Story dump

Chapter 1

Karce's Fallen Kingdom
(Original date: 1/2/22)

Karce ran through the woods from those who wanted his head on a platter, his cape trailing behind him as he tumbled into a bush. He covered his mouth, listening for footsteps as he masked his heavy breathing. After what felt like an eternity, silence fell over the forest, the chirping of the birds around him slowly returning. He dared not move out into the open, though, and so he went in deeper, using the dense underbrush as cover.

When he felt he was safe and far enough, Karce leaned against a nearby tree trunk, finally catching his breath as he stared up. His mind soon began to wander, the end of his kingdom replaying in his head as if it had only happened a few days ago.

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He wandered through the halls of his castle, unsure of what to do. He stared at a few paintings of himself hung on the grand hallway's walls, never really liking how the artist had painted him. 'Oh well..' he thought to himself. 'I'll never be able to change that fact..'

He knew he had a few more duties (or as he liked to call them, "chores")  left, though he didn't wish to do any of them yet. He wanted to be in a state of bliss, carefree for even just a moment. That moment never came, though, as he heard a loud thud from outside. He was curious at first, but soon remembered his troops were training with catapults. He went back to strolling the halls, his blue cape lightly trailing behind him.

Another thud sounded from outside. Then another. He stood still, raising a brow as another thud sounded, this time shaking the earth slightly beneath him. Karce quickly made his way over to the grand doors leading into town, a few guards already meeting him there. "What's going on?" Karce demanded in a calm tone, the two guards there turning to face him. "We're under attack, sire," answered one, causing Karce's eyes to widen "By who?! We have no enemies!" he said, slight panic beginning to seep into his voice. "All we know is they call themselves the Ruin Order.. they're targeting the village at this very moment," the other said, her voice trembling slightly.

"You must leave this place and go into hiding. Our army may be strong, but we still cannot risk losing our only king." the first guard said. "Wh-what?! No..! I.. I must protect my people..!" Karce cried. "Percival..! Please..! I can't just let them die..!" The first guard, known as Percival, sighed. "Karce.. I promise I'll help those that can evacuate.. just please.. run." he said, handing Karce a small pouch "The great wizard enchanted this bag to fit anything you wish into it. Please don't let it go to waste."

Karce stared down at the pouch, tearing up. "But I-" he started, Percival cutting him off. "We don't have enough time for this, sire. Just quickly pack as much as you need and run. And please don't get seen, they may go after you too.." Karce wiped his eyes "... F-fine.." he stammered, quickly running to his quarters.

After he had finished packing, he stepped through the doors leading to the garden, glancing around for anyone before heading to a wall that led outside the kingdom's walls. He struggled a bit, using a vine to quickly climb up over the wall. He stumbled as he landed on the other side, glancing back at his home one last time before making a break for it towards the nearby forest.

He ran for what felt like millennia, stopping in a clearing to catch his breath. He leaned against a tree, having never run for so long before in his life. He looked up, the once blue skies now a dark grey. Karce glanced around, looking for shelter from the incoming rain. He sighed, rain droplets beginning to fall before he spotted a nearby cave. He ran towards it, drawing his sword as he neared the entrance. "Hello? Anything in here?" he called, waiting for a few minutes in silence before sitting down, staring outside. He felt himself grow drowsy, leaning backwards against the cave wall as his eyes slowly closed.

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He had been living like that for the past few weeks. Running from the Ruin Order during the day, finding shelter, and then sleeping at night. It was just life to him now, a life he was stuck with... 'Unless I found another town to shelter in..' he thought. He stood up and looked around, spotting an opening into the plains. He climbed up the tree he had leaned against moments before to get a good vantage point (something he had learned during his time on the run). He felt a sense of hope surging through him as he spotted the tell-tale silhouette of a castle looming in the distance. He jumped down, landing on his feet and beginning to make his way to his one hope of safety.