing she could do. Half way down the hill she was met by a man in a robe, one of the hallowed.

     "Who are you and what are you doing here?" he asked in a monotone vioce.

     "I'm here to join the hallowed." she replied, hoping she sounded even the slightest bit convincing.

     He held her shoulder and led her to the chapel, where he and other hallowed conversed for a moment. he then led her out of the chapel and through the town. It was like she remembered, only newly rebuilt. The burning remains of what she new as her old home had been rebuilt, some totally changed. It had a somewhat darker look to it though, and she wanted nothing more than to be away from it, holding tears back was becoming difficult. The hallowed that was escorting her led her to a small building resembling an orphanage and knocked on the door. The man who answered the door was a great surprise, it was the young man who she had seen in the chapel in the other hallowed village, the one who had explained their religion to her. There was one distinguishably different feature about him, he had a large burn around one side of his face and cuts on the other, no doubt from the seige on his village.

     Surprisingly he looked at her and did not remark on the fact that he had seen her before. He had a casual look and simply took her into the building.

     "Nice to see you again." He said placidly, unlike his usual enthusiastic tone.

     "Your room is over there, down the hall and to your left, you'll find all the esentials you need. You will stay here most of the time, but I will take everyone out for walks to go to the market and chapel to pray. Other than that you'll find all you need here, keep yourself out of trouble..."

     With that he turned and walked to the other side of the room and through a door. She followed his instructions and went down a hall at one end of the room, she followed it to to the door on the left, and went inside. Her room was rather small though it certainly had all she needed. It had a bed and a dresser, and there was a door that she found led to a room with a small bathtub and a toilet. She searched the dresser in her room to find a book on the hallowed, and sat to read it.

     A time later, after she had read the enitre book, bathed, and took a small nap, she heard a knock on her door and the young man in the satin robe entered.    

     "Come with me, it's supper time."

     He led her to the room she had first seen when she entered the building, though now it was decorated with tables and food, and many children.

     "Children join the Hallowed every day, sometimes their parents leave them here and sometimes they volunteer. We accept them because they can prove useful to us later, and help in our ambition."

     He used to talk about the hallowed and their goals with such significance, now his voice was dull with an almost disdainful tone behind it, though she could not tell. he motioned for her to join the table and she did so, sitting alone. Though the room had many children, lots more came and soon the table was full. A boy around her age or a little younger sat next to her.

     "Hi!" he greeted politly, " are you knew to the hallowed?"

    "yes" the girl replied timidly.

    "Good to have you here, iv'e been here for a while, I can help you out if you ever need it" he said with a smile.

    "Thanks a lot" 

    The food was then brought out by some of the hallowed and passed around the table, each child having a plate put in front of them. She was starving and quickly began to eat. 

     Later she returned to her room and continued to read any other books that might b ein her dresser. After an hour or so she heard noise outside her door and peeked outside. She saw some of the children playing in the main room and payed no attention and went back in her room to finish reading but soon hear a knock on the door. The person knocking didn't directly enter like the man in the satin robe had, so she went to the door and opened it. The boy who she had seen at supper was there.

     "Hey, i was wondering if you wanted to come play with us"

     She stayed silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.

     "eh....I can't, I'm reading..."

     "Come on! you could read later!"

     Reluctantly she followed him out into the main room with the other children and played games of tag and hide and seek, which she wasn't very good at. After a time, the games ended and the hallowed man in the satin robe told them to go back to their rooms. The boy walked with her but stopped because his room was before hers.

     "Well this is my room. Why don't you come in for a while?"

     She followed him and was surprised, his room was much different then hers. He had a small fridge, posters, and toys laying around.

     "I got most of this at the market," he said, "You can take a look at whatever you want."

     She noticed there was also a sink in his bathroom and better towels, and hanging on his door was a dark green robe.

     "I'm technicaly part of the hallowed, but they still keep me here.  My parents died a while back and I didn't really agree with the hallowed so they won't let me fully join, but just keep me here.."

     "What happened?" she asked now interested

     "Well my parents were in a town that was taken over by the hallowed and they refused to join so the hallowed killed them. I was only a child, about eight, and they took me here. I resented the hallowed for that, and i resisted them and they threatened to kill me and asked me to listen, and i finally accepted them..."

     She listened closely and told him that her village was attacked to and she was captured by the hallowed, she did not tell him this was her village or it would raise question as to why she had been taken in so late when the village had been taken over a while ago. Soon after the man in the satin robe came in to tell her it was time to go to bed and led her to her room.

     The next few days the same routine followed and she learned what she coudl about the town and the hallowed, and anything that would be worth reporting back to the leader of the village. One day they travelled to the market, where she explored the stores and learned more than ever. There was a hallowed meeting place, similar to a town hall, near the center of the town. She asked questions to the people of the market and to the young boy, who had become a good friend to her and talked to her and helped her daily.

     She was at the market near an old rundown pub searching for other stores, when she found two hallowed in a grey and a white robe, she hardly ever saw anyone in white. He was an elderly man and didn't speak, the man in the grey was middle age, around 37 or so, and did all the talking.

     "All of the Hallowed will gather this friday night at the church for a meeting on taking the final village. Our journey will be fast upon us and time for movement is now, the fire should soon be spread. In a months time it will begin."

     The elder man in the white robe nodded, and they departed seperate ways. She was confused by this but took it into account as something to tell the village leader. She and the rest of the children went back to the building soon after, and the day passed fast.

 

 

 

Chapter 4 Men of Fire

     

 

 

 

     She awoke in the night to see someone in her bedroom, she didn't know who it was until he spoke and she recognized the scouts voice.

     "Come on, we must move fast, they have seen us and the battle has started! Come with me to the village leader so you can tell him what you know, quick!"

     They hurried out the door and through the halls, but in the main building she saw the young man in the satin hallowed robe and the other boy that she had made friends with staring down each other, the hallowed man holding a dagger. Yelling in anger the boy lashed himself at the hallow, and the fight began. She was surprised how close their ages were, though the hallow was a few years older the boy was taller and by the look of it the stronger of the two.  He hit him in the faw and the man stumbled, thrashing at him. The boy kicked the knife out of his hand and the hallow doubled back and stood up. The fight continued, they exchanged blows for a while but it seemed the boy managed to get the upper hand, and the hallowed fell back again. The boy pulled a steak knife off of the nearby table and ran to stab the hallow, but just as he reached him he saw the hallow had landed right next to his own dagger, and he was impaled.

     He stood over the Hallow, breathing heavy with the dagger in him, and fell to the side. The Hallow stood up and walked over him and stood staring over him, a cold soul-absent look on his face. He pulled out the dagger and pointed it at the scout, who pulled a gun. The scout moved past the man pulling the girl close, and they left the building. Through the fire and chaos they made their way to where the Prince was on the top of the hillside, where they found a surprise. The king was coming down the hillside, clad in armor, rushing over to the girl.

     "What have you found?" He said in a commanding voice.

     She went over what she had learned of the village and of the people, and soon he left them to go into the village himself. But when he had barely passed them he stopped to see the hallowed young man with the knife.

     They stared at each other for a long time, tears started coming from each of their eyes. The hallowed man spoke in a shaky voice:

     "I never meant to....I didn't know... They didn't give me a choice and I didn't have any hope...I'm sorry....."

     With that he plunged the dagger into himself, and fell motionless to the floor.

     The king swept over to the body and cried next to the young man, talking slowly. After a time he came back to the scout and the girl.

     "Find the Prince. Tell him of the plans. Also tell him I had found my other son, and that his brother is dead.."

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[Now in town and not village, prince and not leader. King comes and hallowed is kings son. hallow commits suicide in front of king.  scout kills hallow, brings to leader, finds out its kings son, not much time, hallows fight back, speech of end of world and new order, men burn themselves, men of fire, retreat, barracade of village, waiting out, waking to the new world, life of the boy and the wounded, leader speach and mourning, new life and renewed hope. ]]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 "The despair of not knowing our purpose, of thinking we live for no reason and our lifes have no meaning and will end without concience is overwhelming. Who can live each day knowing in the end it will be worth nothing? This helplessness leads even the strongest to believe anything they can, any hope of meaning, because for most a life without reason is not worth living. Without a soul, and without a way to go on or a reason that makes sense, all men would lose themselves. Nothing would be worth working for; except for a reason and a hope. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 hallowed = sect  [still toying with the name of the damn religious cult.]

Author's Note

Extremely rough, it's just the idea down on paper. Take a look though, constructive critisism is appreciated.

Reviews

[Moonblade]

Whoa, long read. You might want to consider breaking this up into chapters and labeling it as a book instead of a simple story. Even if you do consider it just a rough idea, it is very good and I find myself intrigued. I will definitely look for more of this and hope to see further work on such a fine piece. The foundation is solid and I think you could turn this into something quite grand. I look forward to seeing more from you.

[Brittney]

i like your story. i usually just read poems but for some reason i read your story. it was really good. a long read and super small print. i hope to read more storys if you write more or if you have written more than post them i would love to read them. ok. so great job

[James]

Just to let everyone know, I'm also only 16 so my work might not be up to the standards of older more experienced writers.