*Keep in mind that this was written by a 15-year-old me, lmao.
So it may be a bit...rough.
It feels like Young Me was trying to capture a Naruto & Sasuke kind of energy, lol.
If you know, you know.
I do intend to post it all JUST as it was written in order to preserve its spirit of youth and innocence.
Thank you kindly for understanding, and please, enjoy!
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The day was quiet.
Too quiet.
I don't remember every detail, but what I do recall of the beginning is a pretty good tale to tell.
It all happened about seven years ago. I was about 10, yet in my youth, I was both strong and wise.
"Bastion, come over to me."
That's my father, Kenji Ridder.
He was a strong, patient man of great power...
I used to love it when he told me stories and taught me things, so I rushed over, but today the story would not the usual, and what he was to teach, I didn't want to learn.
As I approached, he looked into my bright brown eyes and gave a great smile that, for some reason, faded slowly.
"Son, I know of something I must tell you, this of which is of great importance."
I didn't like the tone of his voice; it sounded hollow and tired, and I could sense his worry.
The look in his eyes also gave him away.
I was young, but for my age, I was as smart as any man in our village.
"Is something wrong...father?"
I asked hesitantly.
He looks up at me and calls me closer.
"Nothing is in thewrong...yet."
He paused for a breath, and in that quiet moment, I could swear my heart skipped a beat.
"We will soon be engulfed...in a battle son, one of which the likes you may never see again, for this time, I want you to be ready."
The words of my father hit me like stones.
I could feel a great sense of fear and excitement swell within me with every passing second, yet I couldn't find the words for a proper response.
"B...but...who?...when?...wh...WHY!?"
I exclaimed, my mind raced with hundreds of questions I knew wouldn't be answered any time soon, or at least I hoped.
"I see your fear, son...and I am greatly hurt by the fact that this task will be so hard on you, but I trust you can do what I am about to ask of you. In the next few days, we will be attacked by an unknown army...one whose numbers will be great in size...you must not fear...for I predict Himora's arrival very soon."
I didn't have the slightest clue how to respond, so I said the first thing that popped into my mind.
"What am I and Himora to do!?! Fight an entire army on our own? You...will be there, won't you?...father?"
It seemed to me that my father purposely avoided the question, for he simply continued on in his story of the men's arrival in less than a week's time.
I didn't know what to think, I mean, come on!
I was ten years old!
A war?
What was I to do?
At that moment, I found myself feeling as helpless as I'd ever felt before.
The rest of the day passed very slowly. Thoughts of war, blood, and death slid through my head over and over again.
"What am I supposed to do?"
I asked myself as I lay on my back in the soft grass of the miniature forest inside the walls of our village and stared up into the canopy.
"How does he expect me to go to war at such a young age!?"
I have to admit that for the first few hours after the conversation, I was mad at my father.
For some reason, I blamed him and his foresight for this, but deep down inside, I knew it was only his duty to tell us what we needed to know, when we needed to know it.
My head pounded all that night.
Questions and answers flooded my dreams, and more often than not, I awoke in a deep sweat.
I was tired and confused, but little did I know, soon enough, all of my questions would be answered.
Over the next three days, my father trained me harder than he had ever done before.
Since the age of six, we had been having sessions every afternoon, and by now, I could take down even the best of our men in the village since I was being trained by the best (who also happened to be the commander of our small army).
As we trained, we would converse about the things to come.
My father told me that during the battle, he may not be by my side the whole time, but to protect Himora, and to utilize him as if he were very much a part of my own body. I took note and would be sure to do just that.
"Son, you mustn't mourn too greatly in the days to come."
He has said to me on one of our breaks.
"What do you mean, Father?
I had curiously responded.
"Our village may well be destroyed, and we will lose many friends and family...But I assure you that no matter what you do, you must never give up in your battles to come. If you do so, you will fail not only the people of your village, but our very Gods. Never lay down your spear...Never."
I took this to the heart at once.
I had never been in a situation such as this, but I knew my father was right. No matter what happened, I knew this wasn't the last battle that I would be in. As the sun began to fall from the sky, my father went on describing to me how intense battle was and how I must never let my guard down. I learned may ways to bring an enemy to his knees with one move.
Some that I could never see myself doing to another living, breathing human.
But my father -in his age- had been in many battles, and by now he could basically read an enemies mind and see what they were about to do before they would do it only having looked in their eyes. We trained all night. By the time we were done my legs ached with agony, and my arms hung with tire.
"Get some rest, son. Himora will be here tomorrow. You have the responsibility of telling him in on what's going on."
One thing worried me though, and I just had to ask.
"Father, do you think Himora will just agree to go to war with me? I mean...it is something big to ask of a friend...right?"
He looked me in my eyes, not a shard of emotion in his own.
"He will agree."
Is all the response I got.
My father then turned and went to the door of our home, opened it, and went inside.
That night I slept little.
I couldn't help but to wonder if Himora would help me, but something in my heart told me he would, and that's all that I ended up needing to put me to sleep.
Himora is essentially my cousin.
He and his Shell kin family had came to Leafaria from The Deep Stone sea bed when I was much younger, and the two of us had become and remained good friends since the day we had met.
He was but three and I maybe four at the time.
Since the age of six, we had both been training in our own fields, mine being the spear and his, sword. We had decided to become sparing partners, which in turn only brought us closer.
Every time we'd spar, we'd both end up falling to the ground covered in cuts and bruises, laughing till we fell asleep.
Himora was always the best opponent for me in my village, for just as I, he could beat the best men in our army (or at least the lower ranking soldiers that my dad would pick for us to fight.) The only unfair advantage that Himora had in our otherwise tied battles was the fact that his body was composed of nearly 75% water. The majority of his flesh and bone were nothing more than "solid" liquid, so whenever I'd land an attack, he would heal in less than 30 seconds depending on the severity.
I awoke the next morning in a rather good mood.
I don't remember why, but I knew that the fact of Himora's arrival had a lot to contribute to it.
I dressed quickly and ran out into the kitchen area with my spear in hand. I always pointed the tip to my rear.
"You could put an eye out."
My father would say.
As I walked into the kitchen my mother, a tall light-skinned Leafarian woman, bent low to hug me and plant a kiss on my cheek,
"G'mornin', sonny!"
She said in her deep, smooth Leafarian accent.
"Watcha get'n into ta'day?"
She asked with her hands on her hips and a huge smile on her beautiful, glowing face.
"Naitachow gwindedad moyosia Himora!"
Was my response.
I loved speaking to my mother in our native tongue, it always made her day.
She leaned back just a bit, thrown off as she was by my sudden shift in language.
"Wit Himora, ah? Ya beta be carful wit dat boy! Don go get'n ya selves in problems, kay?
She was cautious by nature, and I was not one to take her words nor warnings lightly.
"Okay, mother."
I said before I sat to eat my breakfast which consisted of various types of fruits, cheeses, and breads.
My mother was protective of me all the time.
She didn't have a problem with Himora, but her relationship with his mother was not in the best condition.
"I'm leavin' Ma!"
I yelled from the front door as I ran out in an attempt to get as far away as fast as possible before I could get stuck with my chores.
I loved that morning. The sun was shining high above my head, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Then to top it off, a familiar voice rang in my ears.
"Watsup boy!?"
It was Himora!
I brace my spear and turn just in time to block his attack.
"Ha! just as I remembered you!"
I laughed as he came at me with several more mock attacks, then we both fell to the ground and laughed till our heads hurt.
"Man, it's a long time ago since last we seen each other!"
Himora said in his broken common which for him was in pretty good condition. Himora usually spoke in Waterian when with his family whish was his native language, but with me he always did his best to speak in common.
"What have you been up to? It's been a long time since the last time I whipped your butt!"
At this, Himora sprung to his feet and readied his sword.
"Oh, so it's like that is it? Come on!
I'll show you how good I got!"
I loved egging Himora on. He was a good fighter, and a good friend, but when it came to fighting?
One of us had to be the best, (and it usually was him). This time, I though I had it in the bag.
"Oookay! Don't say I didn't warn you!"
I rolled over in midair and thrust my spear up at his stomach, a move which he skillfully blocked. He stepped back and flipped over my head and came at me with several of his own attacks.
"Is that all you got!?"
I said as I blocked all of them then dropped to one knee and tried to sweep his feet from under his body.
"Nope! Not at all!"
He countered.
As I flung my spear at him, he simply side-stepped and slashed at me, missing by just an inch.
"Okay!...Okay, you win!
I shouted to him as I stumbled back and sat down on the grass.
"Man, how did you get your stamina up so high!?"
I asked him as he put his sword away and collapsed next to me on the cool grass.
"Oh, it was nothing, just a lot of swimming will put a little more strength in your body."
As Himora spoke, he also struggled to catch his breath.
"Ha! I didn't lose entirely, you lost your breath just as I did!"
Himora's fist clinched.
"Yeah, but I worked more than you in that fight, so HA to you too!"
We argued for about a half an hour then fell into a slumber.
The day was perfect.
Warm sun, good training, and best of all?
The reunion of two best friends and cousins.
But all was not well...
For at that moment, an army of great size was less than 50 feet away our main gates, and right as I started to doze off I was rather rudely awoken.
BANG!
"Whaaaaa!"
I woke to a huge explosion that shook the entire ground beneath my feet. (More like body, for we were both on our backs).
I didn't know what was happening for the most part until I felt the heat of a dozen fires sweep over me as I looked up, I saw a wave of men in blue and white armor parading into our village, some dropped from atop the walls.
Their viscous fireballs rained down on our village, eating away at the dry, wooden frames and the innocent people who were trapped within.
I remember a wave of fear sweeping over me just like the heat wave, and behind that one...another, but not of fear. This one was of confusion.
I quickly rolled over and grabbed my spear. To my horror, Himora lay unconscious. A rock lay next to his head. I guess it had struck him during the first assault.
"Him...Himora! Himora wake up!"
I shook his vigorously, trying to wake him from his forced sleep.
"Himora we have to fight! We are under attack!"
The words taste bitter in my mouth like an alien substance among the dinner plate which is life.
But there was no time now to ponder or sit around, I had to act now.
"Himora! Wake!...Up!"
I splashed his face with the last ounce of water that was in my canteen, it seemed to take effect immediately. Himora was wounded, but luckily not heavily. A cut about four inches long showed above his left eye where the rock had struck.
"Ouch...man, what happened? What's...going on?"
He said as he sat up and rub his left hand over the jagged gash on his forehead.
I reiterated the statement that I had made but a second ago.
"We have to fight!...we are under attack!"
Himora stood quickly and drew his sword, but he stumbled in the process.
"Himora...are you okay?"
He shook his head and vibrant blue-hued blood spattered the ground from the ugly wound.
"I'm fine. Let's go!"
As we ran towards the gapping hole in the protective wall, I turned towards Himora and I saw a sight that made me stop in my tracks. The huge cut on the side of his face was shrinking quickly, and in less than 10 seconds it was gone without a trace. By looking, one would have never known that there was ever a cut there.
"Wow..."
Was all that I could say.
I had seen it before, but this time it was much faster and there was no sign on a wound.
"Stop stalling and let's go!"
Himora said with a sudden wave of anger that startled me.
"I...I wasn't!"
I countered and ran after the already departing boy.
As we neared the top of the hill we were climbing, the gate came into view.
It was a devastating thing to see at our young ages, but nonetheless, it was reality and we had to do what we could to survive. The walls to either side of the main entrance had been set ablaze, and a huge hole shown in from the outside. Men in blue and white suits swarmed in with various types of weapons drawn and ready for attack.
"Bastion...who are these men?
I stopped just ahead of Himora and turned to answer his question.
"Honestly I don't know. My father had warned me that we would be attacked, but even he could not tell me who by it would be."
For a moment we both stood frozen in shock at the realization of what was going on.
"A...raid?"
The words fell from Himora's lips like rain from a cloud. His eyes were wide with confusion, and a sense of fear that I know that he would rather not show emitted from him like heat from the sun.
"We have to hide and make a plan."
I said, coming to my senses before he could.
"Let's go."
He said in his calm, settled voice.
This meant trouble...
For the enemy.
I knew that this meant that Himora was ready to fight, and in a sense, I was too.
We both ran and hid behind a small hut about 30 feet from the gate, and evaluated the situation from afar.
"What do you think we should do?"
Himora said rather cluelessly.
It had been this way since I could remember. I had always been the practical thinker, Himora the valor. Even in our war-play games, I would play Commander and he, General. But now the war was real, and it was us or them. Then a though, a memory popped into my head.
"I got it! We attack the biggest men first, then work on the smallest, weaker ones."
Himora's facial expression would have been quite hilarious had we been in any situation but this. He looked at me as if he had been drained of all of his blood as the color fell from the skin on his face.
"Are you serious!?"
He yelled over the explosions and battle cries of the men who were fighting less than 20 yards away now.
"That would be suicide! We can't attack the biggest men first! We should just look for your dad and stay by his side...or we won't survive!"
Himora was bordering hysterical, he constantly looked back and forth between me and the large group of men streaming through the hole in our defense gates.
"I remember!"
My voice broke into his train of thought.
"Remember what!?"
He exclaimed, his eyes traveling from mine to the men in a state of more confusion than panic.
"My father...he said the men would be poorly trained, and would use numbers rather than skill...we can do this Himora! Even the largest of them will be relying on their strength vs any real combat skill."
Himora seemed to be growing more and more confused by the second (though I can't blame him, he was all of nine years old!). He fell to his knees and clasped his hands to his head before springing back up and grabbing my shoulders.
"Bastion, what the hell are you saying!? I trust your fathers words, but these men look like they were raised like crops! Like they were breed to kill!"
I cut in before he could continue.
"Himora, this is not you talking! You usually keep your head better than I do! Now calm down and watch!"
I turn from him and grab my spear.
Leaving him in hiding, I ran to the battlefield.
The first man I saw was made my target.
He looked like a meat-head, so I figured I could take him.
"Hey fat-head!"
I yelled to him.
"Draw your sword and fight!...or are you scared?"
I guess from afar the man looked maybe a little smaller, but once he got within 10 yards of me I could see that he was in fact large enough to kill a bear with his bare hands...
He turned to me first with a look of confusion, then it quickly shifted to pure anger and hate.
"Aaahahahahahahahahahaha! Are you serious!?"
I was confused for a second. I didn't expect the man to speak such sharp common tongue.
"Hey Jhon! C'mover here a minute, we seem to have a lost kid on our hands."
The man let out another booming laugh as he and his partner produced two of the cruelest swords I'd ever seen. His partner -who's name was apparently Jhon- turned and gave his friend a nudge in the ribs.
"Lemme take em mate, this shouldn't be to much hard!"
At that, he raised his sword and ran at me with all his might.
"Wait for it...wait..."
I thin to myself as the man rapidly approaches.
The larger man stood and watched as his partner ran to his death, for he knew that a single child would not challenge a grown man, unless he knew he could win.
"Huh...idiot."
He mumbled to himself as the scene unfolded before his eyes.
Jhon cocked his sword and leaped high into the air.
"Ha! To easy!"
He shouted as he threw his attack at me.
CLANG!
The sound of our blades colliding rang out and time seemed to stop as Jhon stood in front of me with his swords blade pushing against that of my spear.
"Wha?"
He sputtered in surprise at my agility.
"How the hell did you..."
I look up into his eyes.
He was a rather tall man, and I only came up to just below his chest.
"THAT was to easy!"
I boast as he pulls back and readies himself for another attack.
He sidesteps my initial thrust and swings at my head with the blunt end of his sword in an attempt to knock me off of my feet, but I am to fast for him and I duck under the attack and kick his feet from under his body.
While he was in midair I came up from my crouched position into a cartwheel and sliced him from his right shoulder to his left hip in one smooth move.
There was a loud thud as his lifeless body hit the ground.
I cheerfully turn to face Himora, stupidly forgetting the brute behind me.
Himora looked around the corner of the now-ablaze hut.
"See Himora! Nothing to fear! This is going to be ea..."
After that, I don't recall what happened, for at that moment the giant man (after seeing the death of his comrade) rushed up to me and kicked me square in the middle of my back, sending me flying into and through the burning hut that Himora was hiding behind.
"That'll teach ya, ya little shit!"
The giant-of-a-man said to himself as he advanced toward the hut to make sure his job was done.