Defying Equilibrium

Chapter 3: The Continuous war is only a stone's throw away

“How do you think it started?” Oscar asked as he threw his rock at the target. They played this game when they were bored sometimes, drawing a target on a tree that was a good distance away and seeing who could hit it with a rock first. Oscar's first rock missed by quite a large distance.

“You mean the war?” Dare replied as he threw his first rock. His throw was even worse than Oscar's, missing by a mile. He tossed another pebble up and down in his right hand, which was covered by a black glove. The pair of gloves had been a gift from his aunt, before she'd passed away. They were black wool, woven with thick strips of black leather. He had lost the left one years ago, but still wore the right one everyday. Oscar had no idea why.

Oscar nodded. “Yeah, the war,” he said as he threw his next rock, a little closer than his last.

Dare pondered this. “It's been in existence since the dawn of time as we know it. You know, rule of Equilibrium and all that.” His next throw was even worse than his first. Dare was never much good at this game, but he played anyway.

“Well, yeah, that's all true,” said Oscar, “but how do you think it started? I mean, wars don't start themselves. It had to be over something.” Oscar's next throw was pretty close to the target.

“I bet it was over something stupid,” Dare laughed as his stone sailed far to the side of the target. “Like over a cow or something.”

Oscar laughed. “That's your answer? The Continuous War was started over a cow? The war that began at the dawn of time and will continue to eternity was started over a cow?” Oscar's next throw was the closest yet.

“Well, maybe the cow belonged to a king,” said Dare. “I mean, if I was a king, I wouldn't let anyone steal the royal cow and get away with it.” His next throw was another huge miss. Oscar laughed so hard that his next throw was the worst yet, sailing a good distance to the left of the target.

They took a break from the game and sat down on the grass that covered the forest clearing that they were in. The forest on the outskirts of Damakis City were thick and easy to get lost in if you didn't know what you were doing. The foliage looked exactly the same every way you turned, giving the illusion that a certain section of the forest looked familiar, when in reality you were miles from where you thought you were. There were a few weathered paths that twisted through the forest, used by fishermen to get from the city to the lake, but stray off those paths and you were most likely going to get lost within the minute.

Oscar and Dare had ventured further into the forest than anyone they knew, but even they stuck fairly close to the edges. When they were eleven, they explored the forest for the first time, and tied bits of string to trees so that they could find their way out again. If you venture into the forest and follow that string trail, you will find yourself at the clearing. Oscar and Dare were quite sure that they were the only ones who knew of it's existence, and they planned to keep it that way.

The clearing was only a small gap in the dense forest, but in it was a small hut. Oscar and Dare had guessed that some old hermit must have lived here before, but it is abandoned now. It didn't even have a door or any windows, just large rectangular gaps in the wall. Oscar and Dare loved it anyway.

“What if the war just...ended?” Oscar asked. He seemed eager to discuss the topic of the war today. “I know it won't, but...If it did?”

Dare laughed. “People wouldn't know what to do with their lives. If you're a Shielder, you are just born to hate Swordsmen, and if you're a Swordsman, the same. I've never really thought about that. I mean, they send soldiers up to protect the borderline, right? I guess, if they stopped doing that, we'd be overrun by Swordsmen.”

“That's what would happen if the Swordsmen won,” countered Oscar, “But what would happen if our side found a way to actually win?”

Dare shook his head. “Not possible.”

“What if a sword and a shield fought together?” Oscar asked.

“It would overwhelm the wielder,” Dare replied. “They taught us that in Historical Studies, remember? The power of both the shield and the sword would be too much for any individual. They'd die.”

“Yeah, but that's not what I meant,” Oscar countered. “What if a Swordsman and a Shielder worked together, as a pair? They'd be unstoppable.”

Dare pondered this. “I guess so, but good luck ever getting a Swordsman to team up with a Shielder.”

“We could win the war with that kind of power,” Oscar said wistfully. “and then Louise wouldn't have to go.” Dare smiled. Oscar was always thinking like that, very naively. As they left the clearing, Oscar turned and threw one more rock at the target. He hit it dead centre.

Zatirik watched them leave from the treetops. This job would be hard, yes. These two were both skilled fighters, he knew because he had seen them spar. They were both strong, although the long-haired one was stronger, definitely. They were both fast, but the taller one was faster, definitely. Zatirik's job was never easy though, and he enjoyed a challenge. The last pair of people that he had to take care of hardly put up a fight at all. Zatirick knew he would enjoy this, oh yes. He would enjoy killing the brainless one and the brainless one's friend. Brainless enough to question the rule of Equilibrium, and its power. Brainless.