Fall of an Empire: A Ranger's Tale

by Bellum Facio

Chapter I: Darius Regillus

This chapter begins with Darius enrolling in the military (Three months before the burning of the villages Tiller and Beit and the declaration of war between the Crystal Empire and the Principality of Equestria.), and retelling a portion of his history that elapses over seven years before the end of the prologue.

“So, Darius I've read your evaluation for your enlistment, and all I have to say is that we will be glad to have you should the need arise. From your family's past services and skills I believe having another Regillus amongst our ranks will do well. Your father and I went through much, and I believe his son will be able to hold the mantle his father set.” My army recruitment officer stated. His name was Halt Slovis and an old friend of my family.

We sat in a cool room at one of the many recruitment offices in the city of Whitehaven, which was a few leagues south of the capital. Whitehaven was a rather busy place this time of the year. Everyone, from the oldest man to the youngest child, were making ready for the long winter that would envelop this portion of the world for nearly half the year. The anxiety from the attack on a large caravan heading for the village of Beit still lay fresh in everyone's minds.

My family and I could hardly believe it when the news reached our town of Noveria. We all knew of the escalating tensions between the Empire and the Principality, yet it sounded as if it was a nightmare come to life. No one knew what to expect next. Some feared that war was soon to come, while others believed it was only a tale to further stretch the already strained tensions.

Before long though, requests of training enlistment were found in almost every settlement. It was asked that at least one member of each family have at least one years worth of professional army training. While my father, Jerald, had twenty-nine years of service; he was far too old at the age of sixty-one to go back into any form of combat. My mother, Nessa, would have been next in line to go, yet due to my brothers and I she had to stay. That left me, at the age of twenty, to carry on my fathers tradition of serving in the Ranger Corps.

Being the first born of the family my father committed much of his time to training me in hunting and survival in the wilderness. He put me through grueling exercises, survival training, and all around hel yet showed me more than I could ever have believed possible. How to survive and thrive off the barren cold of our northern home; to be able to hunt like a true predator and hide like its prey. Finally, to be patient in the face of any danger that threatened me or anyone that I cared for.

I remember starting training at the age of fourteen. It was the year 44 A.D., on October 20th, my brothers, Ostar and Andrevous, and I had just returned from exploring the forest of Arminas that surrounded our home. We were cleaning ourselves out by the well when our father came out. When he spotted us he walked over and said that he wanted to see me when I was done.

My brothers 'oohed' and laughed as my faced paled. I had no idea what I did and being a small child I of coursed assumed the worse. When I did eventually finish cleaning the dirt and grime off me, I reluctantly agreed when my father asked me to follow him.

As I walked alongside him quietly I realized he wasn't leading me back to the house but instead towards one of the many paths that weaved their way into the Arminas. My fear quickly was replaced by curiosity when my father guided me along one of the older trails. It was after an hour walk before we eventually reached a wide open glade, pile of old crates and target boards laid in the center. Before I could ask him what was going on he turned around and spoke to me.

“My son, I know that this may seem strange to you but do not worry, you're not in trouble,” I gave a healthy sigh of relief at that, “instead it's time for you to become a man.”

Of course I had no idea what in the world he was talking about but I knew better than to question him now.

”And what I mean by that is your going to learn the ways of the Ranger, just like I did when I was your age.” My father always told me that I would eventually continue the family's service of a Ranger just like he and his ancestors did since their founding around two hundred and sixty years ago.

Back then it just- it just seemed so soon that my childhood would end but there was nothing I could do.

“Do not be afraid Darius for knowing what I will teach you is a gift that only a few receive and even fewer do at such a young age. Knowledge comes at a price however, the training will not be easy, and during it I will no longer be your father, but your teacher,” he said with authority.

I hesitantly nodded in response.

“I know this is hard for you Darius; it was for me as well. I do this because should the day come when this country and our family is endangered, you will be able to protect them. Now return home, get some sleep, and meet me here at dawn. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow.”

I nodded my head again and began the walk home, my mind swirling in thought. When I finally did get home I found my mother and brothers already in bed. I let out a yawn before slipping into bed myself. That night I found my father's words tugging at my dreams. I awoke the next day to find the eastern sun upon the horizon, shining its warm glow onto my face. I quickly got out of bed, put on my clothes, and headed to the clearing my father showed me the night before.

When I arrived I found my father sitting on a crate with an assortment of equipment laying before him, as I approached him, he spoke,

“Welcome to your new life Darius. In these next few years I will teach you the very life blood of being a Ranger. Before we begin I first want you to do is to tell me what these are.” I looked around and saw that it was just a bunch of items from when my dad was in the army. I started with the first piece on the left.

“This is a yew recurve bow, steel tipped arrows, broadsword and saxe knife, satchel, leather jerkin and legging, vambraces, and a wool cloak,” I calmly said.

“You are correct, but what are they?”

“I...I don't know...” As soon as I said this he jumped from his crate and looked at me dead in the eyes.

“These are the most essential tools that a Ranger needs, anything else he can find where he goes. When you grow older these are to be with you at all times. Now your first task is find breakfast.” At the word, “breakfast” I could feel my stomach rumble. Remembering a bush of blackberries and some mushrooms on the path while walking here I turned and jogged in their direction.

Now collecting berries, mushrooms, and a few roots may not be the most challenging of tasks, yet it is the most rewarding when on an empty stomach. It took me a good ten minutes to find a satisfying meal, and I collected whatever else there was and returned. My father didn't look very surprised to see what I had collected, living on the outskirts of a forest and having two brothers tended to help.

“With knowledge of nature and what she can provide one can live forever, yet she will not protect you from her the elements or predators. Out in the wild everyone and everything is fair game. Those that are weak will fall to the strong, and when nature decides to change one has to adapt or die. Your next task is to find or make protection and shelter.”

I put protection above shelter and remembered that I could make a fire with flint and granite. There was a small creek bed that my brothers and I played in that had both. I made my way through the forest until I reached said creek bed. After searching for a short time I managed to find a sizable chunk of granite and a small flint head before I began the trek back to campe. Along the way I found a good deal of logs and branches I could use as fuel and a structure for my shelter.

Setting up the camp was a tedious task. After making a small fire pit I returned for the logs and branches and began setting up my shelter. It was a rather pitiful thing, but it would be better than sleeping out on the ground where rain and animals could reach me. Next up was laying and preparing the fire pit. This certainly wasn't as bad as the shelter, yet it was time consuming; after the first eight hours I could feel my calluses getting calluses. It was nearly nightfall by the time I had completed my camp.

When I had completed everything my dad said that he tell my brothers what was happening and would return in the morning. With nothing left to do i laid inside my small poorly yet stable shelter with a crackling fire outside; my mind cluttered with thoughts. I had no idea what was in store for me other than my life was about to change drastically. Soon enough though, I found myself slipping into deep sleep.

For the next three months my father taught me everything that could be found in the world around me. From edible and poisonous plants and how to live off the land, utilizing everything that I could find. I would occasionally be allowed to return home but not for long. It was when winter finally came in late October that things changed one morning.

Instead of my normal morning exercises of hiking and gathering my father had me pack all of my essentials before making me follow on a day long jog eastward towards the Spine Mountains. Most of the trip was relatively quite other than my legs and spleen mentally screaming at me that they were going to explode. It wasn't until late evening that we eventually reached a small cabin that was nestled against one the many cliff walls of the mountain.

As I laid, exhausted, on one of the two beds my father finally spoke. “You have learned much Darius, and now it is time to see how well you can survive in the cold embrace of winter. You and I will be staying here for the next six months. Periodically I will return home to check on your mother and brothers, yet you are to remain here. I will teach you how to hunt, trap, and ultimately survive when there is nothing but barren rock or snow.” That very next day he took me outside and had me begin practicing with my recurve bow. He told me that I would get a longbow like his when I turned eighteen, but until that time I would use the recurve for it being far easier to use.

For four hours each and every day during the winter I would be practicing archery. When I wasn't I would either be learning how to track, hunt without being seen, or make traps. Each day my father recited a code that the Rangers taught to all that joined their ranks followed.

“A man practices until he gets it right. A Ranger practices until he cannot get it wrong.”

I will never forget the day I had my first successful hunt. It was early December and my food stocks were getting low. My dad had returned home for the next three days and I was left to fend for myself. While I could have checked my traps for any small game, I thought I might try my hand at hunting something larger. I grabbed my bow, winter cloak, and jacket before heading out to the waterfall a mile away from the cabin.

Soon enough I heard the steady beat of water on rock before I carefully hid myself near a thicket of bushes. Quietly I began to skirt my way around thicket, making sure to make as little noise as possible.

When I finally managed to see the waterfall and frozen pool bellow it I found two bucks standing each other off. Carefully I went into a crouching position, nocked an arrow, and drew my bow back. I knew that I would never have been able to successfully killed both so I steadied my aim right above the buck's shoulder. I let the arrow loose and watched as it connected with perfect precision. The deer drew its last breathe before it even hit the ground while the other shot off in the other direction.

A few seconds of silence passed before I jumped out of my hiding spot in a pure fit of joy. I couldn't believe all that practice finally paid off. After a minute or so of jumping around like an idiot, I pulled out my knife and went to work on scavenging as much as I could from the buck. The look of my dad's face when he walked into the cabin and saw both of my trophies, the antlers and a new deer skin blanket, was priceless.

As winter faded into spring I found myself eager to return home yet disheartened that I would have to wait another year before returning. Four days before the start of May my father left me saying that he had to prepare a few things on my return, and that I could return home on the first. Curios as to what my father planned the few days seemed to fly by. On the first I packed up the cabin, my things, and began the journey home.

When I arrived at my families door I heard a whine coming from behind the house. Bewildered that pony would be in Noveria, let alone my house, I investigated. When I entered the backyard I found my father grooming a horse that did resemble a pony yet was slightly bigger and far less less colorful. My father spotted me as I approached, a smile on his face.

“Well Darius, this is what I returned home for. Now I know this may be rather strange yet Brin here is not any species of horse that lives on this continent. His breed is from across the Antlertic Ocean from a country that does not know magic like what we have here. I got him from an old friend of mine who is a breeder for the Rangers. While he may not be able to speak he still intelligent, loyal, and may form a special bond with those he cares about. Come, try and ride him.”

I looked back and forth between Brin and my father. Brin had a chocolate coat and mane, his blue eyes looking back into mine. I took a hold of his reins and mounted him, yet not a second later I found myself spitting up dirt on my back. I heard my father burst out laughing and felt Brin nudging his head into my side.

“Hahaha... now out of everything, that was what I was looking foreword to the most. Try again, maybe you did something wrong.” Shaking the remaining dirt off myself and getting up I tried three more times; only to find myself back in my original position.

“I think he hates me...” I said with aggravation in my voice.

“Here, let me show you how it's done.” My father walked over and said into Brin's ear, “will you please?” He then mounted him, and Brin began to canter around me.

“Wha- how- oh I give up,” I said while throwing my hands up in the air.

“You see Darius, Brin here is again no ordinary horse. His species will only listen if you say a special phrase unique to each one. Here try it this time.” As my father dismounted and handed the reins to me again.

“Well here goes nothing. Will you please, Brin?” I then mounted him for the fifth time with my eyes close, preparing for the pain of falling back into my indent on the ground.

After a few seconds I opened my eyes in surprise, Brin was standing still. I pulled the reins slightly towards me, making him move forward. Surprisingly enough he did as I commanded and I found myself galloping around my father.

“He seems to have taken a liking to you. A Ranger's horse will protect him and make sure he never falls from his back. He will protect and love him as long as the Ranger does the same.” I laughed as I enjoyed the moment. My father smiled in approval while Brin whinnied in what I thought was laughter as well.

As the days turned into months and months into years, my father continued to train me in all that he knew. My relationship with Brin growing stronger and stronger. Eventually I grew to understand what he said Brin would become; a true companion and friend.

My life seemed to be perfect as the years past. While my training was difficult I grew to love it. Each day a new experience and adventure. Eventually I found it being my eighteenth birthday and my father said that my training was at an end. I remember two things he told me when my first started in that forest grove all those years ago that I will never forget.

“The old and the rich start wars for greed and power, but it is the young and foolish that fight them for honor and glory.” and, “In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. I want you to face whatever comes in the following years with strength and courage, for no matter what, I want you to bury me in this very clearing.” My father always appeared to be broken by something in his past, yet because of it it forged him into what he is today.

When I turned nineteen, in mid-October, a Wyvern attacked Noveria. It managed to destroy a quarter of the village before being driven off. A group of thirty was sent to end the threat, but only seven returned. They said that it wasn't just one but two fully grown adults with a nest in the caves alongside the mountain range to the east.

The day after the group returned, my father and I, fearing for the safety of our family and home, went after the creatures. He said that this would be the first of many tests I was too face in my life yet he would be there to guide me. Along the journey he showed me in rather crude drawings the weak points in their armor and that the wings were made of weak bone and sinew. We arrived on the second night of the trip and set camp. Before we turned in for the night he had me set a net trap outside the cave mouth so that at least one of the Wyverns would be grounded when we ambushed them tomorrow.

I awoke in the wee hours of morning to find my father hiding behind some foliage silently watching the cave entrance. I fed Brin and grabbed my armor, longbow, which I began using a year prior, and a few dozen arrows, once I had equipped everything I joined my father. He didn't look at me as I sat beside him, just nodded his head towards the mouth of the cave. As I followed his gaze I saw shadows starting to grow in the background of the tunnel. I grabbed an arrow and knocked it; my father did the same and raised his open hand that told me to wait.

The first to appear was the male. The beast let out a deep roar before leaving the cave in order to stretch its wings, it never got the chance however. The wire had been sprung and a net with small lead balls fell, wrapped around its body, and caused him to come crashing down onto the rocks about thirty feet from us. Before it could react my father clenched his fist. I aimed and let the arrow loose, it flew in wind before penetrating its soft throat.

Before I could shoot again I saw two arrows fly past me and pierce both of the eyes. Now blinded and bleeding to death the creature let out an anguished cry for help, but it life was ended as my father drew his broadsword, bolted from our hiding place, and plunged the steel blade deep into the Wyvern's skull.

Not a moment later the female emerged from the nest. It spotted my dad, yet it soon found two arrows biting into the side of its armored head. In pure rage it struck out at him. He reflexively dodged the strike, sunk his blade into the shoulder before using the momentum to fling himself onto its back. Leaving the blade in the shoulder he drew his own saxe knife before hacking off both wings of the flailing Wyvern. The beast reared up in pain sending my father rolling to the ground. It towered over him, but in standing up it had sealed its fate. As soon as it stood, it found one arrow after another embedding themselves into the soft scales that covered the female's heart. It let out one last cry before slamming into ground next to its mate.

Wiping the few beads of sweat from my forehead I realized my father wasn't getting up. In fright I scrambled onto my feet before running over to him. As I went to try and find what was wrong with him, his eyes snapped open and he gave a few ragged coughs. He laid there for a little bit before I slowly helped him get to his feet.

He rolled his shoulder in pain as he waved me off. “I'm fine. Just a little too old to be doing this.” He looked back to the corpses.”Remember this day for it is your first of tasting what true fear and death men blindly throw themselves into. It is not something to preach glory and honor for but pity and remorse. If this war is to come to pass then you will be forced to live with the memories of each life you take. No man or woman should have to kill another, yet we are forced to thanks to the ignorance and stupidity of individuals. Be merciful to those that you can and quickly end those that you cannot.”

I looked into his eyes and saw the coldness that resonated within them, yet underneath them I saw sadness like never before. He was a man that harbored so much remorse and could do nothing about it. His face still haunts my to this day. In silence we then set fire to the Wyverns' nest and left.

When we returned to Noveria the people cheered for us. My father walked on through the crowds not stopping to bask in their praises; he just held his head forward and continued home. I followed shortly behind, a few of my friends surrounding me and shooting me questions one after another.

“How did you do it Darius!?”

“I bet you killed them single-handedly!”

“What was it like? The adrenaline and the satisfaction!”

My father's words striking true to their meaning, they had no idea what it felt like. I still recall the cries and iron smell of blood. The fear and anger in their eyes. They may be only animals, but they are still living breathing creatures. I excused myself, telling them that I needed rest and quickly went home.

Now as I sit across Halt, I recall each memory from the my early days of training to slaying the Wyverns. I understood why my father had trained me the way he did, I would either kill or be killed. I knew that there was probably so much more in my future, possibly even my own. I paled at the thought of it.

“You alright Darius? You look like you've just seen a ghost.” Halt asked me.

“It's nothing Halt. Just recalling a few old memories and things father said to me.” I responded.

“Ahhh, Jerald and I were practically brothers during Forbidden Wars to the north. It was... terrifying to say the least. We were company of of fifteen thousand, five hundred being Rangers, along with a brigade of three thousand griffin sent to the northern border to make sure any of these... creatures did not venture and infest the lands to the south. We were rotated in and out for twenty-seven years before they just stopped coming. No one knows why. We were just told to never travel north past Gorgonzola after the main army of ten thousand completely disappeared in the wastes.” Halt recalled while shaking his head.

I remember asking my father many years ago of his war stories; he always said that none of us should have to know what he went through and that sometimes history should be forgotten.

“Your father knows best though. He was one of the two captains in the entire Ranger Corps, he lead two and hundred and fifty men and women. When the war was over he had only lost forty of his soldiers; I can't say the same for the other company though, over two hundred dead or missing, along with their captain.” I really wanted to ask what happened during the war, but the look on Halt's depressed face made me otherwise.

“I think I saw Captain Tiberius wandering outside the castle a month after that.” He whispered. “Anyway, King Sombra himself presented Jerald with a Silver Star in front of the entire corps. The man was a hero. He practically saved both armies and is probably the only reason why we're even here right now.”

I let the words digest at what I had just learned. I remember reading about the Forbidden War when I was still in school. It was a rather vague book, but there was something about it that I could never get enough information about. The main concept I remember from it was that there was an ancient city that one could find all the different sentient species of the world. From humans, griffins, centaurs, ponies, and dozens more. One day though, something happened, many believed a magical explosion ripped through the city caused by some unknown power they found. Others speculate that a disease infected everyone that was brought from the northern ocean of Antlertic. The one thing that is known is that every single being there were turned into monsters; each different specie fighting the rest.

Only a month after whatever caused the outbreak did the dead and the dieing rise from the streets. They say that you could still see the pain and suffering in their eyes. The different species still fought one another, even amidst the walking corpses. Eventually the fighting spread, and entered both the Griffin Kingdoms and the Crystal Empire. In response the Griffin High King, Tathar Longbeak, and King Sombra launched a counter offensive. That was when they sent my father and the armies. To this day both countries or at least their people do not know what caused the war, just that it ended suddenly twenty-seven years later.

“Well Darius, I have all the paperwork filled out. Recruits will be sent to their respective Corps in week, so you will need to be back in Whitehaven quickly. I suggest returning home and saying goodbye to your family. Thankfully being in the Ranger's you'll be immediately placed in a professional regiment and squad. If we're all lucky this will all blow over soon enough but it can never hurt to be safe. Who knows when you'll be able to see them again. I didn't see mine for nine years before I was rotated out,” Halt said as he led me out the door. The thought of not seeing my family for nine years struck me but I really didn't know what to say.

“I'll see you in a weeks time Darius. If I don't, remember what your father has taught you. It will be invaluable for the months to come.”

“Thank you for everything Halt,” I said while putting aside the thought.

“It was nothing Darius. If you ever need anything you can find me here.” We shook hands before I mounted Brin and began the journey home just as the snow was starting to fall.

Comments

[RodBottom]

This is a great concept and I can't wait Until the next chapter. Honestly this deserves a bigger following. Keep up the great writing!

[Bellum Facio]

3047438 Thank you very much for the complement. I'm glad a few people are enjoying it.

[Bellum Facio]

3047195 Now this is a good guess, but not quite. You'll just have to wait until i finish the next two dozen chapters or so.

[nighters]

did humanity get banished along with the crystal empire and it ponies for a 1000 years? cause it would make sense if that what really happen to them and it be really cool~! there smart survivors after all just fighting for there right to existence as a species against all odds.