Lots of people like to say they know the story. The tale of Leonard and the White Knight, and how he and his company journeyed across the lands to save Princess Cisna from a cruel fate!
What a joke.
Certainly, we ran all over the place looking for her majesty… but they only get the tale half right. They're always going on and on about Leonard, and White Knight this and White Knight that. Well, while I'll admit he played a major part, the way the bards sing it you'd think he was the only rescuer the Princess had. The only person on the team worth looking at.
Leonard and co save the day!
Bah. He wasn't even the one in charge. Really now, it was more Eldore's company than anything. The old man was the smartest, most experienced of us… he and he alone knew the most about the Knights, at least at that point in time… but I digress. The point is, there was more to the team than Leonard and the Princess.
We had Yulie, the tomboyish young woman who was great with a bow, and Caesar, the spear-launching master of Greede! Of course, one mustn't forget about Kara either. Despite all her baggage, despite all the pain and torment she put us through, she too was a part of the team… even if she herself didn't know it.
And then… there was me: spiky-haired, dark-skinned Gillian Glade, "The New Guy".
I never thought that the day I'd start working for Rapacci Wines would be the same day I'd be sent out on a quest of the upmost importance, but then, I suppose most people wouldn't. All I knew at the time was that a war was brewing, the princess was missing, and that Leonard had apparently managed to get himself some superpowers.
Oh how young I was back then… ignorant to the ways of the world. If I knew then what I know now… well, let's just say things would have gone much, much differently. That is not to say that it turned out all that badly for us in the end, but again I seem to have gotten off topic. Perhaps, it would be easier if I started from the beginning. The true beginning, where this whole mess got started in the first place.
It began… with a birthday.
Entry One: Balastor Plain
The day had begun like any other; well, as much as any other day where foreign dignitaries were expected to arrive at least.
Simply put, Balandor was busy. How could it not be? It was the Princess's birthday, and even the Farians, who had been at war with Balandor for years, were coming to pay tribute; to bury old grudges, and set about issuing in a new era of peace.
I was already busy at Rapacci's, stocking the many wine barrels tossed about the store when he first appeared: Leonard, in all his glory, sporting that familiar brown vest and smiling like a buffoon. He hadn't yet noticed me, his eyes far too focused on avoiding the well-justified wrath of Rapacci. Really, on a day like today one couldn't afford to be late.
"Dammit Leonard!" I heard the old man shout, "Where the hell have you been?! You better not have forgotten what day it is!"
The brown-haired employee rolled his eyes, as if used to such treatment before stepping further inside.
"Yeah I know," he said, "today is the Princess' ball. She's introduced to society, and we step into the big time, got it."
"This is a momentous day for Rapacci Wines!" Rapacci explained, "The court picked us to supply wine for a party at the castle! We gotta do it right and earn the shop a bona fide royal commendation!" he paused for a moment, turning to stare at Leonard fiercely, "I've worked my fingers to the bone to get this far… you better not mess it up!"
Leonard sighed, running a hand through his hair before nodding back at his boss. "Look, I'll leave for the Parma winery now, and I'll be back with time to spare."
"Ha! You better!" Rapacci grinned, approaching the boy until there were but inches between them. "I rented a beastwain at the village for you. Use it to cart the wine back here like your life depends on it..." He suddenly threw an arm forward, shoving Leonard in the chest lightly, "Cause it does!"
"Alright, Alright!" Leonard sighed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Anything else I should know?"
"Yeah," Rapacci nodded, turning his head in my direction. "You know I was looking about getting a little extra help right? That's the new guy. Take him with you on your way out."
"Oh… alright then." Leonard said, leaving Rapacci to get back to his business before making to approach me instead.
"Hi there," he introduced himself. "I'm Leonard."
"Gillian," I replied. "My friends call my Gil."
"Gill?" Leonard asked, "Like… a fish or something?"
I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"No," I said, "One L. Just, forget it."
I was about to say more when a sudden sound rang through the air, and before I knew what was happening, Leonard was gripping his head in pain, an empty barrel rolling across the floor as Rapacci growled at us both.
"Just get your butts moving!" he snapped, "You can talk on the road!"
"All right, gods…" Leonard complained.
Again, Rapacci left us to our devices.
"Is he always like that?" I asked.
Leonard frowned, "Yeah, unfortunately. Anyway, he's probably right. We should get moving if we're going to get back in time for the party."
I nodded, watching Leonard pull a small list from his back pocket before following him outdoors.
"Let's see…" I heard him mutter aloud, "We have to fetch barrels from the Parma warehouse using the beastwain. That's gonna be a lot of work!"
"No point complaining about it." I shrugged, "Sooner it's done the sooner we'll be able to kick back and relax right?"
"Yeah, you're right about that." Leonard agreed, "Come on then, let's get going."
Without another word he suddenly began walking down the street, leaving me to follow him. We managed to endure a few conversations together, mostly trading jokes and jibes about Rapacci's "slave-driving" before we ended up on Main Street. We walked down the large, cobble road eagerly, attempting to avoid the bustling crowds to the best of our ability. As expected, the streets were packed for the celebration, and it was hard to move without so much as bumping into another nameless soul.
"Weird…" I heard Leonard suddenly murmur from behind me, turning back to see him staring strangely at some old man in a green hood.
"What is it?" I questioned, receiving a curious shrug in response.
"It's nothing important…" Leonard attempted to assure me, "It's just… that guy. He feels a little… unsettling… somehow."
"It's probably nothing. There are all kinds of people coming here for the Princess' birthday, you should expect one or two shady characters, but the guards wouldn't have let them in if they appeared to be a threat right?"
"Yeah, you're right." Leonard agreed, "Which was why I thought it probably wasn't important…."
I opened my mouth to reply once more only to find myself suddenly shoved forward by a passing civilian.
"Oi," I ground out, "watch it would ya?!"
They didn't reply. Probably because they couldn't hear me, what with the sudden burst of activity that exploded around us. Leonard and I gazed around in confusion, not quite sure what was going on when the sound of music suddenly filled the air.
We followed the sound into a massive crowd that had formed at the gate, laying eyes upon the source of the noise.
Two great lizards marched through the streets slowly, dragging behind them a great carriage filled with jesters and other eager entertainers.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the head of the group shouted enthusiastically, "Young and old of Balandor! In honor of Her Highness' coming-of-age day, I give you wonders aplenty! Step right up, the Marcus Revelers have arrived!"
So it was a circus. Ball-riders and fire-breathers… I found myself watching them curiously as they continued down the road, repeating the short speech again and again as they came upon new crowds. I heard Leonard sigh beside me.
"I've never even seen a circus," he admitted, "this is gonna be some party."
"All the more reason for us to get there on time then." I replied.
He nodded, and we made for the gates.
-WKC-
Never let it be said that Balandor was lacking scenery. If there was one thing the Kingdom lacked, that was most certainly not it. The city was surrounded by great plains brimming with color, and had perhaps one of the greatest views of all time.
Balastor Plains, they were called. Roads and roads of smooth hills and green grass… and a few dirt roads to guide the occasional traveler along.
It was through there we would travel to reach the village of Parma, as Leonard was so kind to point out.
"The village is due south of here, pretty simple." He had explained, "There's not much to it, but it's a nice enough place."
There was a brief moment of silence.
"Say uh… you're new to Balandor, aren't you?" Leonard suddenly asked me.
I nodded. It was true enough. The village I hailed from was far from the green plains of Balastor, and I doubted I'd be seeing it again anytime soon. Nonetheless, the scenery was far different from what I was used to, something Leonard seemed only too eager to exploit.
"Heh, that's good then. I can show you the sights along the way! Sound good?"
"Yeah, this'll be my first time out here." I replied, "So it'll probably be good in case I ever have to come back out here alone some time."
"Alright, it's settled then. But make sure you keep an eye out for monsters. We're in the wild now, and as such… we'll have to make a few preparations."
I looked at Leonard with no small degree of annoyance on my face. Why'd he wait until now to bring this up? Preparations should have been done back in the city, before we entered the wilds in the first place."
"I know, I know…" Leonard sighed, "It's a pain, but Rapacci said to go over this stuff with you, so listen up! The plains don't really have anything too bad to worry about. We may come across a few Vespids and Polkan, but otherwise we should be alright. Either way, I've brought along a few weapons to help sort things out should the need arise."
I suddenly found myself holding the weight of a Great Sword, despite knowing for a fact that Leonard didn't appear to have anything of the sort on him several minutes ago.
"Where did you-? How-?" I stared at Leonard blankly for a few seconds, attempting to rationalize in my mind how he'd been able to hide such a thing for so long.
He smiled mysteriously, slinging his own sword across his shoulder. "Never underestimate a storage boy. We can carry a lot more than people expect, I wouldn't be surprised if you start doing the same thing someday. Rapacci likes to work us all pretty hard after all."
"Uh… right." I murmured, heaving the sword across my back.
At least it wasn't that heavy. I knew that I'd have to work hard to grow accustomed to it though.
"Let's… just get going already."
Leonard laughed as I started walking across the bridge, paying him no mind.
"Alright, Alright… no need to get your panties in a bunch. We'll keep to the road so we can reach Parma as soon as possible alright? You said it yourself, the sooner we get back the better off we'll be."
"Fine." I agreed, "But before we head out you don't have any more surprises to drop on me do you?"
"No, no…" Leonard smiled, "oh, but if we do end up running into a monster or two, try not to run off and get yourself outnumbered. The little guys around here aren't a pain to deal with on their own, but together they can pack a pretty mean punch!"
"Alright, but who are these little guys you're talking about anyway?" I asked, "I know about Vespids, but you were saying something else too…"
"What?" Leonard blinked in surprise, "You mean you've never seen a Polkan?"
"New to Balandor, remember?" I shrugged.
"Oh. Right." Leonard sighed, "Think of them as midgets with clubs. They have a little leaf on their head… eh, don't worry about it. You'll know one when you see it, they're aren't something to worry about anyway."
Oh Leonard. Even now I wonder why you went and said something so… stupid. You should have known better than to tempt karma like that.
We had only just crossed the bridge when it happened.
A single Polkan, standing directly in front of us, blocking our path.
It was an ordinary Polkan, small and green, with what I could only guess was a tree-mask wrapped around its head, with a single green leaf protruding from its tip. It waved its small club around at us angrily, almost as if it had heard what Leonard said, and was daring us to repeat the statement.
"See? Small, just like I said." Leonard explained, pointing at the small Polkan ignorantly.
Gods Leonard.
The Polkan's eyes narrowed dangerously, and it gripped its club with both hands. Leonard and I both tightened the grip on our weapons, expecting the creature to suddenly lash forth, but instead-
It slammed the club to the ground, wildly, emitting a loud, piercing shriek akin to something you'd expect from a newborn child.
"EWYAAHAHHAHAAAAAAHHHH!"
That was when the rumbling came.
It started small, like a tremor, but I knew better, and so did Leonard.
We both drew our weapons immediately, brandishing them dangerously as numerous Polkan and their similarly-minded Kobble cousins emerged from the trees, each carrying thick wooden clubs of their own. It only took seconds for them to surround us completely.
"I thought you said these things weren't dangerous." I muttered, glaring at my co-worker ever so slightly.
Leonard had the decency to look ashamed, if only for a moment. "Well, I said they weren't alone…"
The Polkan in the middle of the road suddenly raised its club to the sky, and then- despite not having a visible mouth- it grinned.
I don't know how I knew, but it did.
"EWAH!" it shrieked, and the army of small woodland creatures charged.
We did too.
We met on the grass, our steel colliding with wood as we began to tear through the creatures brutally. Leonard remained at my back, fighting off the Kobble that attempted to flank us from behind while I bashed and brutalized the poor Polkan that tried to overwhelm us.
My Greatsword swung in a horizontal arc, removing a head from its body before swinging back the other way and cleaving another Polkan in two.
I remember feeling the green blood of the creature fall upon me, and I scowled.
That moment of distraction had cost me. A Polkan had managed to get beside me, swinging its small club deep into the side of my right knee, forcing me halfway to the ground.
I grimaced, and quickly swung my blade at the beast, knocking it back with the flat end.
"There's too many!" I remember hearing Leonard cry out, "We'll have to retreat!"
Retreat?
Funny, seeing as he was the one saying they weren't anything to worry about in the first place. Oh well. No matter how funny it may be he was right. We were outnumbered, and outgunned. The only thing left to do was drive open a path through the middle, and run like hell until we saw Parma. I'd have to teach Leonard a lesson later for tempting fate, but it'd have to wait, for now, surviving was more important.
I tightened my grip on the Great Sword, and forced myself upright. My eyes gleamed dangerously; my arms lifting the heavy blade up above my head before slashing downward, cleaving yet another Polkan in two.
"Through here!" I shouted, not waiting for Leonard's response as I dashed forward, swinging my blade again wildly.
I could feel the Polkan's clubs bash against me from behind, but I kept running, hearing the sound of Leonard's own sword swiping them away.
We would not fall here. Not right outside Balandor's gate. It'd be disgraceful, if the creatures were truly as weak as Leonard had suggested.
The second I broke free from the crowd I took off, sliding the Great Sword back into its place on my back and risking a glance behind me. Leonard was right on my heels, his eyes wide with surprise and shock as the horde of Kobble and Polkan gave chase.
"I thought you said these things were weak?!" I couldn't help but snap.
"They are! This is a first for me too!" he shouted back.
His eyes suddenly widened further.
"Wait! Up ahead, look out!"
"Huh?" I turned my head forward, glancing at the road I was taking to see what he was talking about.
Oh.
A Vespid.
A giant wasp.
So they were present here in Balandor too. No matter, unlike the Polkan, Vespids were something I was adept in handling. They were little more than overgrown bugs after all, and I had no qualms in treating them as such.
Reaching for my Great Sword, I leapt forward, spinning in place as I drew the blade from its holster.
"Out of my way!" I roared, driving the blade forth and running the bug through.
Its pincer came mighty close to piercing me, but the damage was already done. It wriggled and hissed as I stabbed my blade down into the dirt before pulling it from the body.
The Vespid twitched, but it didn't get back up.
"Oh, wow." Leonard blinked, slowing as he caught up to me. "So you know how to fight after all."
"Just bugs." I explained. "We had something of a pest problem back home. It was up to me to deal with it."
"Oh." Leonard said. "Anyway, we're not out of the woods yet. If we don't keep moving that crowd will catch up with us any minute now."
"Bit late for that." I grimaced, pointing behind him.
Yet again, the crowd had caught up.
Then again, we'd never lost them in the first place.
"R-Run!" Leonard shouted; I didn't need to be told twice.
We both took off sprinting, Leonard several paces ahead of me as he continued to run toward Parma's gate.
I knew the village was close, but I didn't know it was that close.
Luckily the gate had been kept open for village travel, if it had been closed, it might've cost us precious time trying to climb over that wooden fence. Leonard reached the gate first, skidding to a halt and turning around to usher me through. The second I passed he pushed forward, slamming the fence shut just as several Polkan slammed into it stupidly.
We staggered back in relief, gazing back at the small creatures quietly.
"Why don't they just climb over?" I found myself asking.
It wasn't like the fence was all that tall, and even if it was, with their numbers they could have easily staggered over one another to get inside.
"It's because we're not in their territory anymore." Leonard shrugged. "The only reason they probably get so upset in the first place is because everyone's always trampling around as if they own the place. This probably wasn't the first time they went completely crazy on someone. Still, you rarely see anyone get killed by a Polkan… usually they just thwack you for a long period of time and then send you on your way."
I grimaced, remembering what that "thwacking" felt like as I idly rubbed my bruised leg.
Oh well.
I'd have to get those Polkan back later. They may have won this time… but no one ever pummeled Gillian Glade and got away with it.
