“Look out behind you!” yelled Darien, as a salvo of arrows flew in formation towards the hapless adventurers. Leroy ducked and narrowly escaped certain death as the arrows skimmed by inches from his head.
“I warned you to be careful for traps!” scolded Darien after the danger had passed. “Remember, curiosity killed the cat!”
“I’m sorry Darien, I forgot about that,” replied Leroy humbly.
“Well, just remember, this isn’t child’s play, this is a life or death situation,” said Darien.
Leroy thought back to what had made him come on this harrowing adventure. He and Darien had grown up together in the old kingdom of Vercinia. Leroy was the son of farmer, and had learned the tricks of the trade from his father. Darien was a reckless rogue who lived life on the limb. Eventually he joined the army of Vercinia, in search of new pursuits and high adventure.
It had been a dark, and stormy night, when Darien appeared at Leroy’s door, asking for help from an old friend. Of course, Leroy had to accept, after all, what were friends for? A friend in need, was a friend indeed. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.
The Sword of Gladrias had long been considered a symbol of peace for the people of Vercinia. It was said that as long as the king possessed the sword, Vercinia could never be invaded. It had been centuries since the last Great War, but history repeats itself, and the sword had been hidden away in an old temple to protect it from getting into the wrong hands. The temple was said to be an impenetrable fortress.
Unfortunately, no one remembered how to get the sword back out of the temple safely, as all of the original keepers of the sword had long ago died off. Thus, it lay forgotten, until the kingdom’s time of need. The kingdom of Donistria had sent a massive, unstoppable army to invade Vercinia. It was now that sword was needed most. And so, Darien, the most reckless and brave adventurer in the entire kingdom had been summoned before the king. Darien was given a quest by the King of Vercinia to retrieve the ancient Sword of Gladrias. Darien accepted dutifully, for to him, it was for King and Country.
And so Darien, accompanied by his trustworthy friend Leroy, traveled to the ruined temple.
“Well, we’ve just gotten here, and already, you’ve almost gotten yourself killed,” chastised Darien to Leroy.
“Yeah, well I never wanted to come in the first place,” replied Leroy unhappily.
They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Quickly they dodged aside and hid as three Donistrian soldiers, laden with swords and armour, walked into the temple.
“Darn, we triggered all the traps, and now they can just waltz in like they own the place,” cursed Darien as he prepared to draw his sword.
“Wait, let sleeping dogs lie, the question you should be asking is what those soldiers are doing here,” whispered Leroy.
They waited until the soldiers had passed, and quietly followed them through a labyrinth of tunnels.
After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached a large cavern. And the first thing they noticed was the Sword of Gladrias, stuck hilt-down, into a large slab of rock. The second thing they noticed was about eleven Donistrian soldiers crowded together around two figures. One of these figures was the familiar face of General Vonstrom, a leading member of the Donistrian high command, the other, a young girl.
“What is that murderous General doing here?” whispered Darien angrily.
“What I’d like to know, is who that girl is,” whispered back Leroy.
“It’s a brilliant plan,” said one of the soldiers.
“Wait, how does the plan work again?” interrupted another of the soldiers.
“Ah yes, you weren’t here when I was explaining how it works,” declared the General. “It’s quite simple really. The reason why the King of Donistria is so eager to do battle with the people of Vercinia is that he believes that the King of Vercinia had his daughter kidnapped.”
“So is that why we are here? To save the princess?” asked the dumbfounded soldier.
“You private are a few bricks short of a house! The princess is right here,” said the General, pointing to the girl. “What we intend to do is kill the girl with the mighty Sword of Gladrias, so that the King of Donistria will become so incensed that nothing will stop him from pursuing a massacre. Then while he is busy fighting an unpopular war in Vercinia, I shall take over Donistria from within!”
“Did you hear that?” whispered Leroy, “they’re the ones who started this war!”
Suddenly, a light bulb flashed in Darien’s mind. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
“This is a map of all the traps in the temple,” whispered Darien. “It appears that not all the traps have been triggered. There is a bottomless pit right in the middle of the cavern.”
“Bottomless pit? I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole!” replied Leroy.
“You won’t have to, in fact, I suggest you avoid it like the plague, but we have to be quick, time is money!” responded Darien.
Moving to the end of the cavern opposite the enemy soldiers, Darien and Leroy prepared a daring plan. Leroy jumped out from where he had been hiding, and yelled insults at the soldiers. Enraged, the soldiers ran straight towards him. Darien pulled a lever, and the floor beneath the soldiers collapsed inward.
The General had stayed where he was, and Darien and Leroy quickly encircled him. They returned to Vercinia, not with the Sword, but with the captured General, and the princess safe from harm. With the help of a written confession from the General, and the safe return of the princess, war between Vercinia and Donistria was averted. Thus, the pen truly is mightier than the sword.