The God Files: Orroz's Story

A Tale of Two Kings

A young man stepped over to me, causing the soldiers to part. His black hair was styled in several mohawks, with dark stubble coating the sides of his head and chin. He was muscular, but not overly so, and wore dark, leather battle armor, as well as sturdy combat boots. Tinted sunglasses hid his eyes from me, but I already knew who he was. Smiling, I rose to my full height, about an inch or so taller than his.

          "Good to see you, Blake. It's been too long," I smiled, shaking his hand warmly. The man smiled back and returned the shake.

           "It's good to see you too, Orroz," Blake replied.

           "So, what's with the armed entourage?" I asked, referring to the armed soldiers. Their swords were lowered now, but they were still wary of me.

            "The lands have been dangerous, as of late. Normally, I insist on travelling alone, but occasionally I let some of my men come with me," Blake said.

              "Your men?" I asked. Blake nodded.

              "Indeed. I am the King of the Promised Lands."

We headed back over to Blake's castle, a medieval structure you would find in history books or in tv shows. We stepped through the gates, guarded by more armed men, this time with spears. We entered into the main throne room, and I must say, I was impressed.

The throne was actually akin to an Aztec structure, with various patterns on its golden surface. The actual room was quite large, with several desks and chairs for royal officers to go through paperwork. I shuddered slightly as I thought about how much of that was in need of sorting through, especially in times of war. Potted plants relaxed the atmosphere, which is a notable accomplishment, seeing as this kingdom was at war. The men scattered and took what I assumed were designated posts around the room, while Blake sighed and sat on his throne. Out of habit, I conjured a cloud throne for me to sit on. Immediately, the armed men swarmed me and pointed their swords at me, while looking at Blake for direction.

              "Is something the matter?" I asked calmly. Despite their weapons, I was not particularly afraid. Only a few select weapons can actually kill me. And those are safely locked away, far from prying eyes.

              "Put down your weapons, men. Orroz is new to the kingdom. He is unaware of the laws of the kingdom," Blake sighed wearily. The men scattered back to their original posts.

              "What law is that, Blake?" I asked. Blake fidgeted uncomfortable and began to explain.

              "When the war began, we had...infiltrators. Ones who could use magic. Most of the were druids, who were allied to us at the time. After dealing with them, my advisors and I decided the best course of action...was to ban all magic from our kingdom." 

At first, I was shocked. I would never have imagined Blake, of all people, to make such a law. Quickly I recovered and said,

              "Surely, you know that I would never betray you, Blake! I am your friend, why would you think I would use my magic against you?"

              "I know I can trust you, Orroz, and I hope that you will be a powerful ally to my cause."

              "Naturally."

              "But I cannot relax the rule for you, for anyone. I need to set an example for the good of the kingdom. You are still welcome here, of course. But if you are to do magic, you must do it outside these castle walls."

              "Understood," I said. I look down at my cloud throne, and sit up, vanishing it. "Now, let's talk strategy."

Blake nodded, and gestured for me to go on. I told him how I might be able to persuade Hades to cease his siege on the Promise Lands.

               "I highly doubt it. Hades is hellbent on this conquest. Nothing will stop him. I have faith in you, Orroz, but we should at least plan as if your attempts have failed. Now, his main allies are the barbarians, those who would betray their own kind in exchange for money, power, pleasurable company, you name it. 

               "Now, the main leaders of the barbarians are Ammon, Belladonna, a man dubbed "Black Rider", and Fortisa. Our ultimate goal is to take them all out. However, each of them are powerful by themselves, and if we try to kill one, the others will rushed to the assaulted one's aid."

                "Might I suggest that we also attack the barbarians themselves, as a group. Do things like destroy their water supply, their food, things like that," I added.   

                "It will only work temporarily. Hades is their main supplier, and has dominion over everything under the earth. That includes the dead, riches, and underground springs."

                "Even so, underground water isn't in Hades's direct sphere of control. It will take him time, and in that span of time we can attack the weakened barbarians, and their leader."

                 "Very true. In fact, if that works, we could actually lead a direct assault."

                 "I have several summoning spells that will give us what we need."

                 "Excellent! We could end the war as soon as the end of this month!" The men, obviously listening into our plans, cheered in celebration.

                  "That is, if I don't stop it by tomorrow, when I speak to Hades." I reminded Blake.

                  "Well, you're more than welcome to try," Blake said. "I highly doubt it will work. But give it your best shot."