The Last Crusader

[Lone Wolf]

Note: I don't think I'll continue this on here for lack of an audience, but I just wanted to show you guys the prologue for the heck of it...

Its based on the crusades.. kinda...



Fire... So much fire. The heat singed my hair and sweat rolled down my bloody face. I coughed as the thickness of the smoke took a swing at my lungs. I could feel them now. Those tiny droplets that I struggled to keep in. Those bloody tears. They streaked down my cheeks as I watched what was before me. This whole city burned to ashes... and for what? I kept walking through the haze of black, keeping a hand on the hilt of my sword. Preparing for the worst, and only hoping for the best. My feet collided with something on the ground, it wasn't too solid, but regardless the fall I received inflicted some pain. My head throbbed as I cursed under my breath. What had I tripped on? I took a look a closer look, trying to blow the smoke away so I could see clearly and only as the smoke disappeared was the truth revealed. "Oh my word..." Those bloody tears began to trickle down my already swollen cheeks again. Who and why would hurt such an innocent soul? Right before me lay a small, fragile corpse, its face distorted from the powerful fire. A baby... no older than a few months. Slaughtered... Though I had sworn not lay a hand on the innocent, this child was no longer in this world. A piece of lumber dug deep into its chest, making a deep gash. The blood ran freely, ambiguously, it knew not where to go. Its cycle had been stopped so it would soon die and just like its owner. Such a frail little body cut and harmed. The tears continued their course as the moans I did not hear before became audible now. The wounded cried out, cursing the very name of the Lord. Others I could not distinguish, but I could feel the chords of sorrow their voices played. It was an orchestra of death, and I was the sole audience. It pained me to leave the creature behind, to rot in such a place as this hell, but if I remained this inferno would soon take my life too.


My eyes strained to see through the smog, but they could only do so much so I had to put my trust in my hands. They felt around the wall, tracing it until they bumped into something solid. A ladder! I finally found what I was looking for and I took a hold of it. The wood was hard and firmly held by some ropes, I was lucky to have stumbled into one that was still intact even after the explosion. My foot climbed onto it while the other followed suit. Slowly I made my way up, holding my mouth shut to avoid further inhalation of that gas. I gasped for air as I rose above it, my lungs rejoicing as it savored what I withheld so selfishly from it. I was free? No... not yet. There was still a small way to go. My body begged me to end it there. To fall back into the abyss of fire I had climbed out of. To take my final vow and plunge to the earth. I could feel my muscles lessening the tension on my hands; my eyes closed accepting the fate that I had chosen. Hmph... Who thought it would of ended this way....
I plummeted into the earth feeling the wind that seemed surprisingly clean. I wonder how it would have been in a different situation…
“Giving up already?” I heard a sweet voice, such a familiar voice…
“Hmmm?” I responded pleasing the last voice I would hear.
“I said: are you giving up already?”
I opened my eyes, and two pair of light blue eyes stared back playfully at me. That smile… how could I ever forget it? “Oh… it’s you.” I smiled back patiently. “Lady-“
“Shh.” She hushed me in mid sentence. “Yes it is me, but that’s not why I’m here. You’re breaking our deal here, don’t you remember?”
“I’m sorry… I just didn’t have the strength to make it.”
“Nonsense,” she replied. “You have the heart of a warrior. Now go… Tell your story Clyde, I’m sure the world wants to hear…” She approached me as we both fell, pressing her lips onto mine. There was still warmth in them, but it slowly disappeared even if I longed it not to. She began to fade away, that smile still on her face.
“Fine then… I will”


My name is Clyde of Ark.

And this is my story.

[Lone Wolf]

Even though I told myself I wouldn't I guess it wouldn't kill to post up another chapter...
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A Brief Encounter

Morning came and with it the laziness that accompanied the common man. Although, today seemed different, like the air was jut saturated with enthusiasm. Everyone was on the move, or so it seemed. A great migration to the east as it appeared to be, this movement was to be a truly historical one. Inspired youths all over Europe began to march to what was to be the bloodiest war in history.

Clyde walked out of the front porch, the light from the sun illuminating the whole town. The wooden boards creaked as he stepped onto the earthen ground. Truth be told, Clyde wasn't too nervous even though he knew the danger he would be facing. His feet carried him to the end of the walkway, turning around he looked back at his humble home. It's so strange leaving home. About halfway through his thought, the door creaked open and an older woman walked out. Her eyes appeared to shimmer in the sunlight, a bit of the light of the sun glared off. She was crying. A little resentment fell down into Clyde's stomach as he watched his mother cry. She had supported him in his decision because she too was a dedicated Christian. It was her wish for him to go and show the world that God worked through anyone. Clyde turned around, a bag hung over his shoulder and a rusty iron sword clinking clumsily against his side. "Bye Mother..." His voice was very soft and he watched the wind carry the fragments of his last words to his mother away. The rest of his walk outside of the town he was a bit somber. He waved good bye to the people who were remaining in the town. Most of the people leaving for the crusade had already departed, save Clyde and walking away from this town was just another step on his spiritual journey.

Two miles down the path he stared back and took a small breath. He would have to survive on his own until he reached Constantinople. This was of course, the first part of his journey. The road seemed even lonelier as he walked by other travelers who were traveling in groups. He watched them laugh and enjoy each other’s companies. Some had invited him to join them, but he had humbly refused with a "Sorry, I must bear my cross alone, and I'd rather not be a burden upon your merry group. Many thanks for your proposal, and May the Lord bless you." He watched them go; smiling an awry smile as they looked back at him once more and continued in their talk. Maybe I should have... No, Clyde. You must set your goals straight. He shook his head and kicked a rock that was innocently out of the way.

Some days had gone by and Clyde had not yet come upon a town. He began to worry about his sense of direction and whether he was actually headed to Constantinople. He stopped and diverted off of the long dirt road into the clear meadows. His stomach demanded food, and would not let him continue until satisfied. Sighing at his inability to control himself he left his bag on the ground and climbed the tree. It was full of mangoes and the simple thought of the sweet nectar threw his stomach into a rampage. His hands closed around various of them, closing in to test its ripeness, discarding the rotten and pest infested. His mouth watered as he peeled it, the vibrant orange of the fruit already satisfying his eyes. His teeth sunk in, a little of the juice slid off his cheek and onto the ground. The rest he savored feverishly and consumed almost greedily. His stomach demanded more, and he would take more, after he harvested.

A few wasted mangoes and close to death moments after he was on the ground stuffing his bag with the fruit he had managed to take down. By the time he was done, the bag was really heavy and he had become too lazy from eating to lift it up so he sat down and leaned against the tree. Half an hour passed by and his eyes began to close, absorbed in the moment of peacefulness. It was almost blissful... almost.

"Now look at we have here."

Clyde opened one of his eyes without moving an inch. It moved from left to right adjusting to the brightness and decrypting the blurry images in front of him. One, two, three men stood around him and one crouched right next to him with a pocket knife pressed against his throat. The cold from it discomforted him and he was tempted to move.

"Not a single step." The man crouched next to him hustled him to stand up, his back still against the tree. "That’s right, nice and easy. We'll be taking your bag and everything else of value on you."

Bandits... just what I needed. His hand reached for his bag while accidentally grazing his sword. That’s right! I only removed my bag. Clyde stretched his hand out while grasping the heavy bag. The bandit who held him up against the tree signaled for one of the others to get it.

"What are you smiling about?" The bandit looked at Clyde, who had just produced a smile, with a dirty look. "Go on, speak up."

Clyde responded, "Very simple. There are five of you able bodied men, and you've all taken the liberty of ganging up on a single person with no more than a few silver pieces and a rusty old sword. It's all very comical if you ask me."

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you boy. Or else you'll be choking on steel." The bandit's knife moved a bit and separated his skin at that point. Blood soon found its escape route, and though it wasn't much it burned.

"If you're an honorable man, you will raise your sword and give me a fighting chance."

"No way." The bandit smirked. "I'm not honorable man at all."

"Very well..." Clyde took a small breath. "I gave you fair warning."

"What do yo---?"

The question was cut short just as the bandit soon found out he would be. Clyde lashed out and the rusty iron sword came into play. No sooner did they also took their battle stances and closed in on the young man.

"One...Two...Three..."

Three men had fallen gasping, moaning, cursing... The bandit that was left looked at Clyde straight in the eye. "What are you?" He panted, holding his stance.

"I'm just a young man with a holy ambition and if I fall... be it in Jerusalem." Clyde took a running start and the bandit ran also, but in the other direction. "Why are you running bandit have your sins caught up to you yet?"

The man ran and pleaded. "Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me!"

"Too late..." Clyde took a dive and jumped the bandit. Both fell face first, but by the time the bandit regained consciousness Clyde's blade was hovering over his chest. The Bandit stared up at him, afraid of the death he saw in Clyde's eyes. They were crimson red now. "Between my blade and your heart lies an inch. A moment between life and death. An instant of pain and destruction. What makes you think I won't slay you?"

"Because if you are what you claim, than you're a holy man who does not kill out of evil intentions."

Clyde spun around as the voice spoke. It was a female voice, and as he soon found out, it belonged to a young woman. Her hair was a beautiful shade of dark. It hung low to her back and some of it lingered over to her front side. Her clothes spoke of her class, she was the daughter of a noble, rich and classy apparently because an elegantly decorated fencing sword accompanied her. The most prominent of her features were her eyes though, blue beyond compare. It was like Clyde was staring at new world trapped inside of her iris. As beautiful as she was, Clyde had sworn not to ever taste the life of nobility. He was born in a humble home, and he would remain humble with the Lord.

"And what makes you so sure I'm a holy man? We are all sinners from birth."

She noticed Clyde's intentions of evading the question and responded, "Because if you were not a man of God, you would have actually killed his men instead of paralyzing them."

How did she know I had paralyzed them? Clyde did not answer and turned around to take care of the remaining bandit. To his surprise and miscalculation the bandit had stood up silently and thrust his knife at Clyde. He barely missed Clyde's heart, but made it into his shoulder and delivered a pain. The pain spread over his whole body, taking Clyde to the ground as he panted. "You are indeed dishonorable... God will deal with you accordingly." Clyde's hand grabbed his sword and aimed a direct hit at the remaining bandit. It would of been over had the woman not interrupted. With her own sword she deflected Clyde's. Before the bandit made a run for it, she had already read his mind and knocked him out with the blunt end of the sword.

There was no interchange of words and she had already pinned Clyde. She lifted up his torso and laid a hand on his chest, right where the dagger had hit. She began to recite something in a low voice. "Crux spes unica."(latinThe cross is the only hope) Her hand glowed a bright white and she pressed it onto the injury. Clyde felt the wound closing, the blood no longer gushed out and even the cut on his neck had stopped bleeding. Even the crimson color in his eye receded, as it was replaced by a hazel. "Deo duce"(latinWith God as my leader) The glow receded and she stood up, giving Clyde a hand. He took it gratefully and stood astounded.

"You're a-"

"A priestess? I used to be, but I've moved onto fencing. Healing will only help me so much in Jerusalem..."

"So you're also headed to Jerusalem?" Clyde wondered.

"Don't be so nosy." She shook her head and refused to answer. "I'll be on my way now." She took off in a run, her hair dancing in the wind.

"I didn't even ask her name..."

He almost showed a disappointed face, but that turned into a smile soon enough. "I'll catch her next time."

He renewed his walk, staring into the horizon with a passive look on his face. He could see a city not too far off. "Constantinople..."