The Charioteer's Campaigns

[Paddy]

Thanks DC

[DarkCloud]

While the soldiers fled, Oz rushed toward the Lieutenant’s body and pulled out his axe. The blood gushed out and he pulled, covering his legs in its stickiness. Raising the axe high above his head, he screamed out a warning to the prisoners inside, then smashed the axe down upon the grate, bending the iron. Then he hit the iron a second time, sending sparks flying from the impact, then a third. The metal bent down, but did not break.

From inside the cell, he heard a scream. “The Lieutenant has the key!”

Dropping the axe, Oz bent beside the corpse and started rummaging through its pockets. Finally he found the key! Turning to the cell, he fumbled to insert the key in the lock.

In the distance, the fleeing guards finally realized how foolish they had been to run from several bushes and one berserker, and they turned back, led by a determined fighter, knowing that if they let the prisoners escape, General Siddiqui would have their heads.

His eyes bloodshot from the root he had taken earlier, Oz found it hard to insert the key. Then his head started pounding. Staggering to his feet, he cursed and threw the key to the ground, roaring in anger. He couldn’t stand still, the root made his whole head feel as though it was on fire. He wanted to smash something.

He picked up the axe and hacked the Lieutenant in half, forgetting about the prisoners.

Markos, behind the bushes, watched Oz in wonder, then raced out of the bushes and toward the cell, wondering what had happened.

Oz didn’t notice him.

Markos, scooping the key up, fitted it in the lock and turned, then tried to pull. The door wouldn’t budge. Oz’s smashing had wedged it into a groove.

“OZ!” Markos screamed, yelling for the large warrior who was still hacking away at the dead Lieutenant’s corpse. “OZ!” He demanded.

“What?” Oz whirled, thrusting the axe in Markos’ face.

“Pull this up!” Markos screamed.

Oz, through his blurred vision, saw the grating and reached for it. Bending it back with almost super-human strength, he dislodged it and cracked it free.

Then the guards came back into range.

“Hold them off!” Markos ordered him, bending down and reaching into the hold. “Here, take my hand.” He told the prisoners.

King Christantine came first, then Lord Axi. Markos pulled the two up, then ordered them to flee up the mountain where Thucydidies was hidden.

While they fled, Markos hesitated for a moment, watching Oz hold off three guards with massive swings of his axe. Then Markos followed behind.

Several guards noticed the King’s escape and shouted out warnings to their fellows.

They peeled off from Oz and raced after the King.

To distract them, Dan let out a great shout and emerged from his bush, rushing straight at the column. Two warrior headed toward him, but Oz, hearing the shout- rushed away from his opponents and reached Dan first.

When Oz appeared at his side, Dan nodded at him. “So, we’re going to die together.” He sighed, clenching his sword tight.

Oz roared in anger and hacked at the guards. They backed off in fear. He laughed. “NONE DARE APPROACH ZEUS IN ALL HIS MIGHTY ANGER!” Reaching back, he threw his axe, striking another guard in the head. Then he grabbed Dan’s sword out of the man’s hand, scraping his hand along the sharp-side of the blade, but ignoring the pain.

Dan stumbled back confused.

The Babylonians ran.

Oz roared again and raced after them.

Dan stood stupified.

*

The four who had initially pursued Markos and the King, however, ignored the shouts of their fellows and continued their pursuit, gaining on the mountain-climbing three.

Ascending the mount, Markos called for Thucydidies. A second later, an arrow soared over his head.

The Babylonians shouted out in alarm. Suddenly four more arrows appeared, all of the missing the men. They continued on.

Markos raced past Thucydides, dragging King Christantine along behind him.

Lord Axi, pausing a moment to catch his breath, was overawed by the sheer tactical brilliance of the plan. Muttering “Brilliant,” he shook his head, then followed the two.

Thucydides continued to notch arrows.

Before long, all four pursuers had fallen.

*

Hours later, Dan and Oz rejoined Markos and the others back at camp.

Upon reaching his tent, Oz collapsed with exhaustion. Markos, wincing as he noticed Oz’s bleeding hands, ordered Dan to patch him up.

Though tired, Dan complied, shaking his head the entire time. “I don’t know what got into you.” He sighed. “But you sure scared those Babylonians. You know- you have the makings of a Great Warrior in you, Oz... That is-” Dan affixed some gauze. “If you don’t hack off your hand first.”

*
The Next Morning

Morning came and Paiktis and Cloud still had yet to return. Markos began to become worried. Had the rest of the Unit perished in the hills? Had the Babylonians cut down their men to a man? What if they extracted the location of the camp from prisoners?

Standing before the rising sun, Markos bent his head in grim contemplation.

They had rescued Lord Axi and the King, but what would they do now? According to the King, Lord Braund was popular among the commoners- and Markos knew for certain how reviled Lord Axi had been. What were they going to do? Would there be any hope for a Greek future with leaders like Lord Civ and Lord Braund in charge of the nation? Would the Babylonians fly over the land and destroy it like locust?

Captain Markos promised that he would give his own life if he could make it not so.

[Paddy]

ahh the tales and many scars of the Hand of Oz

sounds like he is a wild berzerker of ancient legend indeed

certainly hope that there will be more to this grand tale

[DarkCloud]

don't worry- I've been working a 20-35 hour week in addition to working on my tales and a D&D campaign... and taking a week vacation... and having surgery I'll have time to write again soon. (hopefully)

Though it's good to know that people are looking forward to reading more of the tale- I really don't want to disappoint!

[Grandpa Troll]

I have thouroughly enjoyed this story!

I dont wanna take your story but have been mulling over the possibilities of a similiar line..therefore go get yer Lawyers and Attorneys, your scribes and legal assistants and get a Judge who will hear your case for I may use the Characters and i mean Characters here from 'Poly and do something..

I dont believe for one moment I could be a bookend of a story to yours, however i'll try to make it somewhat entertaining

Or as my now deceased funny-man would say..WELL..WHOOP-T-Do!!

Peace

Gramps

[Paddy]

Originally posted by DarkCloud
don't worry- I've been working a 20-35 hour week in addition to working on my tales and a D&D campaign... and taking a week vacation... and having surgery I'll have time to write again soon. (hopefully)

Though it's good to know that people are looking forward to reading more of the tale- I really don't want to disappoint!

sounds like you need a nice long holiday in Bermuda

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Great addition DC Please write some more soon

[DarkCloud]

ack. I should write more. I'll try.

I'll either try to write some in the next two days or else I'll have to wait until the List for Civ IV is compiled and I'm done moving. (I'll have absolutely no internet access from the 24th-29th) Since thankfully I finished and sent off one proposal to a publisher and the surgery went well ! as did the vacation. (Which was merely a precursor to my moving) Although of course, as a true author, I'm writing another commercial short right now- a science fiction tale... and I'm taking classes in Chinese right now *but enough with the excuses already*

I'll get it done. I feel bad about delaying. And anyways, the ending was the whole point of the story... the ending is going to be what makes this story shine far above and beyond 90% of the other tales posted here.

I can say it'll be a surprise, but it'll be a much foreshadowed and realistic surprise.

I just have to figure out how to make it work elegantly

I'm also puzzling out how I might eventually turn this into a commercial novel... If I should adapt it to more realistically reflect history or If I should leave it in its current form... I'm thinking of changing it to reflect history more clearly... but Persians v. Greeks will be hard to distort into this storyline, especially considering the closeness of the armies and the lack of a Xenophon or million man Persian army... but I suppose I can find a way

---

and Grandpa Troll- sorry I didn't see your post sooner- What exactly did you mean by a story along a similar line? Did you mean like the story you are currently writing? (Roman Histories?) as I can see it features Albert Speer and Rah among others

Don't worry about stealing the idea- I took the idea from others as well.

[Paddy]

well looking forward to it when we do get it

have every confidence that you will sort it out to a great resolution

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by DarkCloud
ack. I should write more. I'll try.

I'll either try to write some in the next two days or else I'll have to wait until the List for Civ IV is compiled and I'm done moving. (I'll have absolutely no internet access from the 24th-29th) Since thankfully I finished and sent off one proposal to a publisher and the surgery went well ! as did the vacation. (Which was merely a precursor to my moving) Although of course, as a true author, I'm writing another commercial short right now- a science fiction tale... and I'm taking classes in Chinese right now *but enough with the excuses already*

I'll get it done. I feel bad about delaying. And anyways, the ending was the whole point of the story... the ending is going to be what makes this story shine far above and beyond 90% of the other tales posted here.

I can say it'll be a surprise, but it'll be a much foreshadowed and realistic surprise.

I just have to figure out how to make it work elegantly

I'm also puzzling out how I might eventually turn this into a commercial novel... If I should adapt it to more realistically reflect history or If I should leave it in its current form... I'm thinking of changing it to reflect history more clearly... but Persians v. Greeks will be hard to distort into this storyline, especially considering the closeness of the armies and the lack of a Xenophon or million man Persian army... but I suppose I can find a way

---

and Grandpa Troll- sorry I didn't see your post sooner- What exactly did you mean by a story along a similar line? Did you mean like the story you are currently writing? (Roman Histories?) as I can see it features Albert Speer and Rah among others

Don't worry about stealing the idea- I took the idea from others as well.

Yes..I been real busy between pbem and also work gotta get back to writing soon

Peace
Gramps