CH2 The Return of PonA Chapter by Jones CrimsonPon's story begins. Pon had returned. Pon was finally home, seeing real greenery
for the first time in two years. Pon’s
sister was smiling ear to ear but couldn’t seem to stand up on her own. Pon was not smiling at all, he was prepared
for anything even now. They could see
their house from here.
Sebil: “What’s wrong, brother?” Pon:
“Look there.” Pon points to the edge of the forest
across the field opposite the house. Two
grave markers are at the opening. Sebil
adjusts her eyes to the distance, one of the many perks of her wind attribute
that gives her peerless sight and reflex.
It has their names carved into stone. Pon:
“It serves as a warning to the children who wonder into the forest. We’ve been made into examples, returning will
only cause the serfs to suffer more.” Sebil: “Then what are we to do?” Pon:
“The one thing we have never been able to do. We will leave.” Pon was the smarter of the two, and
Sebil never once questioned his judgement.
In part because there was never time to do so on the battlefield. Sebil said her goodbye under her breath, and
the two were out into the world. Though,
to them, it didn’t feel like it was their world at all: it felt as if they
belonged to somewhere else. As they exit the land border of
their home town, a ranger emerges from the forest on horseback with fresh game
in hand. He operated as the local
count’s scout and huntsman tasked with fetching meat and watching the lands
under his lordship’s reign on a daily basis.
He was not at all a young man, much older than most serfs would live to,
and took great pride in his service; however menial it was. Ranger: “Halt, who are you?” Pon:
“Passers-by.” As pon attempted to walk past the
horseman he pulled at the reigns and moved further into the boy’s way. Ranger: “Where are you from and where are you going?” Pon:
“We’re from the War God’s realm, and we’re looking for a place that
suits us.” Ranger: “Blasphemy, there is but one true god! How dare you praise false idols in this
land?” Pon was now very aggravated, but it
was not like him to pursue any form of conflict or rivalry. The horse could sense Pon’s aura, however,
and took several steps back without its master’s consent while shaking their
head side to side. Pon:
“I praise no idols. We are not
servants of the War God, we are his enemies.” The ranger draws his blade at the
duo. Ranger: “I won’t have it, you will be introduced to
my lord and he will decide your case.” Sebil: “We mean you or your master no harm, we have
done nothing to earn your distrust.” Ranger: “Silence!” The ranger moves his horse close
enough for him to kick the girl. Pon was
not in the least bit forgiving of this action.
The horse was now completely hysterical and bucked the rider off before
disappearing into the woods. The ranger
scrambled to ensure the rabbit didn’t get any dirt in its wound, ignoring the
dirt now under the skin of his knees. Pon stood above the man. Pon knew that if he were to kick this man’s
head it would simply cause them more problems, but he didn’t really care. It wasn’t until Sebil stepped in that the man
was spared from Pon’s rage. Sebil: “It’s alright brother, I’m not hurt. Not even a bruise. Leave him to look for his horse. We will be persecuted no longer.” Pon and his sister continued to the
river. Here there were even more
annoyances awaiting them. A group slowly
surrounded them from afar as they approached the two gentleman trolling the
bridge. Bandit: “Prepared to pay the tariff?” Pon:
“We have nothing of value. Let us
by.” Bandit: “How about those fine
clothes the girl wears. Why, she looks
rather important with all that shiny embellishment doesn’t she? White plate armor with a strange engraving,
it’s almost glowing with value.” Pon:
“We really look so strange to you?” The bandits laugh about the
response. They seem to think very
lightly of Pon, and he senses the advantage that lies there in. Pon:
“Alright then. Give us two cloaks
and you can have the metal plates.” Bandit: “Give us all of her clothes and we let you
both live.” Pon:
“I’m afraid that suggestion has cost you my previous offer. Here is the new arrangement. I will kill anyone who does not immediately
leave our presence.” Sebil: “Brother, you can’t seriously kill another
human being can you?” Pon:
“Are you offering them your clothes?” Sebil: “Just try to leave them in one piece,
please.” Pon first struck the spokesman of
the group in the left cheek with all his might.
The man flew back and as he hit the bridge you could hear a loud sound
akin to an egg cracking. Blood starts to
flow down the sloped surface of the bridge. Pon:
“Sorry, I didn’t think he would die so easily. I’ll try to hold back on the others.” Pon’s sister was already ignoring
her reckless brother. The closest to Pon
was the man who originally stood aside the spokesman. He attempted to grab Pon and wrestle him to
the ground. Pon would not be grasped so
easily, though, and with his foot struck the man’s leg from the side underneath
the knee causing a compound fracture.
Next Pon spun around to the man’s flank and twisted his arm around to
the point of inoperability while pressing the center of his back to the hand
rail for leverage. Sebil: “You can’t disable them for life!” Pon:
“He’s still got a good arm…” The other bandits are hesitant to
approach, but one of the four men that came out from behind the duo had blade
ready and came to slash at pon. To his
surprise Pon was so incredibly fast that he could close the other half of the
distance in less than half the time it had taken him, and grasped him before he
could strike. Pon suflexed the man and
leaves him unconscious on the ground. Sebil: “Are you sure he’s going to recover? He’s not moving.” Pon:
“Oh. I think we need to re-think
how we’re going to fight each other. Do
any of you have suggestions?” With great haste the remaining
bandits quickly escaped into the woods.
Pon was left with a very bitter feeling, as if he had lost this
fight. He had been powerless to avoid
hurting the incapable bandit group. His
power was far too peerless. Sebil saw the look in his eyes and
immediately empathized. Sebil: “It’s not your fault, brother. Those men meant to harm us.” Pon:
“No, Sebil. They only wanted your
armor. It wasn’t worth their lives.” Pon proceeded to check the pulse of
the two “unconscious” bandits before declaring the most recent one was still alive. He then carefully moves the sword-wielder
into position to carry on his back, leaving the lighter of the two survivors
for his sister to carry. It was some hours later that they
came upon a crossroad featuring a farmer warehouse with inn and alehouse. Like a lone sail in a sea of wheat, it was an
imposing establishment. The duo brought
in the injured and left them in the hands of the old and experienced. Pon and his sister wait for some
time outside the building. They had not
been idle like they were at this moment for a long time. It was a much needed break to calm their anxieties. Sebil leaned on Pon’s arm for a moment, and
Pon shed a single tear to break the chain of apathy he had felt all this time. © 2016 Jones Crimson |
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Added on October 13, 2016 Last Updated on October 20, 2016 AuthorJones CrimsonNDAboutSeeking representation, contact for more information. I have complete works not posted here. I enjoy writing Fantasy, but I've had musings in almost all subjects; with the exception of Romance. .. more..Writing
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