Darius was afraid, as he was not trained to fight. His intuition for battle was dull, so many of his soldiers were transferred to other commanders. He was a weak commander with few soldiers under him, yet he still had to fight. This was a war against a neighboring country, as the prince desired contribution. Darius kept his sword close to his waist, as it was comforting to have it around.
Darius was sent to fight in a large battle. His rank was low, so he had to fight with his soldiers. His men were anxious, so he decided to give a speech to boost their morale. He spoke every word like a true commander, but inside he was terrified of the battle to come. The soldiers had confidence in their commander, so they believed every word that he said.
When it came time to battle, he clutched his sword tightly. He commanded that his soldiers go along with the plan, so they charged forward without hesitation. Only Darius stayed behind, as he was the commander. The soldiers fought valiantly against their enemies, but they were clearly at a disadvantage. Darius saw this and wondered if he should command them to retreat, but he did not believe he had the authority to do so.
Soon enough, Darius’s soldiers were being slaughtered by the enemy. It was not supposed to be this way, as more soldiers Oshould have ambushed the enemy from the back. His men dying or close to it, Darius clutched his sword with trembling hands. He believed that he would be captured. He was taken hostage not long later, and his sword was stolen from him. Darius was visibly distressed, as that was his father’s sword. The enemies kept the sword with them at their general’s command.
The sword was kept in a case in the enemy general’s tent. The enemy general was a man named Derrick. Derrick became a general through his own merit, rather than nobility. He was a shrewd man who won battles with a tenth of his enemy’s forces. He ordered an interrogation and sent a ransom note to House Borunin.
He left the tent, presumably to oversee matters in camp. The sword sat in its case for a long time. Derrick came and went many times, yet the sword remained in his tent. Over the course of this time, more trinkets accumulated within the tent. The sword simply sat in its same spot. The sword was moved to a carriage which left for the capital of the kingdom. The carriage stopped in front of a large manor, where Derrick lives. The sword was put in a room filled with a menagerie of items. In it were many swords, some of which were much older than Darius’s sword. A few of the items were sentient, though many weren’t.
The more knowledgeable sentient items attempted to ascertain what the new items were. There was an ornate lance with a degree of sentience, a ruby brooch that only needed a year or so to awaken, and a very plain steel sword which needed a little less then a century to awaken. The sentient items that could communicate attempted to gossip with the lance, which had about as much intelligence as a small lizard. They found it to be enrapturing.
Darius’s sword merely waited. Derrick came by a few times to admire his collection, but he could not come often. The brooch awakened in that time, and one of the already present items also awakened. Darius’s sword was still a very standard sword, albeit a slightly older one. It was slightly later that an unfamiliar old man wearing all black snuck in. He took a good look at all of the items, and he took the most valuable ones. One by one, he dropped items into a crystal the size of his palm.
The old man was satisfied with his haul, leaving only the cheapest of items. The old thief judged Darius’s sword to be worthless hassle, so he did not steal it. The sword did not care, as it was nothing but a blade. When Derrick came back, his soul almost left his body. He merely cried.
Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapter.