Up against the Wall

[SylentOne]

Lesson learned one day when Sylent was young and foolishly brave, and Dagobert was High Lord

Shaking with fear, a small adventurer crept through the inner corridors of the Great Wall the other day. Her rapier handle quivered in her sweat-slicked hands as she faced one menace after the next. Rounding a corner toward promised safety, she was brutally tossed down and snarled at by a large Red Crystal Guardian. Bleeding and bruised, she staggered to the wall and prepared to die for the greater glory of her gods. Unable to heal, she faced the hulking giant with barely half her normal small strength. He hit viciously at her time and again, finally taking her down to her knees to sprawl before his great frame.

As the red fog of despair shut down her world, a blinding white light pierced the battleground and the mighty voice of High Lord Dagobert was heard praying to the Gods that strength and fortitude be granted the small one. Gathering the shreds of her abilities, she drank deeply from the water of life he offered and then faced the Red Guardian again. Looking at her remaining hit points, she noted but 65 left and the one she faced hit for 300 or more. To try and retreat beneath the feet of the High Lord was inexcusable to her, she would stay and do battle. Crying out "If I must, I die in honor of our Gods", she struck again at her foe.

In a fairy tale that last hit would hold true and the dead monster would lie at her feet so that she might offer it to her High Lord. On Valorn, reality held fable captive and the small one died messily as the guardian crowed with glee. As she struggled to be reborn in far off Milltown, the voice of the High Lord was heard in her ear "False Pride goeth before a fall little one. Our Gods do not need foolish unnecessary deaths to honor them. Learning to retreat and heal, to fight another day saves space, energy, and the waste of water washing the blood stained streets." Her eyes pricked with tears, she crawled from the Inn and started the slow, sand- slogged trudge back to the Wall. She bowed her head in shame. She had died before the High Lord and deserved to be chastised by him for holding up his busy passage by her foolishness. Thank the Gods he would be long gone before she made it back to that wall of shame.

A hero would have said their piece and left the small adventurer to clean up after. A titled noble might casually slay the monster on their way through. Only a giant among men would stand patiently, business on hold, caging that Red Guardian until the wee one returned. She hit and retreated, cheered on by his voice and finally stood over the great dead beast. He healed her and smiled and offered a blessing, then left a small one behind to wonder at his kindness. Although the stone was dull, the lesson blazed with the God's own light of mercy shown. A small act of kindness on his part quickly forgotten, had taught her the truth of the Gods. There is no shame in waiting between bites be it in fighting or at the table. Not all meals can be eaten in one sitting.