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The Legend of Tabandon
Chapter 1: A good day to die
It starts as a soft whisper in the darkness. Then the nightmares come. Finally the call consumes you. The God of the hill demands repentance and when it finds a soul it particularly wants then sometimes even the greatest act of repentance might not be enough.
Tabandon was one of the more interesting souls to answer the Hill's call. An orphan born and raised in a small village near the northern border of Italy, he carried no second name as that had died with his parents at the hands of thieves. Tabandon's people were among the first to fall under the regime of Roman occupancy. The fight was swift and brutal as Tabandon remembered it. As he sat in the darkness with nothing but a single flame for company his eyes played tricks on him. Staring at the flame awoke bitter memories that he had hoped to forget forever.
His father Davon snapped his head around to see glints of sunlight on metal moving swiftly through the dusty village. Davon grimaced and pulled Tabandon down so that they were hidden from immediate sight.
There were too few sword fighters in the town to organise a decent defence. However Fabian the town's blacksmith was not going to let this stop him. He used the surroundings to his advantage when he heard of this army approaching. Fabian was a good man and was a sort of unofficial town leader as well as a blacksmith. It was rumoured that he had once been an Olympic champion. In actual fact he had come from the many fighting pits that lay outside the main arena for those who couldn't see the main games.
His speciality was the trident. When rumours reached him of this army coming to a town that was mostly made up of farmers he wasted no time in producing forks and training the men in the village how to use them as weapons. Davon had insisted on having Tabandon attend the training. They used scarecrows as targets. Tabandon had a bit of trouble at first, as it was quite heavy. He walked away from the training session for a bit. Everyone thought he had given up. Davon knew better. A loud "Crack" was heard a couple of minutes later and a smiling Tabandon came back holding a fork with the shaft broken in half. Fabian had complimented the boy on his improvisation skills. "The boy's got it. When these monsters enter our village to destroy our way of life we must be prepared to make a full frontal assault. The thing you have to learn is that we must take them down no matter how we do it. So we can't use swords, a sword will not be much against an ambush with forks, but we need to train up now before they reach us."
The heat was almost unbearable as the merciless sun beat down on the two. Tabandon tore the sleeve off his right arm and ripped the rough material in two. He wound the strips around his hands, effectively creating two hand guards so that he could keep a grip on any weapon he came across. Sweat glistened on his brow, so much so that he had to keep wiping it to stop the water from running into his eyes.
They finally reached the large, coarse stonewall that bordered their field. Staying low they stealthily crept into the village. There were soldiers everywhere and although the defence force fought bravely it seemed that they were no match for this army. Each soldier had a crazed look in their eyes as if they were a pack of rabid dogs. Bloodlust was upon them and the heat of the day made them even worse. Most were covered in blood; those that weren't were covered in ash.
Tabandon and Davon slipped between patrols of the murdering lunatics. Both had to hold back their feelings as they stepped over the remains of people they had known for years. Where desperation should have shown itself in their hearts there was only resilience and the determination to avenge the deaths of their fallen brethren that lay scattered around them. The simple village houses were in flames causing huge belches of smoke to pour into the clear blue sky like poison into a reservoir.
When he saw the carnage Davon started to make his way towards their farm when Tabandon stood in his way. A grim look of determination was set on his face. "No father. We will bury the dead later. Now is the time for vengeance. " Davon was surprised by his son's strength but also a little afraid when he thought how cruel and heartless Tabandon might become if he was willing to go on a killing spree before even checking how his family had fared.
Davon shook his head. "They might be alive. By the Gods I pray that they are. I have to go to them. If it makes you feel better grab what you can from the smithy and make your way home. I will meet you by the scarecrow. Wait for me there. I am going to get them out if they are alive. If not we will show these dogs what anger is." Tabandon reluctantly agreed and watched as his father disappeared from sight.
He looked at the sky. It was a dazzling bright blue, occasionally interrupted by brilliant white scuds of cloud. This was not the sort of day Tabandon expected a mass murder to occur. He was hoping for a clear warning sign like a huge, dark thunderstorm that rained lightning enough to look like the world was ending. Instead the day where his world turned itself on its head was a fine harvest day. That day was the one he learned to expect the unexpected.
He reached the back of Fabian's workshop and grimaced darkly. He obviously didn't learn to expect the unexpected soon enough, as somewhere behind him a hard sword handle came down on the back of his head. He fell on his face into darkness. What he didn't see was the anvil and red-hot poker on the ground. As he fell his right cheek ripped open when he fell past the anvil's pointed side. The poker caught his other cheek. Thankfully he could not feel the pain of it but the wounds would never heal completely.
He woke up to the sounds of squealing as wooden wheels turned. It seemed he was in a moving cage. He could see soldiers laughing through the bars. The lunacy had faded but he was still wary of them. They were by no means safe. That was like saying a rabid wolf was as harmless as a puppy. His face was extremely sore and swollen. He put his calloused hands to his face and felt where the pain was. He found out in that horrible moment why they were laughing. There were two lines of flesh missing from his face, one across each cheek.
Two strings of flesh held, making it seem like he had three mouths. He would remain a grimacing freak for the rest of his days. He growled at the soldiers, swearing to himself that he would take revenge on them someday. For now he would bide his time.
He looked around the cage to see if there was anyone there that he knew. It seemed that his was not the only village they had raided that day. Boaz and Tekal were there from the next village not three miles from his own. Their fathers traded produce with each other now and again. They were brother and sister from one of the largest families in the province.
Tekal looked pretty beat up. Tabandon didn't even want to know what the monsters had done to her. Boaz nodded at Tabandon with a stern face. None of them were sure that they would be able to smile ever again. They whispered to each other trying not to make too much noise.
They passed fields golden with wheat and orchards and vineyards laden with fruit. It would all spoil, as there was no one left to gather it in. The land seemed oblivious to the attacks except for the occasional scorch marks where towns and villages used to be. As they talked in the back of the cart Tabandon learned that the two children had suffered badly but if it weren't for them Tabandon wouldn't have learned what the soldiers were up to.
A large colourful mosaic lay in the centre of the room. It was a banquet scene with all the produce that the farm sold, being enjoyed by many people. It summed up the happy life that the family led. The roman soldier looked around; he apparently approved of what he saw, as if he had a mind to claim the place as his own.
Legali, the father of the household opened the scroll and frowned after reading the first few lines. He read the letter out aloud for the benefit of the others present.
"I Nero, Caesar of Rome in these dark days of madness, have had a dream.
I dream of a united world. One where all peoples are put in their rightful place.
So that the world will be as the God's intended it to be.
There will be no room for the forces of chaos to operate and a utopia will be created.
Unfortunately in these mad times it is necessary to employ chaos to create order when the enemies of peace reveal themselves.
To kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, I invite you and your household to join the empire and live in peace.
If you accept, your family will be called to serve the glory of Rome until the enemies of peace have been vanquished.
When the dust settles, the true, loyal servants of Rome will be amply rewarded.
Failure to heed the call of Caesar will be taken as an indication that you have joined the enemies of Rome.
As such I assure you that you and your family can expect no mercy.
Death will become a luxury that you will have to earn.
The enemies of Rome will find themselves slaves to the peoples of Rome as a constant reminder of the lives that they could have had.
Choose wisely in answering. Patience is not one of my greater virtues.
NeroLegali understood perfectly and frowned. The firelight and shadows dancing across his face made him look quite menacing. He was not alone in his attitude. He moved towards the Roman as if to hand the scroll back. "There is no difference between a servant and a slave. I reject your precious tyrant's offer. What has Rome done for us to expect us to give up our lives for her? A pox on Rome and the idiot that governs her." He threw the scroll into the fire sending a brief burst of orange flame up the chimney.
The messenger's face went bright red with rage. "You will regret that farmer. I will personally see your fields razed to the ground, your household sold as slaves and your body nailed to that which you hold dearest, to serve as a warning."
Legali drew a sword from his side. "Think carefully about what your next move will be lap dog of Caesar. It may be your last." The Roman snarled at him and ran out of the house. Legali dropped the sword from his hand realising what he had done. "I have killed us all. Gods save us. Quickly; take the children into the woods. We don't have much time. Find any weapon you can and make peace with your Gods. Soon I think we will be facing them."
The soldiers rode into the farm, armour shining in the midday sun. They moved as one as they formed ranks. Two parties split from the main group and sneaked around to the back of the estate. The main defence was arranged to meet the forces at the front. They never saw the other wave coming.
The two children heard the noises of fighting. The exchange was quick and brutal. It did not take the soldiers long to round up the remaining survivors, including them. They tried to struggle but it was no good. The soldiers easily overpowered them and threw them in the mobile cage like rag dolls. They shut their eyes as the troop pulled away from the farm and the crucified bodies of their parents and servants.
Hope you enjoyed that. Going to get another chapter for bad day at the office up next. Till then. TTFN.
Cheers
Wolf
