Purging the Old Worlde
by TimmyMWD
Chapter One: Josef's Calling
Josef Bohlke latched the old wooden door of his shop shut and extinguished the lamp that lit up the entrance next to it. It had been a long day of work, and he was ready for nothing more than a visit to the tavern and a good night's sleep. Life as a shoemakers apprentice was dull, but it was the best one could do in his small town, plus it gave him the chance to travel the Old Dwarf Road to Averheim to sell his master's products. Even so, he often found himself daydreaming of something more gruelling, more tough, a life that lived much more on the edge.
The streets were fairly deserted as he shuffled along on the sidewalk. This suprised him, because usually other working men were returning to their homes or to the tavern at this time of night; however, tonight none of them could be found.
As he neared the tavern, he could hear none of the usual comotion that emenated from the town's social focal point. This puzzled Josef even more, especially when he saw that the Tavern was packed to maximum occupancy. When he reached the entrance to the building he opened it slowly, trying to minimize the amount of noise he produced. The old door still squeaked loudly, and the response from the tavern was a near uniform "shhhhhh." A quick look around the room told him why everyone was quite, there was a middle-aged man sitting on top of a table speaking.
A teenage boy leaned in towards Josef's ear and whispered, "He's some decorated captain from a war with the greenskins." Eyes widening with interest, Bohlke tuned into what the man had to say.
"The board riders had revealed themselves in our flank. Some of the lesser trained regiments started fleeing. But my regiment? Well I was only second in command of a regiment then, but I urged my sergeant to stand his ground against the riders. Our sergeant was a large beast of a man, and I bet that the fear of him outnumbered the regiment's fear of the orcs, and so they wheeled around like he ordered.
"This caught the riders off guard, not expecting a regiment to face them. We lowered our spears to brace the charge, and our weapons cut deep into the boars and orcs. The barbaric creatures did not stop though, and they cut through our regiment with their large weapons. The greener troops drop to the ground and cowered - thinking that feigning death would save them. I fought on, stabbing my spear deep into the enemy. As their numbers poured down on us I feared our cause to be lost. Looking back, I realized that the artillery was realigining to face the new threat, and that half a dozen regiments were marching to our aide.
"If we were to falter then, the artillery would not be in place and the regiments would be caught on the move, most likely destroyed than anything. It was then that I realized my life was not as important, and I valiently stood my ground. Our sergeant was killed, and I took up his sword and kept on fighting. My men took heart and they fought on as well. When our standard bearer died, instead of running another young lad took up the fallen standard. Our numbers had fallen to under a dozen, and I knew to survive I would have to do something drastic."
The old Captain put in a dramatic pause, and a slight gasp resonated through the Tavern. Josef would not believe the man stopped, he wanted to hear what he did! After achieving his desired affect, the man continued with his story, "I challenged what appeared to be the orc leader ... i could because he was the biggest .... to a fight. He understood not what I said, but my pointing the business end of my sword to him was all the action he needed. The orcs stopped and watched as I desperatly tried to fight the brute. His strength was so much, but I paried his moves as best as I could. I managed one hit on him, but that only made him more angry. He kicked me to the ground, and he drew his great axe high over his head. Feeling that I was done, I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable. Before I met my maker, I heard the defening roar of gunfire from behind me. Opening my eyes, I saw the Orc chief stumbling back, peppered with bullet holes.
"The other regiments had arrived, and our powerful handgunners made mincemeat out of the orcs. I was rushed to the surgeon for my battle wounds, and a couple of days later was promoted to a regimental sergeant. I tell you lads, it was my greatest day ever to serve the Empire like that and save the day. With all the threats of chaos, I only hope you lads will join up tomorrow at sign up and help out your country," the captain sipped his ale as he recieved rounds of applause from the Tavern patrons.
With the end of his story, the Tavern resumed to its usual routiness. Some men went up to shake the hand of the recruitment captain, including Josef. It was his calling. He was still young, and he had been told many times he had the build of a soldier. He got in line to speak to the Captain, and thought of what he would say. This was his calling ... to be a soldier and hero for the Empire. Finally, it was his turn to talk to the Captain. After giving him a firm hand shake, he smiled and asked the officer, "I want to be the next you, the next hero sir. Where can I sign up to slay the enemies of the Empire!"
The Captain laughed heartily, "Relax son, relax. The sign up is tomorrow in the town square." He eyed Josef over, "You have the build of a soldier, thats for sure, but don't be eager for war because of that. That story I told .... I was in the infirmary for weeks after that battle. It was draining on me. Knows this lad, war has a grusome side to it. But I hope to see you still tomorrow morning."
Smiling, Josef joined the rest of his comrades in the Tavern and drank until the late hours of the morning, thinking about how his new life started tomorrow ...... |
