The Old vs the young
The two skeletons stand facing each other, their hollow eyes locked in a silent exchange. One glows with the excitement and curiosity of a newcomer, the other radiates the calm, steady presence of centuries of experience.
They ready their weapons, and the clash begins.
CLANK
Their shields collide, the sound echoing through the graveyard.
CLANK
Their blades meet next, sparks flying as steel grinds against steel.
The fight is a dance of precision and calculation. Each strike is deliberate, each block a lesson. The Bone Guard tests its opponent, probing for weaknesses, while the Legionnaire counters with practiced ease, his movements fluid and unyielding.
Unfortunately for the young skeleton, the Legionnaire has faced far greater challenges.
SMACK
With a swift motion, the Legionnaire knocks the Bone Guard's shield aside.
SMACK
A follow-up strike lands squarely on the skeleton's blade, forcing it back. Then, with a powerful shield bash, the Legionnaire sends the Bone Guard flying.
CRASH
The young skeleton tumbles through several graves, its bones rattling as it comes to a halt.
"Pity,"
the Legionnaire says, his voice a dry rasp.
"You are but a child."
He looks down at the Bone Guard with disappointment. He had sensed its presence from afar, expecting a worthy challenger. Instead, he finds himself facing an inexperienced fighter.
His gaze shifts to the hilltop, where Ethan and Ferox stand watching. The sight of an undead and a Minotaur together confuses him. In all his years wandering the Deadlands, he has never seen such an odd pairing. Why? How? he wonders.
But his thoughts are interrupted.
BANG
A shield slams into his face, catching him off guard. He raises his own shield just in time to block the next strike.
"Fou—" he begins, but the Bone Guard isn't done.
The young skeleton unleashes a flurry of punches, its anger and excitement fueling its assault.
BANG
A left hook to the face.
BANG
A right hook to the face.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG
The Bone Guard's fists rain down in a relentless barrage, each strike cracking bones and sending splinters flying. Its purple eyes glow with delight, reveling in the violence.
CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK
But the Legionnaire remains calm. As the Bone Guard winds up for another punch, the veteran skeleton grabs its arm.
GRAB
With a swift, practiced motion, he flips the Bone Guard onto the ground.
BAM
"One must know restraint in battle"
the Legionnaire says, his voice steady.
"Giving in to anger and violence clouds your judgment."
He picks up his sword, its blade gleaming in the pale light.
"I give you my sympathy"
he says, preparing to deliver the final blow.
But before he can strike—
SLASH
His arm falls to the ground, severed at the elbow.
"Sorry, mate"
Ethan says, standing behind him with a smirk.
"I still need him."
The Legionnaire turns, his hollow eyes locking with Ethan's. Before he can react, a flurry of slashes cuts through his body, reducing him to a kneeling wreck.
The skeleton feels despair creeping into its hollow bones. Its once-proud posture slumps as it kneels in the dirt, its shield and sword lying useless beside it.
".....Centuries of battle,"
it murmurs, its voice a faint, crumbling whisper. "And this is how it ends."
Its eyes, once glowing with the fire of a warrior, now appear hollow and withered, as if the weight of its long existence has finally caught up to it.
Ethan steps forward, his expression softening as he looks at the broken Legionnaire. There's no triumph in his eyes—only pity.
"You're a soldier, aren't you?" he asks gently.
The skeleton hesitates, its gaze distant, as if peering into a past long forgotten.
".....Yes,"
its voice trembling with the weight of memory.
"I was... I thought my country was invincible. I believed it was the pinnacle of strength, of glory. My God needed me... I had to protect it. Protect them."
Its skeletal hand clutches its chest, where a heart once beat.
"...My family."
Ethan kneels beside the Legionnaire, placing a hand on its shoulder. The gesture is small but carries a profound understanding.
"....I know," Ethan says quietly. "I am one too. You did your best, soldier. Now... it's time to rest."
The skeleton looks at Ethan one last time, its hollow eyes searching his face. For a moment, it seems to smile—a faint, almost imperceptible expression of gratitude and relief.
"...Thank you," it whispers, its voice barely audible.
Then, the light in its eyes fades, and its body slumps forward, finally at peace. The centuries of battle, duty, and longing dissolve into stillness as the Legionnaire's remains settle into the earth, returning to the quiet it had fought so long to escape.
The Bone Guard stirs, its purple eyes flickering back to life as it rises from the ground. It looks around, its gaze settling on the lifeless remains of the Legionnaire. The battle had ended too quickly, leaving a hollow feeling in its skeletal chest.
It walks over to the fallen warrior, its jaw clicking softly as it stares down at the broken bones. Frustration bubbles within it—frustration at its own failure, at the unsatisfying end to what should have been a glorious fight. Without thinking, it clenches its fist and swings.
SMACK
Its bony hand strikes the Legionnaire's lifeless skull, the sound echoing through the graveyard.
Before it can process what it's done—
SMACK
Ethan's hand strikes the Bone Guard's skull, the force of the blow rattling its bones.
The Bone Guard stumbles back, confused. What had it done wrong? Was it because of its unsatisfactory performance? Or something else entirely?
Ethan steps forward, his expression stern.
"Do not disrespect the dead,"
He kneels beside the Legionnaire's remains, his hand resting on the ancient shield.
Ferox steps up behind Ethan, his massive frame casting a shadow over the scene.
"He fought well,for a dead man."
The Minatour rumbles
Ethan nods, then turns to the Bone Guard.
"Pick that shield up it's yours now."
He commanded
The Bone Guard hesitates, its glowing eyes shifting between Ethan and the Legionnaire's shield. It reaches down and lifts the long, rectangular shield, its weight unfamiliar but solid. The Bone Guard tests its grip, feeling the heft of the ancient weapon.
Ethan's voice cuts through the silence once more.
"You shall not gain his body until you learn humility."
His gaze is stern, while his tone leaving no room for argument.
The Bone Guard looks at Ethan, its jaw clicking softly as it processes the words. It feels a strange sense of loss, a weight it cannot fully understand. Its mind swirls with thoughts of failure, of inadequacy.
"Clean up the rest of the zombies,then return."
With that, Ethan and Ferox turn and walk away, leaving the Bone Guard alone in the graveyard. The skeleton stands there for a moment, the new shield in hand, its purple eyes dimming slightly as it contemplates its next move.
The Bone Guard presses on, its movements slower, more deliberate. It feels the weight of its failure, but also the faint stirrings of something new—something it cannot yet name. For now, it focuses on the task at hand, its mind a storm of confusion and resolve.