The Guardsman

[The Supreme Watcher]

Gerard Rakurno was a soldier, and that couldn't be disputed by any. Tall, strong, with a skilled hand and a steady heart, Gerard could be called anything but pretty. With corn-yellow hair, a goatee, and the pock marks of an acne-laden adolescence, it seemed the only positive point of his appearance was his eyes, burning the color of the bluest sapphires, belying the ambition behind them.

As a member of the Talaski Guard, a small community in the Western Heartlands, he had proven time and time again his capability to overcome challenges through skill of arms and determination. With his blend of skill and ambition, he rose through the ranks of the Guard rapidly, son finding himself a position as a Lieutenant, the highest attainable rank, aside from the elected office of Captain. In his ascendancy to Lieutenant, he also found himself a fine bit of wealth, and with his continued vigor, for he was only the age of nineteen, he performed his station and duty with little fault.

More recent times, however, changed most of Gerard Rakurno's life.

He had been surveying the walls of the town, walking lazily in the early morning sun, his town guard uniform, a finely crafted breastplate, emblazoned with the Seal of Talaski, glittered in the sun, a myriad of golds, blues, and silvers. His Halberd shone silver against the wooden buildings of Talaski, a symbol of courage and strength throughout the night. The shield on his back was well-battered, marked from goblin spear, orc club, and even a stray ogre's heavy handfalls. The blade sheathed at his hip remained sturdy, even after being handed down by his father's father. Gerard Rakurno, Talaski Guard, was an impressive figure.

He stopped to look out over the Heartlands, a beautiful landscape of flowing streams, fertile plains, and small, happy city states, nested in the rolling hills and occasional forest. The smile that spread on his face was genuine. He would choose no place over this.

He turned his head as he heard bootfalls behind him, looking back to the Guard Captain, a strong, healthy man, despite being past his prime and well into the winter of his life. The Captain, Veden Taixbel by name, also cut a fine figure in the early morning light. His hair, grayed with age, was slicked back, and his mustache reached down, thick, an extension of his goatee, which was shaved in the center. His clothing, rich but strictly utilitarian, consisted of a fine brown tunic, and a pair of baggy, nigh overlong, trousers. His boots, well-hidden beneath the draping pants, Gerard knew to be his fabled "Boots of Gittin'!" (It was said that Veden, in his youth, had used the boots after he found them on a fallen adventurer, running for the town's gates after said adventurer was lain low by the claws of a particularly nasty troll, a troll Veden had hunted down and did battle with in the name of that very same hero later in life. Veden had subdued the beast then, but he was certain it still lived.).

"Ahh, Lieutenant." Veden said, looking to Gerard with the look of a father, for he had been as a second father to the young man throughout his days with the guard. "I see you're diligent as always, boy. I would venture to guess the reason you've not wed one of the towns girls is because you're already married to these walls." The older man chuckled, and Gerard did as well, the humor common among the guard when it came to Gerard's diligence to the watch.

Captain Veden moved to the wall, and rested his hands on its stomach-high lip, his face turning from one of good natured humor to one of seriousness, and Gerard did well to listen. "I am not a young man, Lieutenant." Veden began, looking over the rolling hills. "I will not be with this town much longer. My home, my goals, and my position all are borne of it. It has been my life to see this town safe, its people fed, its hardships survived. No one, not even the Mayor himself, has given as much to the community as I." His eyes dampened with tears. "And I will leave it soon."

Gerard shifted, put at unease by the fact that this man, Captain Veden Taixbel, the most stalwart and strong man in the Talaski Guard, his mentor and his inspiration, his leader and his idol, was speaking so matter-of-factly about death. "Sir, there is no need for such talk. You're as healthy as an ox, why would you speak of death and leaving?"

"Because, my boy," Veden spoke in a saddened tone, subdued by the world, it seemed. "I've an illness no healers can cure, no bandages can mend, and no mages can halt. He indicated to his brain, by tapping his temple. "Some days it's as if I've forgotten who I am, why I'm here. My memories are lost, I cannot remember my wife, my daughters, my beloved town." Gerard then saw something he'd never expected from the captain, a single tear fell from his cheek, to land on the wall that he had worked his hands raw building, followed by another tear, and another. Gerard walked over, and put his leather-gloved hand on the Captain's shoulder, leaning his halberd against the belly-high rise so that he could direct more attention to the Captain.

The Captain, however, lightly, respectfully, brushed Gerard off.

"You've been like a son to me, Gerard," Veden said, squinting away the tears. "I've seen you flourish in the guard, giving every bit of yourself to this town and its people. You aid them when they've no food. You rebuild their homes after fires. You selflessly protect them when the greenskins come knocking on our doors. In you, I see myself, and I have no doubts that when I leave my office, you will be the one elected to take my position."

Gerard was dumbstruck. "Sir... I... I don't believe I'm ready for such a position, and the council, they'd never elec-" Veden cut him off with an upraised hand, and set to pulling off one of his rings. The silver band, a simple and beautiful piece, rolled in his fingers, before he held it out to Gerard.

"It has served me well in my years as a guard," he said, taking Gerard's hand and pressing it into his palm, curling his fingers up over the ring, and clasping it in a fist. "I hope it will serve you equally well in all you do, Gerard Rakurno. You are the son I never had." He patted Gerard on the shoulder, and and stepped back. He nodded once, and almost inaudibly spoke, "May your morning be a good one, Son." He saluted Gerard and walked away, and Gerard knew he was walking towards his home, not his office. He looked down at the ring, at its smooth lines, and nodded slowly to himself. He slipped the ring on over his gloved right ring finger, and plucked his halberd from the wall.

Two years passed.

Gerard sat at Veden's desk, which had become his own. He hated this position, and would rather be out on the walls, risking his life for the sake of the community, but one look at Veden's ring dissolved all of his angst, and he set his mind to the stacks of papers before him: grievances against neighbors, criminal reports, and the like. With a sigh, he picked up a quill pen, and with one stroke he dissolved a family feud, with another he ended a dispute over land ownership, and his day progressed as such, until he came near to the bottom of his pile of papers. He reached absent-mindedly for the next sheet, and was taken aback as he looked not at a sheet of legal-grade vellum but at a piece of old, ratty leather, the writing on it scrawled in near-illegible common.

"We come for you," the paper assured him, "with axe and flame and arrow. We will destroy you and your homes, rape your women and devour your children, we will leave nothing alive in our wake." Gerard read the paper, and looked up, his face a mask of grim determination. He knew not where this had come from, but he knew that he would not allow the actions described to come to pass. He left his office then for the first time that day, with a glance at his ring.

He moved to the walls, surveying the landscape, and looked to one of the guards. "Has one of the scouts returned this hour?" The guard shook his head negatively.

"We've not received a report for quite some time, Captain," the guard replied.

Gerard nodded, and moved farther down the wall, his purpose clear.

"Liuetenant!" he shouted to one of his most capable men, a burly swordsman, Isaugh Untris by name, who stood at the gates to the town with his massive sword strapped across his back. The man looked up in an instant, regarding his trusted Captain. "Scramble the men! The walls must be secured! I've reason to believe there is danger on the move, and we shan't be caught off guard by it!"

Isaugh nodded, and began barking orders to the militiamen, gesturing strongly and cursing. The men, fearful of the blows Isaugh was known to rain down on insolent recruits, scrambled this way and that, retrieving swords and bows and pikes. Gerard nodded, and moved away from Lieutenant Isaugh, and to another guardpost where another of his Lieutenants resided. Rounding the corner of the wall, which was built to accommodate a boulder that lay in the intended path of construction, Gerard saw exactly what he hadn't wanted to. Several guards chatted idly, paying no heed to the wilderness. Gerard strolled up to the soldiers, and commanded them to point him to the Lieutenant.

"Konrad's in the bunk," one of them said plainly. "There a problem, Captain?" Gerard sighed, and rubbed his brow, taking care to look at the ring when he did, and settling back down.

"There is a potential for danger, and I need to speak to the Lieutenant. Return to your posts, and be extra vigilant, for our very lives could depend on it." He pointed to their apparent posts, and the men nodded grimly, retrieved their weapons, and went to their positions, each with a sense of determination now that they had been chastised. Gerard moved into the bunk area, attached to the walls, where the off-shift guards slept if they hadn't a home in the city, a provision Veden made for the soldiers, who he treated as his children, Gerard mused, absentmindedly running his thumb over the cool silver on his finger.

"Konrad!" He shouted when he found the slumbering Lieutenant. Several guards, the night watch, Gerard knew, slept around him, and he took a mental roll call of them to make sure none were simply sleeping away their shifts on the walls. They all woke suddenly when Gerard shouted, however, and watched with bated breath as he looked at the now awake Konrad, who fumbled with his blankets.

"Yes, Captain!" Konrad managed to reply, standing at attention in nothing but his undertrousers. He swallowed nervously, fearful of the scolding he was about to receive.

"Get your sword," Gerard commanded with a smile. "Battle may be afoot. Oh, and if you'd like a new uniform, don't hesitate to ask. Yours seems a bit.... lacking." He grinned at the implied punishment. "Of course that will have to wait until -after- today." He put the tip of his foot under Konrad's scabbard, and kipped up his sword to him, which Konrad grabbed out of the air with a mild amount of fumbling. Gerard pointed out the door, and Konrad marched slowly, ashamed. Once he was put on his post, Gerard moved out of the area, to the last of his lieutenants, posted at the last guardpost, and the only female lieutenant Talaski had ever known.

Moving to the barracks in the last third of the wall (for each guardpost was designated one-third of the wall, with enough troops to hold that portion), he smiled, for he knew inherently that Kimhona, the skilled Calishite woman, had the area under control. He respected her ambition, and thought it was near time to see to it she received her reward: a nice, fat payraise. Gerard held no misogyny, and regarded Kimhona as just another soldier, and a fine one at that.

"Lieutenant," Gerard said as he neared her. "May I speak with you a moment?" Kimhona turned, and looked at him, her black hair and olive skin belying her ancestry. Her emerald eyes shone brightly, glittering with the ambition and determination Gerard had held two years past, when Veden had gifted him with the ring.

"Yes, Captain?" she asked. "Is there a problem?" Gerard looked about, at the guards efficiently performing their duties, standing vigilant despite the seeming peace, and smiled.

"Not at all, Lieutenant. I just wanted to inform you that we may be seeing some trouble soon; I received a... less-than-appreciated letter, threatening the security of our town." Kimhona nodded, and looked back at her men.

"I will see that they are extra vigilant," she said, and Gerard thanked her, and sped away. With renewed determination, Gerard barged into his office, and moved quickly to his armoire, where his armor was stored, and set to preparing the breastplate and chainmail. He draped himself in arming gear first, and then put on the chain shirt, finally buckling the breastplate on over the chain shirt. He tugged his leather gloves on, taking care to remove the ring, put the tight glove on, and replace the ring over it, only so he could see it. He buckled his belt, put his sword in its scabbard, and slung his shield over his back. Finally, he moved to the corner, where his use-worn, trusted halberd stood, and grabbed it. Hefting it in both hands, he strolled out the door to his office, and made a bee-line directly to the town gate, where he stood with Lieutenant Isaugh.

The man easily dwarfed Gerard, and had Gerard not known the man as a friend when they manned the walls together, Gerard would not have known the giant Northman had a heart made of solid gold. Isaugh had been Gerard's first promotion, and held the post Gerard did before him. Now, however, none of that mattered. Gerard was simply standing guard with his old friend, who seemed happy to be watching the hills with his friend, Captain, and brother in arms.

The guards were all in place, and they waited. Several moved about the city, informing people that there was trouble, retrieving any who could lift a sword. The outpouring of men, farmers and smiths, and even the town's wizard, Agevkim, brought a lilt to Gerard's heart. They would fight with the tenacity of a cornered wolverine, Gerard knew, for this was their town and their life, and none would oppress the strong people of the town of Talaski.

Many hours passed. The sun dipped low in the sky, and had it not been for the stillness of the wind, they would have never received their cue.

Riding the air, a scream reached the ears of the guards, agonized, desperate, and familiar. Several men ran full-force to the walls of the town, wearing studded armor, with long, earthen-colored cloaks. The scouts. They were much worse for wear, and as they neared the town, Gerard had the gates opened, admitted them, and then had the gated shut and barred. The reports disturbed him. Fifty orcs, with a hundred goblins, under the tutelage of a troll, marching on the city.

Agevkim approached Gerard. "If you wish," the mystic proposed. "I could attept to see these beasts." Gerard nodded, and Agevkim launched into his casting, going into a trance-like state soon thereafter, mumbling and scrawling on a piece of vellum. The drawings took on shape, and Gerard saw the troll. Huge, ugly, and mean, the picture on the sheet reinforced all of Gerard's fears. This was no simple troll. This was the troll Veden had battled in his youth, Gerard could tell by the scarring, remembering specifically all of the attacks Veden told about in his story.

"Thank you, Agevkim." Gerard said, patting the man on the shoulder as he came to from his trance. Nodding, Agevkim returned to his position on the wall, leaning on a staff, his discerning eyes scanning the landscape.

It wasn't long before they saw the small army. First a black shadow, and then the definite forms of the individuals, it unerringly moved towards the town, and the sight of the massive troll, topping twelve feet, gave pause to even Isaugh. Gerard whispered a prayer to Helm, to Tempus, to Kelemvor, and any other gods that would hear him. He didn't have long to pray, however, for a shout from one of the guards yanked him from his thoughts. He looked up to see a boulder, impossible for a man to lift, let alone hurl as such, headed straight for the gate. "Evade!" he shouted, and the guards spilled away from the portal just as the boulder shattered through the sturdy timber doors, splintering it and showering the ground with shredded wood all the size of toothpicks. More guards poured into the area from the rest of the wall, all moving to reinforce the now-useless gate.

Gerard was among the front lines, now joined by Lieutenant Isaugh, Lieutenant Kimhona, and Lieutenant Konrad, who had apparently found his armor. Behind them, Agevkim stood, ready to defend his home, his shop, and his friends. The first wave washed over them, a small force of goblins, and was easily put down by the well-trained guard, standing in the shattered door to their home. Not distracted by the obvious bluff, they readied themselves once more, and Gerard raised a hand, shouting to his troops.

"Today, our homes are threatened by these beasts! Today we are tested to defend ourselves and our families! Today we face a threat the magnitude of which we've not seen in a long while! Today, we taste victory! We repel the enemy! We secure our homes! We bring honor to our families and our town! For the people of Talaski, we fight to the bitter end!" The guard cheered for their Captain, and the archers launched a volley, felling several of the enemy, who was as yet charging once more, a larger force of goblins this time.

Wading through the carnage, Gerard's halberd swiveled this way and that, cut down goblins and parted their rank. Isaugh's great blade slashed through bone, sinew, and innards, taking as many goblins in his raking blows as Gerard could in the entire first wave. Konrad, his shortsword in hand, thrusted at the goblins one by one, taking their hearts with his calculated attacks. Kimhona's graceful attacks twirled and twisted, slashing gracefully across the chests and throats of the goblins, a deadly dance. Agevkim bolstered the Lieutenants with his magic, and launched volleys of purple energy into the crowds, the bolts of force bludgeoning several to the ground.

The guard worked furiously, and at the end of the engagement, fifty goblins lay dead in a heap, cut down by the skilled combatants. Gerard looked to his ring, and through the blood of a goblin, a crimson smear over the silver, it seemed to shine brighter, as if Veden approved of his defense of Talaski. He smiled, and his resolve stood as strong as ever.

The troll launched another boulder their way, and it slammed into the ground with tremendous force, knocking several of the guard to the ground, and crushing two of the poor souls. Cursing the name of the orcs and the troll, the guard surged forward, in a charge lead by the Lieutenants and their Captain. They waded into the final group of goblins, and cut them down easily, before coming to face the orcs in a more heated engagement. Axes bashed against shields, and the orcish strength behind those blows shattered forearms and passed through defenses. Several of the guards met their ends in the first several minutes of combat with the orcs. In a failed attempt to parry, Gerard lifted his halberd, and it was readily split in half by an orc axe. Pulling his sword, Gerard never left the rythm of battle. Rolling his shield off his back and slipping his hand into the grips, he returned the favor by splitting the responsible orc's skull in half.

Spears volleyed through the air, several shafts taking the guard's archers, who fell to the ground groaning or dead outright. Isuagh cut two orcs in two in one swipe, and Kimhona took the throat of another. Konrad worked furiously, his short blade finding all the holes in the defenses of the orcs. As the next wave came on, however, the orcs fought with dogged determination, and the troll joined, his hellish attacks taking several guards in each swing. Soon, the Lieutenants had focused all their attention on that beast, and aided by Agevkim, they seemed to gain some headway. However, the regenerative beast never seemed to tire, and after a half an hour of battling that singular monster, the guardsmen weren't holding up well.

The rest of the guard, busy with the orcs, payed no heed to their leaders battling the troll.

The troll, twelve feet of digusting muscle, seemed to have little problems angling its claws to deflect even the most vicious of Isaugh's blows, and soon had the advantage over the Lieutenants and Captain. It smacked Konrad's blade aside, unbalancing the man and leaving his side open for the rake that followed, on of the troll's claws parting his side, exposing ribs and puncturing a lung. Konrad, completely decimated by the attack, fell to the wayside, wheezing as his blood flowed freely onto the grass. Kimhona's graceful attacks, as well, were simlarly interrupted, as the troll simply backhanded her through the air, breaking her back, and taking her - permanently - out of this fight and any others. Gerard fought valiantly, taking off several of the troll's sickly fingers, which son began regrowing. Shocked by the pain, however, the troll opened itself up, and Isaugh took its knee.

The enraged troll flailed, its leg detached at the sight of that hideous attack, spewing blood the color of crude oil. It swung desperately at the combatants, and Agevkim, strolling up from behind the warriors, held out his hand, releasing a volley of flame onto the troll, and burning it to a crisp.

Soon, the guard crushed the orcs, who, without the guidance of their vicious leader, folded under the assault of the guard. it seemed victory was won. As Gerard looked to his ring, he felt a sense of completion, killing the beast that had pestered Veden his whole life. He looked to the troll, and looked beyond to the wilds of the Heartlands. He felt drawn, then, as if his purpose here had been fulfilled. He looked to the ring, and the troops retreated to the walls of the town. They carried Konrad, his breathing labored and shallow, and Kimhona, who cried with the sorrow of the realization that she was crippled. Isaugh clapped Gerard on the shoulder, realizing that as he watched Kimhona, Gerard's heart was sinking.

"They knew the danger, Captain," he reassured. "They gave their bodies and lives for the safety of our town. It is the way of the guardsman." Gerard nodded, and looked to his massive friend. Isaugh smiled, and Gerard's heart was lifted a bit.

Later that month, as Gerard walked the gates of the town of Talaski, he looked longingly for the horizon. Lieutenant Isaugh came up beside him. "Captain," he said. "A fine mornin you've joined us on."

"I'm leaving, Isaugh." Gerard stated plainly. Isaugh took pause, looking at his friend questioningly. Gerard looked up, and shrugged. "I've been in this town my whole life. Talaski runs in my blood and pounds in my heart. I have served her my whole life. I have foregone the pleasures of a wife and a family to further my pursuit of her defense. I have given mind, body, and soul to these walls, to these homes, and to these men and women. I believe I've paid my debt to her."

Isaugh nodded, and looked across the wall. "You have done well in serving the town, Gerard. Far better than any other person living here. I agree that you've paid your debt," he looked out to the hills. "And I agree, you deserve to adventure, to put your blades to use elsewhere, to receive the fruits a man of your talent deserves."

Gerard nodded. "I've delivered my resignation to the Mayor, and I gave my recomendations for you." He smiled. "The town deserves a man who can cradle it with strong arms." Isaugh laughed.

"I'm coming with you," he said. "I'm not letting you catch an axe out there in the wilds, and I've been wanting to see the coutnry myself. Give them the reccomendations for Kimhona. She deserves the position, for she's given even her movement for these walls."

Gerard nodded. He'd leave that letter on the desk of the mayor.

"I love this town," Gerard mused.

"As do I, Captain." Isaugh replied.

Later that evening, two friends walked out the gates of Talaski.

Gerard looked at the ring, and knew that Veden was giving him his approval.






//edit 1 : typos, spelling errors.