It had been another four days since the Fydiel. They were now only around eight days away from the final destination. During that time, Valder had picked up a large stick he had found on the ground, and had been whittling it ever since. The stick had begun to take the shape of a totem, a common practice of dwarven children and some adults. Fallion eyed the totem curiously, mostly since there was little else of interest.
“What are you carving?” Though Fallion knew it was a totem, something near any would know, it was more a question of what was being carved to form the totem, a surprisingly common question when it came to such objects.
“A totem of home I suppose.” Chuckling as he ran the wood across the blade of his dagger, he was an archer after all, even if he were a heavily armored one.
“There a specific story to this ‘totem of home’?”
“Not really, my friend. Just an old, near forgotten memory of a time of youth and unknown.” Valder stopped and smiled, a happy yet far away look carving itself onto his face. It was a moment statuesque in look and feeling. A marble carving of a man on a bench, a half carved totem in hand and look of happy remembering upon his brow. A dagger close to the wood, either ready to shave off another bit, or having just done so. The totem would have several symbols, ones for the viewer to interpret. The moment was captured as such in the mind of Fallion, a moment he would strangely not forget.
“I...see.” Fallion had no way to respond, and as such Valder took another scratch onto his creation, causing the moment to auspiciously disappear, as if it never occurred to begin with.
He turned away from Valder, and once again looked ahead, and to no surprise, saw a rider talking to the General before taking off again, a sight becoming more common as hours drew on. It wasn’t that shocking however, it was reasonable for this army’s leader to have increased worry as drums of battle grew louder as they made approach to take field. Fallion sighed his boredom began making him slightly impatient, he could just leave a body double and travel around for the next days, but he was too lazy to move, out of sheer boredom he lacked the will and drive to do something about it. It was a reminiscent of a commonality in his old world with the increase of advanced technology. After all, why go out do something physical and mentally taxing, when enjoyment was a finger press away?
Fallion sighed heavily, causing a few to look his way in mere curiosity. After all, besides Valder with his carving Admier with her cleaning, no one else had much to do. At one point people began telling stories they knew, or events that had happened to them. The one with the best stories was Tali, due to his adventurer lineage.
“-and there my father and the beast stood eyes locked, I was but a young boy who had run into those damnable woods, I sat behind a rock as my father drew his ice cold blade. The air was still neither moved a bit. Then the winds screamed, I had to close my eyes, and when I opened them to the sight of blood and death strung about in the trees, and my father slowly returning his blade to its sheath.”
Some were amazed at the tale “You know Tali, if your father was anyone but the legendary Ice Cleaver himself, I’d have a hard time believing such a tale.”
Tali laughed “Feel no shame in it, it just goes to show how powerful and the rigorous training my father went through to acquire such.”
A few grunts went in confirmation to that statement. Godric ‘Ice Cleaver’ Faront had acquired his legendary status when he managed to kill an Ice Shade, the most dangerous beast of the cold. Only people of great power can kill shades, it was a wide known fact. In fact a single frost shade was on par with the entire power of the ninth and tenth assault forces, truly making one understand how powerful the man that could kill one. If you were to compare the dangers of each of the shades, you’d know that to its brothers and sisters a frost shade was the weakest, the strongest was a fire shade, something to knowledge no one has slain in the past nor present.
Fallion studied Talis status card, being god he had access to all cards at any time he wanted, without the other party aware. Tali was 72, him being half elf made him stay looking younger far longer than others, but that also meant that mentally he was only 22. He had two titles, Soldier and Storyteller. Tali also had quite a large set of skills, from tracking and hunting in near any terrain, to reading and writing, to even some more advanced fighting skills. Just goes to show what you can do in seven decades if you try.
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As it went around others began sharing tales, making it much easier for time to pass. Eventually it came to be Fallions turn. “I don’t know any stories though.”
Valder laughed “Nor did Machun, Goldor, or Condek. Yet they still made a fine attempt. Hell, it was a shock for Machun to even speak.” That caused laughter from all, Machun included.
“But I’m no story teller.”
A smile crept on Condeks face “Are any of us, save Tali?”
“You all aren’t allowing me to wiggle out of this are you.”
“By god we sure aren’t.”
I laughed “Well, Drusis, since you and everyone else are so damn insistent on a story from yours truly, give me a moment.” Fallion began thinking, his mind drifting slightly as he thought up a good tale. After several moments he smiled having an at least decent tale in mind, though no where as good as Tali or that bastard Nerxus, he was still due a good dose of revenge. He cleared his throat before speaking “In the beginning there was nothing but stone archtrees and everlasting dragons.” Fallion wove a tale of monsters and Lords of Light, and cursed warriors, none of course knew it was one of the many tales from his former past time. The soldiers all listened intently, from the ‘awakening’ in the northern asylum to the slaying of the spider she-demon in the city of poison they listened, absorbing every last detail. “-as the ghosts of the abyss gave a final cry, a fire appeared in the eternal dark, and next to it, a serpent from a near lost age.” The story progresses and day turned to night and by the time he told how the lost lord had been slain, and first fire had been lit once more, dawn had began breaking across a dim sky of stars and celestial bodies.
“That was…incredible.” Tali slumped back in his seat, unable to believe the tale that had been told, as it was far superior to his own.
“Was this a true tale, I very much doubt it could have been made on the spot.” Machun questioned, the story had taken his full attention, something Fallion should feel proud of
Fallion smiled “It is real in a way that makes it fake, if that is understandable.”
Several furrowed brows and confused smiles cropped up in the group of comrades. Neumien sat up “Well, regardless it was a fantastic tale, one I had never heard such likes of in my entire life.”
Laughing a bit “Well, I must admit I wasn’t the one to make such a tale, however at times I wish I was so lucky.”
“Do you have more tales like that?”
“Three more in fact.”
“By all means share them then.”
The next few days were spent with everyone entranced by Fallion telling the storyline of the games Dark Souls 2 and 3 as well as Demon Souls, though of course none there knew what a ‘game’ was and instead took them as tales of long before the great war, that had mostly become lost to all. At times, some gasped in surprise, and on occasion he was interrupted to explain something that didn’t exist in this world. All the group needed now, was to be sitting around a campfire, and some marshmallows over the fire to fit such a picturesque moment.
During all this, unbeknownst to all, Talis storyteller skill recorded every word, the tales spoke hear would not be forgotten as long as he lived and shared them. These tales would one day be ingrained in this world, and their popularity would be sky-high for generations. By the time the tale of the third dark souls completed, they were but two days away from the fateful encounter at the Hurrden Plains.
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I had tried coming up with a good tale but failed to do so, thus I used dark souls with its fantastic world and ever confusing lore and back story to do it for me. Once again I hoped you enjoyed and leave any and all criticism you have in the comments, thank you.