It was an important day for the aspiring tempuran warrior. His name was John Dersher...a farmer name received from a farmer family. He approached Upir after the battle in the small settlement against the orcs. He aimed for a important life...far from his family. His entire life his father and mother plowed the fields and gave part of the crops to Cordor for taxaxion and part to the orcs so that they wouldnt come and kill more people in the village.
He didn't want that...he want to train and become a warrior...a warrior of Tempus. He aimed to be strong to protect those he loved and those who were weak. No other priest came for his village to help them when they needed but the young priest Upir Mordred came...with armors and weapons...and he helped them defend themselves. So the young John Dersher saw the oportunity...and asked Upir for guidance.
He was one more of many. Upir started to feel confidant of his plans. Already he collected a lot of gold in Cordor for a temple to be bought. It was a matter of finding the right spot for it...a hard thing to do in Cordor. His preachings called warriors to follow him. John came asking for guidance, and Upir gave it.
For months the young John Dersher followed Upir. He used the few coins his family had to rent a place in the tavern and were present in every preach of Upir in the streets of Cordor. He rented with another tempuran called Victor, who also shared his dreams to become a warrior of tempus. They both worked their nights in the tavern and donated 10% of their earnings to Upir and the church... that caught the priest's attention. Upir promised a great life if they could accept Tempus in his heart fully.
To the nights of work in the tavern the young tempuran had also to pass hours of training with Upir, first with a sword and then with a wooden battle axe. Upir wouldnt let him use a real one...it was for the worthy only he said...and John worked hard and trained hard to become worthy.
That night was his momment. Upir had gathered the young followers to make an iniciation to the church. He was promissing this for a while...that some followers would become his personal guards, paid to protect the church...and now that the church was close to be built he had to choose the strong to join. Young John Dersher had great aspirations to become one in his guard and to become more than a simple farmer...to have a live of glory serving Tempus.
Upir, John, Victor and another aspiring tempuran left Cordor going to the Bamble Woods north of Cordor. It was an easy travel as the three warriors along with Upir could handle most of the small wolverines and goblins that showed the way. The travel ended in the entrance of a cave. As they entered the cave, John could see three pathways ahead. Upir came in front of the three warriors and started to talk.
- I am proud of you three, my young tempurans. You had come a great way from the simple weak lives you had to become warriors. And the warrior path the only one that matters. Here you will be tested to become my most praised followers. You will be tested to be the most devoted warriors of Tempus...a symbol of his power in this weak lands. If you pass the tests ahead of you...Tempus will reward you with his powers and you shall have no more fear.
-To pass Tempus's tests, remember His teachings and values!! Tempus values the strong above all. You must be strong of body....to endure the long travels you might have to do in direction to the enemy camp. You must be strong in your skills...to overcome your foes in battle and crack their armor and break their skull!! And most of all...you must be strong of mind! As war is brutal and only the few who trully accept the harshness of war in his heart can fight and persevere in a the real battles ahead.
-Now put your armor....and hold your hatchets. And each of you choose a path. I will be watching you all the way to the end. Remember!!! You are wolves not sheep. You are to kill the weak...destroy the sheep and eat on their fresh. Tempus Thanks you...good luck.
John took sometime to put his armor. It was heavier after a full day walking to that cave. The other two warriors were having the same difficulty. He knew them from the preaches of Upir...they were his friends and he was happy to know they would be warriors together and serve the cause. But it was not time to think of the future...it was time to be focused on the tests of tempus ahead. So John holded his hatchet tight and a torch...and went to the path in the left.
---END OF PART ONE ---
Ritual of Acceptance
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Re: Ritual of Acceptance
As the warriors each entered their respective tunnels, Upir went from a secret tunnel...one that he had prepared previously with little holes in the walls so that he could watch his followers in each tunnel. He wished to make this test earlier but he, himself, had to get stronger to cast the blessings needed. One surprise on for each of the warriors in the first room.
As John Dersher walked his tunnel with the hatched in one hand and the torch on the others, he could notice something was odd. At first he couldnt figure it out. As he walked deeper the tunnel begun to be covered by a thread of webs. He started using his hatched to cut the web in order to pass. A hard process that took most of his stamina. He knew he couldnt go back, as it would mean he would fail...so he kept onward slashing the threads of web until the tunnel openned up in a medium sized cave, big enough for him and the creature in front of him to fight. A big dark spider were on his way, and it already noticed the young warrior with its several eyes gazing at him and its fangs dripping with green ooze.
John charged against the spider, using whatever strengh he had left. His hatched slashing the spider's leggins with rage while he tried to avoid the spider's fangs. The monstrous beast charged back, its big legs against the hatched....both crashed...a leg went to one side, the hatchet to the other and the spider took the chance and bite the open fresh of John. A scream came as he jumped back already dizzy with the venom.
He jumped to get his hatched the spider took longer to recover after loosing the leg. The monstrous beast was enraged and angered, jumping over John who placed his hatched in the way just in time to have the blade deep inside the spider's abdomen. The creature squeeshed and then disapeared.
John spitted in the ground...it was green. He felt dizzy and sat crying. He thought desperate...he wanted to go back. He thought of his life as a farmer...how easy it was...how calm. He thought of his little sister, still a baby...she might be 1 year old now. He wasnt there to see her grow. A scream came from the cave - a friend of him fighting he thought. He got some bandages and wrapped it around the wound. Stood up and started walking again deeper in the tunnels.
The tunnels went onward until it reached another big cave. This one was illuminated with torches having three ways out in the same side of the cave as John left his own tunnel. There was no other path out of that big cave and soon after John entered he could see that Victor was there as well....no sign of the third warrior. Victor was hurt in his leg and looked at John, who suddenly felt the urge to fight, stronger than he could hold. Soon both friends were fighting, hatches swinging against each other. John felt he had to fight...he had control over the hatched...knew when to swing and when to defend...knew it was his friend but still couldnt hold the impulse to kill.
Both of them were exausted and weakened by poison. Even raising the hatcher for each blow was as hard as dodging the next attack. Victor took advantage of being there before and having a breather but his attacks were nowhere as skillful as John, who parried each blow and didn't take long to counter with ferocity. Soon enough he made his friend fall and even though he didn't want to...he jumped over his friend and perfurated his chest with the hatched so deep that Victor coffed blood from his lungs.
Soon after John could control himself again. His mind full of remorse as he cried for his fallen friend. In his memories the long months they lived together and trained together...just for him to die. And soon after the cave wall disapeared as if it was an illusion....and a new path into the cave appeared.
John was unhappy...enraged for what he did...but he had to continue...it couldnt be in vain. He went foward in the tunnel, this time illuminated by several torches. In the end of the tunnel...an altar and something over it. John approached with caution...he was exausted. Were it another fight...he wouldnt be able to survive and he knew it...but he couldn't go back.
Over the altar...a battle axe...the battle axe he so long wanted to hold...and a girl...not any girl...he could see her eyes and it was his sister...the one year old sister he saw being born last year he could see by the birth mark it was her. She was being kept chained over the altar, her tinny fragile breast open and marked .... and he knew what he had to do.
John started crying....he knew what had to be done. The last challenge...he didn't expect it to be that...anything but that!!! He came here to protect his family not to kill them. He got the axe and slammed it against the chain, freeing his sister. Then he cried to the cave. "I WONT KILL HER YOU MURDERER!!!" As he ended freeing his sister and got her in his arms, he noticed the sister changed. It was not his sister anymore...it was little lamb...all an illusion. Then he heard the sound of footsteps of heavy armor and when he turned to see it, upir was there...holding a battle axe.
"I am sorry child. I had great hopes for you....you survived the test of endurance...you showed Tempus skill with the blade and courage and determination to keep going. But you failed the last test...the one of mind and soul. Your heart is not ready to serve tempus. Pehaps it will never be.."
-I don't want to serve your damn god!! You are a murderer!!! you made me kill my friends!!!
"War is hard....we can be forced to kill friends or foes alike. You don't understand....you never will...that's why you failed."
-Ok...let me go!! You are crazy and i want no part on it.
"Oh...i am afraid you cannot. You see...this ritual are for the worthy only...either you leave as a wolf prepared ... or you are a lamb....and lambs are meant to be killed... you are weak...now you die."
Only Upir left the cave that day. A pitty...they had potential...but more warriors will come. More warriors come to Upir looking for guidance everyday... it is just a matter of time. Thank Tempus.
As John Dersher walked his tunnel with the hatched in one hand and the torch on the others, he could notice something was odd. At first he couldnt figure it out. As he walked deeper the tunnel begun to be covered by a thread of webs. He started using his hatched to cut the web in order to pass. A hard process that took most of his stamina. He knew he couldnt go back, as it would mean he would fail...so he kept onward slashing the threads of web until the tunnel openned up in a medium sized cave, big enough for him and the creature in front of him to fight. A big dark spider were on his way, and it already noticed the young warrior with its several eyes gazing at him and its fangs dripping with green ooze.
John charged against the spider, using whatever strengh he had left. His hatched slashing the spider's leggins with rage while he tried to avoid the spider's fangs. The monstrous beast charged back, its big legs against the hatched....both crashed...a leg went to one side, the hatchet to the other and the spider took the chance and bite the open fresh of John. A scream came as he jumped back already dizzy with the venom.
He jumped to get his hatched the spider took longer to recover after loosing the leg. The monstrous beast was enraged and angered, jumping over John who placed his hatched in the way just in time to have the blade deep inside the spider's abdomen. The creature squeeshed and then disapeared.
John spitted in the ground...it was green. He felt dizzy and sat crying. He thought desperate...he wanted to go back. He thought of his life as a farmer...how easy it was...how calm. He thought of his little sister, still a baby...she might be 1 year old now. He wasnt there to see her grow. A scream came from the cave - a friend of him fighting he thought. He got some bandages and wrapped it around the wound. Stood up and started walking again deeper in the tunnels.
The tunnels went onward until it reached another big cave. This one was illuminated with torches having three ways out in the same side of the cave as John left his own tunnel. There was no other path out of that big cave and soon after John entered he could see that Victor was there as well....no sign of the third warrior. Victor was hurt in his leg and looked at John, who suddenly felt the urge to fight, stronger than he could hold. Soon both friends were fighting, hatches swinging against each other. John felt he had to fight...he had control over the hatched...knew when to swing and when to defend...knew it was his friend but still couldnt hold the impulse to kill.
Both of them were exausted and weakened by poison. Even raising the hatcher for each blow was as hard as dodging the next attack. Victor took advantage of being there before and having a breather but his attacks were nowhere as skillful as John, who parried each blow and didn't take long to counter with ferocity. Soon enough he made his friend fall and even though he didn't want to...he jumped over his friend and perfurated his chest with the hatched so deep that Victor coffed blood from his lungs.
Soon after John could control himself again. His mind full of remorse as he cried for his fallen friend. In his memories the long months they lived together and trained together...just for him to die. And soon after the cave wall disapeared as if it was an illusion....and a new path into the cave appeared.
John was unhappy...enraged for what he did...but he had to continue...it couldnt be in vain. He went foward in the tunnel, this time illuminated by several torches. In the end of the tunnel...an altar and something over it. John approached with caution...he was exausted. Were it another fight...he wouldnt be able to survive and he knew it...but he couldn't go back.
Over the altar...a battle axe...the battle axe he so long wanted to hold...and a girl...not any girl...he could see her eyes and it was his sister...the one year old sister he saw being born last year he could see by the birth mark it was her. She was being kept chained over the altar, her tinny fragile breast open and marked .... and he knew what he had to do.
John started crying....he knew what had to be done. The last challenge...he didn't expect it to be that...anything but that!!! He came here to protect his family not to kill them. He got the axe and slammed it against the chain, freeing his sister. Then he cried to the cave. "I WONT KILL HER YOU MURDERER!!!" As he ended freeing his sister and got her in his arms, he noticed the sister changed. It was not his sister anymore...it was little lamb...all an illusion. Then he heard the sound of footsteps of heavy armor and when he turned to see it, upir was there...holding a battle axe.
"I am sorry child. I had great hopes for you....you survived the test of endurance...you showed Tempus skill with the blade and courage and determination to keep going. But you failed the last test...the one of mind and soul. Your heart is not ready to serve tempus. Pehaps it will never be.."
-I don't want to serve your damn god!! You are a murderer!!! you made me kill my friends!!!
"War is hard....we can be forced to kill friends or foes alike. You don't understand....you never will...that's why you failed."
-Ok...let me go!! You are crazy and i want no part on it.
"Oh...i am afraid you cannot. You see...this ritual are for the worthy only...either you leave as a wolf prepared ... or you are a lamb....and lambs are meant to be killed... you are weak...now you die."
Only Upir left the cave that day. A pitty...they had potential...but more warriors will come. More warriors come to Upir looking for guidance everyday... it is just a matter of time. Thank Tempus.