Battle
enveloped the outer walls of the castle the next day. They came by the score. The descendents of Ishmael the Unholy’s horde
broke the early morning horizon in a wave of humanity. Their slow, inexorable march on the castle
was like a mountain avalanche. Surely
anyone in its path would be buried. The
green fields surrounding the castle were black with the numbers of Strom’s
followers. Then, those fields were
turned to red. The blood of the
attackers ran freely that day. Many
armies before them had broken their teeth on the walls of Ganesh’s castle. This day, Strom’s army broke more than their
teeth. The slaughter of the attackers
was complete. And upon this gruesome
stage, heroes were made, and heroes were destroyed. Desiring to break and scatter the enemy, Crom
led a charge out of the front gates of the castle with the Sword of Omens. Crom’s men scythed through the enemy like a
wind of death. Strom rallied his
remaining men and met Crom’s fearsome charge.
His faithful son Heti fought by his side. Crom saw his brother killing those that were
supposed to serve him and he ran toward him with his sword aimed and ready to
behead its target__Strom. As
he grew closer and closer to his older brother, he screamed and swung only to
find some nameless soldier get shoved into the wake of the blade. It was Heti.
Strom had sacrificed own son so that he may live. After his realization of a failed attempt on
the life of his brother, Crom was temporarily exposed. Strom took full advantage and sliced him in
the ribs with the sharp edge of his battle axe.
Crom was dying. Strom bent over
his brother, took the Sword of Omens and smiled. Crom asked, “Why?” and Strom simply shook his
head left to right. Crom let out one
last breath and passed through the gates of Valhalla.
Of the thousands that marched that morning, barely
100 survived. But where many had failed
to breach the walls, one succeeded.
Strom was victorious. Valla was
dead. Mathis was dead. All of the royal army had perished. On the inside of the castle walls Boxt was
cowering in a corner hoping to be spared.
Strom saw his son and called for him to face him. Boxt stood up, walked slowly to his father,
and looked him in the eyes, “I am so sorry, father. Please forgive me.” Strom nodded his head approvingly and Boxt
hugged him and cried, sobbing loudly then let out a gasp in pain as Strom
stabbed him in the back. Boxt fell to
his knees and died looking into the eyes of his killer, his father.
Quadri entered the room with several rebels from
their army. They surrounded Strom and
circled him like wolves do a lonely sheep.
Strom looked to Quadri said, “I suppose that you are betraying me as
well. Why not? Everybody else does.”
“Did you really think that I would allow the son of
Ganesh to live? Your family destroyed
mine many years ago and forced me to live in seclusion. Damn you!
You trivialized the death of my brother for your own gain! Do you have anything to say for yourself you
bastard?”
Strom spoke, but not to Quadri. He spoke to the gods, “Alas, the sins of my
father have once again betrayed me! Even
in death, my father denies me my divine right!
Why cannot these fools accept me?
Why cannot they love me? ‘Tis
true I have not earned their respect, but must I take it? All my life I have struggled for what I
have. Why cannot anything be given to
me? You are not charitable Gods. . .but
how did I expect the people to embrace my inadequacies, when I myself do not
embrace them? Well, now they will remember
them. I have killed so many to get here,
and now the bloodshed stops.”
The rebels cautiously stepped closer and closer to
Strom, no use though, he impaled himself upon the Sword of Omens and
screamed. Finally he did something
right. The Sword of Omens shattered upon
its insertion into Strom’s body. The
gods realized that it was too powerful a sword of mankind; it could only
corrupt those who yield it.
And that was that.
Strom’s irrational fear of being inferior led to the demise of not only
his father’s legacy, but of his sanity, his life, and his soul. His family fell victim to the greatest
evil.
###
More Greatest Evil
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