The History of Pakium (2)

The History of Pakium (2)

The perimeter guards were wrongly alerted to several different things such as a stray dog and a wandering deer. So, when a rustling was heard in the bushes, nobody really thought anything of it. However, at least one of them was obligated to go check on the sound. The commander, one of the guards that had been patrolling that night, went into the woods to see what it was. He held his torch up high, announcing his presence. Without a response, he plunged into the foliage, cutting with his dagger. He announced the presence of the town guard as he continued.

The other two men were waiting at the perimeter in the exact spot that their commander had left them. They looked at one another anxiously. It had been at least ten minutes since he left and they were beginning to get slightly concerned. They knew the man could handle himself. At age 32, he had served in the guard for 18 years, over half of his life. His father had passed away in the town’s first murder, and he vowed to never let that happen again. However, it was still unknown as to what had originally caused the disturbance. The second man, assuring the first that everything was okay, went into the foliage himself.

This time, however, there was no mystery as to what happened. There was a massive amount of rustling, followed by the audible unsheathing of a sword and a frail but loud shriek, followed by an immediate silence. It was too silent, and the guard, now terrified, turned back to run. He sprinted through the gate, screaming that something was outside the wall. He eventually met up with the other three guards, who had come sprinting to the center of the town upon hearing his desperate cries for help.

The other two guards interrogated him, forcing him to settle down and tell his story. He stumbled through his tale, telling how the commander disappeared, soon followed by his fellow guard. He was gagging for air, terrified and confused. He finished his tale just as a scream split the air. A horrifying, barbaric scream that seemed to shake the core of all three of them. The guards immediately turned their backs to one another, looking in all directions with their swords drawn. The three of them just weren’t enough, however. A flood of feral humans from the mountains seemed to come through every space, every visible area. The guards were drowning, desperate. They were overrun, and left dead in the square.

Soon after, the deranged people began to burn everything in sight. They torched houses with entire families inside of them, rampaging the entire town. They burned decorations and raided buildings, killing everything in sight. They were utterly ruthless, showing no mercy to anybody they saw. There were men and women scattering from their homes, taking to the streets, surrounded by fire and brutish feral humans. The sound was awful, crackling fire mixed with screams from Hell itself. Eventually, though, it died down. There were very few survivors, and they were being picked off by the remaining ferals. The loss was immense, and nearly all of Pakium was burnt to the ground.
 
Top