The Trappings of War - Reprise

[UnOrthOdOx]

This is just putting a finish on things for me.

There will be 2 posts to follow. one now, one later this afternoon, to put a finish on the Trappings of War.

These are not intended to offend. If you are still emotionally involved with your teams, I suggest you either put that aside or don't read.

Constructive critisism is welcome.

As always, any attempt to run these through a spell or grammar checker is considered dangerous and likely to cause permanent harm to your computer. Do so at your own risk.

If you wish to reminisce, the full Trappings of War series can be found here: http://forums.mzocentral.net//index....topic=124&st=0

[UnOrthOdOx]

The Trappings of War.

Reprise I

The ground shook as the tanks thundered by. These new weapons of war had indeed proven most effective. However, I could not get over the fact they seemed to take away from the honor of face to face combat. Billed as invincible machines, I had personally led a charge of Riders that dismantled a Legoland version of one brick by brick.

The countryside lay in waste, the final Spanish outpost lay up ahead. I would finally bring it to a close, the search for MrWhereItsAt. The years of searching were beyond calculation by now. Following rumors of his whereabouts from one land to the next, I had seen the end of Lego, and soon would witness the end of Spain.

Riding into the town, it was clear these were a tired and beaten people. And despite Ghengis’ best efforts at inducing yet more fear, no one knew any new information on the whereabouts of my prey.

The thunder of war in the distance let me know that Master Zen had begun the invasion of Stormia. They had whisked away the Spaniards once before. Clearly they must be guarding some refugees now.

“Mount up.” I barked.

The tarnished armor creaked as I lifted myself into the saddle. Great cracks had formed in the Dragon’s leather over the years. A few holes could be found from wounds created by these newfound gunpowder weapons. No armor smiths were left to repair the damage proper, so I cleaned it up as best I could, and pressed on as always. Sure, Hot Enamel had came up with most effective weapons over the years. Cavalry carrying his ‘guns’. Infantry with better versions of the same. These newfangled ‘tanks’. However, we few proud Riders had withstood the test of time, and had fought in every engagement since our inception.

As we pressed south, it was clear we had unleashed some new form of weaponry on the countryside. Gone were the beautiful fields, streams, and roads I remembered of the Stormian country. Nothing remained. The rivers ran with poison, the vegetation gone. What few survivors I ran into were barely clinging to life.

There on the horizon lay a smoldering speck. Viewing the landmarks around, it was clearly the Eye of the Storm. A vast vanguard of tanks lay siege to the remains of the city.

“Who is in charge here!” I demanded of the first tank commander I saw.

“We-we’ve been instructed to wait for you, sir!” he said snapping to attention.

I looked out on the desolation. “Stay here with those metal beasts. Ghengis, let’s go and view what remains.”

The destruction was absolute. The few buildings stood, heavily damaged. The citizens lay either dead or dying. Ghengis leapt from his mount, and examined the nearest corpse in search of meat.

Sniffing briefly, he looked up and muttered “Tainted”.

I wandered through the skeletal remains till I stumbled on a familiar sight from so many years ago. Arrian’s Deception. The pub I had stayed at so long ago. A brief smile crossed my lips as I recalled that annoying talking dog who had been my companion at the time. What was his name?

As if by fate, I found a familiar shape lying on the ground. A wild look crossed his eyes as he sought to flee. Stumbling on weakened limbs, he fell in a broken heap. Ragged, shallow breaths came in fits. Burns covered the length of the body. A shattered hulk of wild terror that had once been the exuberant Shiber lay clinging to what little time he had left. I fought back the tears as my sword passed effortlessly through his neck, knowing it better to end his suffering.

I stormed back to the column of tanks. “End it. Leave no one and nothing behind.”

[UnOrthOdOx]

The Trappings of War

Reprise II

It stood before me, a magnificent sight. Home.

How long had it been since I last set foot on her shores? These years of constant warfare following the unbearably long ‘preparations’, as Master Zen liked to call them, had whisked away in a rush. Soon I would be back home, and able to contemplate just where that rat WhereItsAt might be hiding. Where was left?

The transport labored up to the shore, and I instructed the men to remove the devices into town for safe keeping. “Nuclear” bombs, Hot Enamel liked to call them. I had seen first hand their destructive power in Stormia. Surely with these, I would be able to remove any possible hiding place left in the world.

I strolled down the docks. Dragon Hunting had become quite the business. The entire shoreline was full of ships bringing in Dragons or going out for more. Many businesses had sprung up converting every part into something useful. Oil, leather, food, fish bait. If it could be used, it was. However, the industrialization of it had also somehow taken away from the mysticism. Few were those who still believed them to be gods. Had I not insisted on up keeping it, the Temple may not be standing today.

I made my way slowly down the shore towards the Temple’s hill. It had grown some over the years. Rings of ribs had been added to the outside of the main structure, holding up ornate carvings. A fully articulated skeleton lined the southern portion, with leather covering, recreating a life-sized dragon. The original boat had been reconstructed from the Lego material and brought ashore, reenacting that first hunt. I made my way slowly, taking it all in as the clouds began to darken with the approaching night.

A familiar trumpet sounded in the distance, announcing that Master Zen was on his way. As the sun faded, lights lit up the ground of the temple.

“UnO” Master Zen called.

“What now?” I grumbled.

“It’s over, UnO. It’s all over.”

“Yeah, I know, I ordered the last of the Stormian cities destroyed myself.” I replied. “It’s time we look to the yellow plague in the south. No other nation would dare hide MrWhereItsAt now. I suspect they’ve been using that all along, actually. How many of the rumors of his whereabouts come from them? It’s clear they have been using him to get to me, and thus influence our wars. I intend to pay them back for that insult. How soon could we make preparations?”

“No, UnO. It’s ALL over. I’ve been elected Secretary General of the United Nations. All other nations are now under our control. There is no more need for war.” Master Zen replied with a smile.

“Bull****!”

“It’s over, UnO. Let it go.”

“You leave out of this if you must, Mr “Secretary General”. I’ll go round up whatever support I need! You’ve never had the stomach to be a real Warmonger anyway.” I stated coldly, turning back towards the Temple.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Master Zen replied.

The sky split apart with a burst of lightning as a single shot rang out through the night. A burning suddenly filled my side, and I looked down to see a clean hole through my armor. Warmth of rushing blood began spreading from the wound. I spun quickly around.

MrWhereItsAt.

[UnOrthOdOx]

The Trappings of War

Fin

Another shot rang through the night as my shoulder burst into a fiery pain, knocking me back. I turned again, ready to charge forward when third pierced my thigh, and I fell to the ground.

“We’re done here.” I heard Master Zen say.

Looking up, I caught one last look at MrWhereItsAt as he flashed a sickening grin before turning and walking away with Master Zen. I attempted to pull myself up. To race after them, but my muscles would no longer cooperate. I lay watching them walk off into the distance for what seemed an eternity.

Looking around, I managed to pull myself up and sat leaning my back against the nearest bone pillar. The sky had blackened and there was a slight rain falling down. There was no movement anywhere to be seen, the electric lights surrounding the temple having gone out. Lightening split the sky and I could make out the giant shape of a dragon lay before me. Surely this must be the model that had been built into the temple grounds?

It seemed to arch its head, and stare at me in defiance of that thought. A deep wound lay in the side of the dragon. A wound I remembered all too well, as the mighty shaft of a ballista bolt lay in it’s side. Impossible volumes of blood spilled out on the ground. All the while it stared at me.

The eyes were deep and black. They reached into my very soul, tearing at it. How could I have killed such a magnificent beast? A God.

The rain fell quicker now, mixing with the blood on the ground, washing the entire area in red. My own breathing labored with the Dragon’s. The beating of it’s heart rang out in my ears. Each beat growing louder, till it drowned out the very thunder in the sky.

I wanted to escape. Flee from those eyes. Flee from the sound of it’s heart ringing in my ears. My muscles would not respond, and I remained lost in the eternal gaze. I felt myself being drawn in. Into the endless depths of those eyes. The beating slowed, with each one growing louder.

Darkness closed around me as the beating became deafening.

I lay there in darkness an eternity. The thunder of the beating threatening to split my very skull.

Then, at long last, there was silence.

[UnOrthOdOx]

Feel free to comment now.


From UnO's Notebook

The original story arch proposed to MrWIA never had me ever catching him. I fully intended to die rather quickly in the RP war. Indeed, we always considered those first 10 riders to be high-risk. The Avatar war with him was mightily hilarious, and I thank him for playing along fully.

I knew rather early it would take 2 wars to kill RP. The original plan was for me to die in the first war, searching for MrWIA, but finding his newborn daughter, and having her raised at home. When the second war with lego errupted, I was going to write a new story with her searching for MrWIA who she didn't know was her father.

Alas, my unit never got around to dying...

Some adventures we missed:

Shortly after capturing RP towns, Aggie, in his infinite wisdom, through my unit at a fortified pike on a hill. I survived, barely. I had a story mapped out to detail the battle in which the RP troops were using poison on their weapons, thus them wounding many. It also fit MrWIA's MO for murder.

Fighting Warchickens. Sir UnOrthOdOx attacked and defeated 2 seperate warchicken knights at different points. I had a story mapped to combine this into one attack.

Political infighting. I was completely bored with that long peaceful bullsh*t.

The Lego Tank. I was busy writing news stories at this point. When MZ went on break over Christmas, I took the rains for all of a turn, and under the pretense of farming for leaders, I sent myself at a tank. And won, with 1 HP left.


Well, that's it. Any questions?

[Krill]

UnO, it really is beautiful. I don't care what people have said in the past, The Trappings of War are a true masterpiece.

My hat is off to you, Sir

[Master Zen]

please keep on lying on and on if you need to

[Rhothaerill]

Just like MWIA...he waits and waits to see how things will turn out and then votes...err, shoots...in the very last minute of the poll...err, story.

Nice Uno.

[Theseus]

Nice.

[UnOrthOdOx]

Some explainations of symbology:

Shiber's character was based on an old puppy of mine. We had to put her to sleep over the course of this game.

The whole dragon thing:
I've killed once. My family was poor growing up, and actually relied on hunting for food. At the age of 14, I got a liscence, and shot my first deer. My father and I were sharing a gun, and when the deer didn't move, I left the gun so my father could also get a deer, and went to clean mine.

It wasn't dead. Got up, and gored my shoulder. I was forced to pin it's head under a log and cut it's throat, watching it die.

I've never killed again. It still haunts me.

The Ravens:
I actually trained a crow when I was 10. Found out later that is illegal. It went to a local zoo and actually performed in shows after that.

Ask me anything else you want to know about.

[Master Zen]

When is part III and IV coming out?

[UnOrthOdOx]

My final gift to the Participants of this game.

http://apolyton.net/upload/view.php?file=20498_TheTrappingofWar.doc

All 76 pages of the damn thing in .doc format.