Red Days - Fantasy Fiction (Part One)

[raj808]

_{Image by Yuri from Pixabay}

These red days stretch as far back as I can remember.

The sound of iron on iron, the cacophony of timber screeching as shield grinds against shield, and the screams of the dying mingling with the slick squelch of blood and mud.

Rain flays my upturned face as I drink in the scene, a discordant ballad that plays in my warrior’s heart. Each note leaching a part of the soul like a pestilent drug, satisfying while emptying.

The duality of battle lust throbs in my chest. I drink it in.

“Captain Gream.”

A slight soldier barrels through the press, waving a Blackwood stave in my direction. I watch him duck and weave, vaulting sword slashes to the knees only to flatten the enemy’s nose with a knee adorned with spiked greaves, which arc a rain of blood to dilute the morning deluge.

What was his name? Saminson, Saimsan?

Memory filters through like treacle in my battle lust. Sailinson, that was his name.

Willow is the nickname the seventh company gave him though, on account of his quick fighting style and ability to weave with the winds of battle.

The standard flaps madly around the Blackwood stave as he drives the butt end into the top of a Westwold’s spine as an afterthought in his mad flight.

I grin in appreciation.

Westwold’s clan sigil of the sable dagger shatters with Willow’s blow to the prone Orc’s armour.

Specks of ichor flick through the throng of men, staining the armour of friend and foe alike.

“That’s it lad,” I bellow, heartened by the spirit Willow is showing in his first attempt at the great game. He tumbles in a heap, tripped by one of ours, rolling smartly and scooping up the standard as he exits the roll.

“Well Done”… A large Westwold Orc knocks the wind from me, cutting my shout short as I scramble to grapple with this giant warrior.

We tumble for what seems an eternity; I feel a finger snap as I wrench the sword from the large Westwold’s hands. Blood mingles with bile that bites at my throat as the dirk I kept clenched against my wrist enters his neck.

Blood fountains high merging with the general madness of the smoke-sickened battlefield.

As I struggle to my knees, I hear the snap of bone as willow drives home the standard through the dying Orc’s backbone.

“For the seventh company” the lad screams.

A blue vein pulses with battle rage as his eyes glisten in that dead way of the newly initiated.

With that call, the men rally around the banner fighting for what seems an eternity.

A green wave of Westwold Orcish flesh and jagged cutlasses carves meat from the seventh. A copper stench fills the air as the crimson sunset stains the battlefield, illuminating sallow cadavers, eyes missing as the crows start their grizzly endeavours early, wings flapping madly as they caw at the continued fighting.

In the distance, a lone figure steps out from the brow of a hill.

Wrapped in a leather cloak with animal bones dangling from his neck, this small goblin fixes the captain with azure glowing eyes, like the depths of the Calista sea where the whales sing to the sea folk.

Staff upraised, the spindly creature almost coughs a series of guttural croaks that reverberate through the earth, shaking the standard in the still air of the dying day.

Captain Gream stands stock still on a heap of bodies he has kicked into a makeshift platform.

Silence descends, Orc and man stiff as desiccated trees as the incantation takes effect and the shaman walks calmly toward the final enclave of knights frozen like stone statues.

To be continued...

This is part one in a four-part fantasy story that I have written for the fantastic month-long collaboration between, @ecency @dreemport and the Scholar and Scribe community.

Expect more magic, grizzly battles and unexpected twists in the Provinces of the Seven Wolds.

To help anyone reviewing this story for the @dreemport Hive Book Club & Scholar and Scribe community collaboration I have provided easy links to the next three parts below.

Part 2, entitled 'Arrows in Flight' can be found on this link.

Part 3, entitled 'The King's Gambit' can be found on this link.

Part 4 (Finale) entitled ‘Deathdrinker’s Bite' can be found on this link.

Comments

[poshtoken]

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[teamuksupport]

Hi @raj808,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
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[bluefinstudios]

NICE!
I love this... cannot wait to see part 2 and 3, for the DreemPort challenge

[raj808]

Thanks @bluefinstudios
Yeah, I have most of the first draft written, so I can tell you it gets exciting 🙂

Thanks for reading m8
P.s. you'll definitely hear me in PYPT bigging up my serialised fiction 😉

[bluefinstudios]

It's what PYPT is for! Cannot wait

[raj808]

Part two is out now Arrows in Flight - Fantasy Fiction (Part Two)

Thanks for reading part one 😉

[ecency]

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[hivebuzz]

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You raised your level and are now a Minnow!

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[snook]

Perfect!!!

You had me in the first sentence!! Looking forward to next Friday!

[raj808]

Thanks @snook
Yeah, I have most of the first draft written, so I can tell you it gets exciting!

Thanks for reading 🙂
P.s. I'll definitely be in dreemport discord in PYPT bigging up my serialised fiction 😉

[raj808]

Part two is out now Arrows in Flight - Fantasy Fiction (Part Two)

Thanks for reading part one 😉

[generikat]

Just gotta say, that second sentence caught me like a brain neuron seeking magnet lol!

And as always, I was so happy to dive into your most glorious narrative. This one especially thrilled me as I am so very fond of fantasy, and a good old fashioned @$$ kicking lol!

Seriously my friend, you have an incredible descriptive power, I felt like I was on the battlefield and dripping with orc ichor. Nice, nice, nice!

!CTP

!PIZZA

[raj808]

Ahhh, I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed this episode in the story of the Provinces of the Seven Wolds.

I've got most of the rest of it planned and written, but there are a few key points I've left open so I can come up with better twists and turns in the action.

I appreciate your review, and particularly that the battle scene was grusome and vivid as that's exactly what I was going for. Knowing you're an avid fantasy fiction fan like myself it means so much to know it hit the nail on the head 🙂

[raj808]

Part two is out now Arrows in Flight - Fantasy Fiction (Part Two)

Thanks for reading part one 😉

[kei2]

It feels like I just watched a scene from warcraft. This is awesome. It felt so real I could see the swords, blood, mud, and sweat.

Well done.

[raj808]

Thanks @kei2

It felt so real I could see the swords, blood, mud, and sweat.

This means a lot, because that was my primary focus in this episode, getting the visceral feel of battle across as best I could 👍

Episode 2 will be out on Friday 🙂

[raj808]

Part two is out now Arrows in Flight - Fantasy Fiction (Part Two)

Thanks for reading part one 😉

[anikekirsten]

Holy shit. This. Is. Awesome!

I especially love that you used treacle to describe the slow and numbed feeling of his thoughts (medieval enthusiast in me is screaming in delight). What a gripping scene!

!PIZZA

[raj808]

Thanks @anikekirsten

I'm glad the bombastic battle scenes and the more personal thought-stream in the Captain's head gripped you. Also, I'm glad you picked out that use of imagery as I felt it was just right, but quite sparse which helped keep the rapid pace of a battle scene flowing.

Thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed this part 1.
Part 2 will be out on Friday :)

[raj808]

Part two is out now Arrows in Flight - Fantasy Fiction (Part Two)

Thanks for reading part one 😉

[wrestlingdesires]

Wow!!! Even though I'm familiar with your work, this was above and beyond!

I wonder if the shaman is going to try to trick them into a false sense of security?!?!

Eagerly awaiting part two!

This post has been manually curated by the VYB curation project

[raj808]

Hi @wrestlingdesires

Thanks for the curation, but even more so for your great feedback. And I'm glad you enjoyed the fast-paced visceral battle between the Orcs of Westwold and the seventh battalion.
I will complete the three parts of this short story about the war of the Provinces of the Seven Wolds... but I kinda got distracted this week by some IRL things. So, I'm going to try to polish and publish part two tomorrow now 🙂

[wrestlingdesires]

Thanks so much, I hope all is well with you :)

!PIZZA !ALIVE

[raj808]

Part two is out now Arrows in Flight - Fantasy Fiction (Part Two)

Thanks for reading part one 😉

[wrestlingdesires]

I found it, and it was even better 🙌

[wongi]

Hello @raj808, I'd like to make a review of this hive book for the @dreemport book challenge for this week ✨

[raj808]

Hi @wongi, of course i would be honoured to see a review of this short story.

Just so you know, there are four parts that make up the full story which are all an essential read for the plot, character development and twists to make sense. Please do tag me in the review when you've written it, and don't worry if there is critical feedback etc as i studied creative writing in university and have attended many peer reviewed writing workshops... Basically, what I'm saying is i won't be offended if there are narrative styles, characters or plot devices you don't like 🙂👍

For your ease, here are links to all 4 parts on peakd:

Red Days (Part 1) can be found on this link.

Arrows in Flight (Part 2) can be found on this link.

The King's Gambit (Part 3) can be found on this link.

Deathdrinker’s Bite (Part 4 & the Finale) can be found on this link.

[rcaine]

Great start! I am looking forward to more. Thanks for sharing.

[raj808]

Nice one rcaine

Episode 2 will be out on Friday :)

[raj808]

Part two is out now Arrows in Flight - Fantasy Fiction (Part Two)

Thanks for reading part one 😉