Hey-o! all subscribers and non-subscribers (and all you who somehow manage to not fall under those two categories). I'm glad that you're here, reading this now. It means that you enjoy my writing (or just really want to let me know that you're my friend and don't want me to feel bad) and since you are reading this, I thought I'd let you in on what I'm going to be attempting to do now with this blog. I'm not sure how successful it will be, but I'm wanting to do something similar to how this blog originally started. However, this time instead of leaving it completely open-ended, I will instead post a series of options, and let you all vote on it. I'm not sure how long I will leave the voting open (it might vary, depending on my mood/schedule... consider this your fair warning), but I will most likely do what most of the people want me to do... unless someone suggests something so completely awesome that it is even better than what I thought of (though, I don't think that's a possibility... I mean... I am pretty ingenious ;) ). Think of this as a Fable in book form, if that helps (though a Fable with a more interesting story... and harder final bosses ;) ). Anyway, without further ado, here be my new story! (the rhyme was actually unintentional)
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Our story begins, like most other stories, with a boy. A boy who had untold potential. Again, just like most other stories. He is even currently on a farm, working the fields. Cutting down wheat so that his family might eat, and even bring in extra so that they might buy the provisions necessary for the coming winter. The past few harvests had been thin, and his family was starting to feel the repercussions. Mostly, this was represented by the tightening of their belts, but the house was starting to get a bit drafty, and the stove didn't burn as brightly as usual.
Today was just like any other day. There were birds in the sky, soaring beneath the canopy of the white, puffy clouds. The bits of sun that came through the sky were hot, but didn't hold the bite that it used to, foretelling the coming end of the harvest season in the nearby town of Caunden and its surrounding farms.
Ungsten, the hero of our story, and the owner of a very bad name, wiped his brow as he stood straight up, taking a small breather as he surveyed his surroundings. His father was not too far ahead of him, doing the same work as he. "Isn't it about time for us to be finishing up?" Ungsten shouted ahead to his father, feeling the familiar sensation which felt like his stomach devouring everything in his mid-section. His father didn't even look up as he answered him, "Finish this row, and then we can take what we don't need to town to sell."
Town. Ungsten loved town. Or at least he had fond memories of town. When the crops were more plentiful and his papa was able to spare a few coins for a new toy, or even a tasty treat from the bakery or the sweet shop. Now, though, all the money was spent on fruits and veggies, and the occasional chicken or leg of a pig.
With the promise of the end of work, Ungsten went back to work with renewed vigor and quickly surpassed his father, finishing his row within the hour. His father, finishing just shortly after him, started tying up the bundles of wheat. After he finished tying the first one he threw some rope to Ungsten and pointed to the remaining row of wheat waiting to be tied. Another grueling thirty minutes of work in the hot sun, and Ungsten was more than ready for some water. "Go and fetch the cart, I'll get the bundles together so we can both load them in," his father said between swigs from his water skin.
Ungsten dashed off towards his home, where he was sure to meet his mother and sister. They had probably already started to prepare dinner. Slightly out of breath as he reached the front door, he walked in and announced "Father and I are going to town to sell our extra wheat. We'll hurry back, but don't wait on us for dinner, go ahead and eat when you're ready."
"Okay, dear," his mother said as she turned her head toward him and smiled. "We'll keep it warm on the stove for when you get home." And with that, Ungsten turned and left the small shack that he and his family called home.
He walked to the stables for the horses, which he had helped build, and got them hooked up to the cart. He drove them along the bumpy road that ran through the fields of grain which seemed to wave goodbye to him as the wind blew past him.
He finally reached his father, who was just bringing in the final bundles of wheat to the pile. Ungsten brought the cart to just past the pile and hopped down gingerly, eager to be on the road to town, he definitely wanted to be back before nightfall. He and his father quickly loaded everything into the back of the cart and were off in no time flat. The breeze that kicked up felt good on his sun-darkened skin, which was wet with the sweat from his work, and it didn't take much for him to enjoy the quiet as his father drove the cart.
He opened his eyes to find that they had already entered town. He didn't realize it, but apparently the rocking of the cart and the work of the day had made it extremely easy for him to fall asleep. He and his father went to the typical stores, had the same conversations and haggling deals as before, and came out with the same amount of coins as usual, and these coins bought the same amount of vegetables, which his mother and sister would use to make meals for the next couple of days.
And then, as they were walking out from the shop, something that wasn't usual happened. Screams, shouts, and running people came from their left, and dark shapes, which also appeared to be running, chased after them. Following his first instinct, Ungsten ran the same direction as the crowd, though he was still well ahead of them, and ran into the first solid building he could find. He slammed the door behind him and locked it in place. He wasn't about to let those things in here. It was only then that he thought of his father. He had to go back out and make sure he was okay.
Looking around to see if there was anything of use to him, he realized that he had entered some sort of barracks, for there, right in front of him, lay some swords, bows and arrows, walking staves, shields, and spears. Again, reacting to his first instinct, he reached out and grabbed...
(Ok, so this is where we get you guys to decide! :D Should he grab a walking staff, a sword and shied, two swords, the bow with arrows, or the spear and a shield, or should he just leave? You decide! yeah! leave a comment below with your decision and I'll write what happens! :) Enjoy your weekends everyone! )
-Drew
I would have to say that he should pick up the spear, it would allow him to keep his enemies at bay because of its longer reach.
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