By the Lust of Men - M&B Warband AAR (Chapter 11 Posted)

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I can sense that a dim-witted but rich lord will get caught in the web of a seductress only to finish his days as an unimportant consort at the side of his empress...

this sounded kinda stupid, though
 
Lord Brutus said:
Somewhat disturbed by the lack of lust :wink:, but an interesting turning point. :grin:

I wanted to use this chapter to go deeper in what is happening to Alissa and focus on it. But hey, you won't me missing the lust during Alissa's adventures :wink: hehe
 
By the Lust of Men

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Chapter 4: The one

"It has been an honour" - the merchant said while taking a step out of the tavern, and she would never know of him again. "Was it fair?" - the lady asked to herself. Well, it depends on the definition of fair. If you ask me, Yes - it was legal, and No - it was not right.

Just a couple hours before the above events, our heroes arrived to Praven - the Capital Town of the Kingdom of Swadia - with the objective of selling all the loot gathered after their great success in Lyindah and filling their purses with denars. Alissa then went to the Tavern to have a cold drink and rest the remaining hours of the day.

"Bless you my lady. It is good news to see you are well" - a man said somehwere in the place - "Ulric Fugger, it is you!" - Alissa said after recognizing the merchant's voice - "Of course it is me! but not for long..." - he exclaimed with some concern in his face, inviting her to his table and asking the tavern keeper to bring whatever she wanted to drink - but she desired no more than a glass of fresh water.

"Now tell me, what is your concern?" - asked the woman - "Well, things didn't go quite so well as I had hoped. King Harlaus is grateful enough that I got rid of his crooked Captain, but he can't exactly have me running around here as a lasting reminder of his failure to take care of things himself" - explained the merchant - "So what is he expecting? People to cross their arms while  they are robbed?" -she said - "I know, I know. But this is Calardia my lady, where Kings do as they might and we must abide. In a way he was grateful enough to me and gave me enough time to sell my properties and leave town. I can't say it was the worst outcome, since in the end, I bear justice in my heart after all we did" - the merchant expressed.

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"I guess that makes me an unwanted person in this town as well. He must know I led the assault" - she assumed, but the merchant said - "Oh, my lady! Your innocence becomes naivety from time to time. Yes, he is fully aware of your participation in such events, but your beauty is not an easy thing to hide and its word has spread fast across Calradia. This called the King's attention and I assure you, he has different plans for you" - "That hardly seems fair!" - Alissa exclaimed, but the old merchant, with the experience and lessons obtained by the passing of the years, replied - "It is not all about justice, my young girl. With time you will learn that wars will be fought, crimes will be forgiven, hearts and entire nations will be broken... and everything by the lust of men. It is the one who controls lust that controls men. It is the one who controls men that carries great responsability. And it is the one with great responsability that owns power" - and after a short silence, the merchant continued - "King Harlaus has taken note of you. Be ready my lady, since he or any of his Lords may offer a good deal to have you at their side - or given the chance, their competitors will. But be aware, they may desire more than just your sword" - Ulric suggested and, impressed by his wisdom, Alissa said  - "It is a shame that you must leave this land, your skills could be very valuable among our team" - she purposed - "Oh no! I am not one for adventure, but keep an eye out there and you may find interesting people that could be willing to join your cause. But my glass is empty and the time is short, I must leave now. I will never forget the fight we lived together, it was one worth of song" - and after leaving some denars in the table, he left.

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Alissa never saw the man again and no one ever did. It is not clear what happened to him, but his property was never sold and his body was never found. However, his words would stay in the thoughts of our lady for ever and would lead her trough the search of the highest bidder for her sword... or her beauty.
 
A new chapter is coming up today!

Lord Brutus said:
This lust thing has me intrigued, excellent work.  A wonderful, lustful place, this Chile.  I must visit there sometime.
Thanks Brutus! It is nice when people enjoys the story :grin:

Oh yes, it is said I'm guilty for bringing the lust all they way down from Mexico :twisted:
Yep, I'm Mexican living in Chile (A wetback... but in the south. Just kidding, I'm legal)



 
By the Lust of Men

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Chapter 5: Dear Sanjar

With Ulric's words in her head, Alissa and her men rode out of Praven searching the opportunity to gain some denars at the service of the Swadian Lords. But suddenly, the beautiful scenery was full of dust by the passing of a military march across the countryside, raising with honour the banner of their Lord. With haste, Alissa approached the group of soldiers and requested to talk with their leader.

It is a curious thing how a woman's beauty can produce such different reactions among people. For some it is a feeling of comfort, for others is a reason of great anxiety, but for Baron Mirchaud, it raised a rare - if not impolite - social barrier.

"My name is Alissa, at your service sir" - the once a thief said - "These are fallen times indeed, when even women turn brigand, to pick the leaving from the wreckage of war" - Baron Mirchaud greeted. Alissa, a woman of strong temperament, could not stand the male idealism of the time and did not hesitate in answering with her most honest thoughts - "Indeed, these are fallen times , when brigands call themselves 'Lords'" - and among the troops of both leaders, it was heard the soldiers' attempts to stifle their laughter. "Are you trying to provoke me? I could order my men to seize you and horsewhip you. Would you like them to do that?" - replied infuriated the arrogant man - "This is not worth the shedding of blood" - said wisely the brave woman, turned around and left. Alissa's decision was not very smart, but no one would ever forget the name of who once called Baron Mirchaud a brigand.

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Hoping for better luck, Alissa resumed her search for a Swadian Lord that valued the brave heart of a woman.

After hours of roaming the land, our heroes stopped for some minutes to rest. During this time, a group of ravaged villagers passed by with the word that the Kingdom of Nords had declared war against the Kingdom of Swadia and raided their village. Those were bittersweet news for Alissa, since it meant death, destruction and danger, but it also meant opportunity.

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At the distance, it could be seen the smoke of the burning villages. The bodies of the innocent could be found across the fields and fear made the air thicker across Calardia. The night fell, but our heroes would not set a camp in the middle of a warzone, and instead, decided to hurry to the nearest town or castle to spend the night.

"Stop right there!" - a vocie said from the deep forest - "If any of you move a muscle, we will land hundreds of arrows on you before you even reach your blade" - and as Alissa raised her hands surrendering, the figure of her femenine body was lit by the moonlight - "Looks like we are having fun tonight boys!" - the stranger said to the rest, blinded by the lust of men.  With ill intentions, the stranger walked towards Alissa, and she could recognize the elements of a Swadian banner - "I am no enemy my Lord. We roam the lands in the best interests of the Kingdom of Swadia. You may have not heard my name before, but I am willing to fight for you and raise a name for myself" - the woman said convincingly - "And, who are you?" - said the Lord - "My name is Alissa".

The Swadian leader ordered his man to  lower their weapons but to stay alert and, amazed by the beauty of the woman before him, he said - "It must really be you. Your beauty is truly unique they say. Accept my humble apologies and please do not think it forward, if I say that it is unusual to see a woman caparisoned for war. I hope that one day I may be the father of a daughter possessed of such bravery and spirit" - he said with great shame - "Your lustful thoughts turn into flattering words , my lord. Apology accepted" - Alissa said with relief - "I'm glad to hear that! I am Count Rafarch, a loyal vassal of King Harlaus. Please tell me, what are you and your men doing in these dangerous lands at this hour? This is no place for a night walk" - Count Rafarch asked - "We were trying to find a safe place to spend the night when..." - Alissa was interrupted by Count Rafarch - "Oh, please let me offer you protection for the night. We will give you and your men food and a bed to sleep. Our camp is not far from here and in the morning you can leave". Accepting the kind proposition, Alissa accompanied Count Rafarch back to his camp.

"Let me ask if I can help you somehow, my lord. I am in debt with you for your kind help"- Alissa asked once in the Count's camp and, after thinking for a moment, he said - "I could be in the need of a fast courier. There is this letter I need to deliver to Khan Sanjar of Khergit Khanate, who must be in Tulga currently. If you are going towards there, would you deliver my letter to him?" - "Certainly, sir. It would be an honour" - the woman agreed.

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The next morning, after receiving a few denars from Count Rafarch, our heroes resumed their travels.

It took them a few days to cross the land all the way to Tulga, in Khergit Khanate. In such days, our heroes avoided combat if possible, but more than once they were forced to fight. They enjoyed of multiple victories and suffered from the occasional wound, but It was not until the last day of April when Alissa and her men arrived to Tulga. It was getting dark, so they decided to rest for the night and request a meeting with Khan Sanjar the next morning.

As it has happened for the last million years - the sun raised in the sky early in the morning, the sunlight provided the homes with heat, and fathers said goodbye to their families before going to work. Alissa walked all the way to the castle doors, where she requested the guard to meet with Khan Sanjar. Finally, the guard removed her weapons and let her come in.

"It is not often that I meet a woman who aspires to lead men into battle. But these are dark and troubled times, and I for one will not turn away hands that can grip a sword, should their owner be brave and loyal" - greeted Khan Sanjar to the young lady as she approached - "I'm Alissa, and have travelled from the far fields of Swadia, protecting this message from Count Rafarch with my life. Please receive the letter that was entrusted to me" - said Alissa as she lend the letter to the nobleman - "It was good of you to bring me this, Alissa. Take my seal as proof that I've received it , with my thanks" - Sanjar said.

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It was a long journey, but in the end, Alissa was able to complete the task given to her by an important vassal of King Harlaus. It was an easy mission for a start, but soon enough more challenges would knock our heroes' door and have them face the dangers of Calradia.

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By the Lust of Men

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Chapter 6: A secret admirer

"Get your gear ready, we are riding back to Swadian territory soon" - she told her men and in less than half an hour the group was ready to leave the town of Tulga, raising a cloud of dust where they were lost in the distant horizon.

As it was a common thing, the guys used to joke, sing and laugh during their long travels - except that this time the laughter would turn into a warcry. Alissa was putting away her flask with water when the man next to her fell from his horse with an arrow in his neck. Immediatley, a big volley of arrows fell upon our heroes with deadly precision. "Spread out!" - was the order she gave to her troops to decrease the effectiveness of the incoming ranged attack. "Move forward!" - ordered one of Alissa's Captains to move the men out of the killing zone. It was all chaos, fear and blood, and only seconds after the first arrow, Alissa's horse was hit in the head with fatal force, throwing her to the ground and losing consciousness.

After a few minutes she opened her eyes, trapped under the dead body of her fallen horse. The corpses of her fellow men were all over the place and a group of Khergit Horse Archers were looting the bodies. The sound of a stretching bow surprised Alissa - "Do not kill her" - ordered his leader to the soldier readying an arrow to end her life - "She is more valuable alive" -  and was removed from under the horse by two men, who took her prisioner.

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"Why is the Khergit Khanate attacking travellers? This is a war crime!" - Alissa exclaimed - "Don't mention those bastards. We are now free brothers and I won't risk anyone to stop us" - the enemy leader replied - "You may be a deserter, but that doesn't change the fact that you are a soldier. Prove your honor and let me go" - she tried to convince the man - "I'm an honorable man, but I can not let you go my young lady. I will release the chains on your wrists and treat you with dignity, but don't ever forget you are still our prisioner" - as he ordered his men to cut her chains and resume their way.

The following day Alissa was called to the front of the line, so the leader could have a word with her. "Your beauty is truly unique, but are you worth it?" - the former Khergit leader said to the young woman as she looked confused - "You must be wondering what is inside this envelope and more important, why did I call you" - he continued - "Well, well, well. This could be real love or may be it is just the lust of men, but you are free to go" - and after taking a huge sum of denars from the envelope, he handed it over to the young girl. Inside the white envelope it was found a note written:

"Do not give up. You bring hope to my heart and to the whole land - your dreams will bring great kindness to Calradia.
- Your secret admirer"

Alissa was instructed to take 500 steps before removing the blindfold. The light reached her green eyes once again and gave her the hope of a new beginning. 

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By the Lust of Men

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Chapter 7: From the ground up

"Insanity is doing the same thing every day and expect a different outcome every time" - said Alissa's father one time. She had been defeated for a second time when they fell by the Khergit arrows and knew it was time to change things. She analyzed her strenghts and weaknesses, and it was not hard to realize that being a dancer didn't make her a fighter and that being a thief didn't make her a trader, but instead it increased her charisma and made her a great leader - yet her most deadly weapon was still to be discovered by the lust of men.

People was her most valuable skill and so, she would need to find and lead men with the skills she lacked the most. "Money, money and more money is what it takes to win a war" - once said a famous leader from a faraway land. She bought a horse named "Cobalt" - a strong Brown Rouncey - and rode it from Dhirim to Suno, from Suno to Praven, from Praven to Uxhal in the search of a trader to join her travels, a person to increase income and decrease expenses, a person to know about prices and money.

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After a few weeks of unsuccessful search, dispair filled her heart - it would seem impossible to find someone with the required skills, but one day the unexpected happened. Alissa went for a night walk around the streets of Uxhal when she heard a scream coming from around the corner. She doesn't know what led her to come closer, but she did. A young man was being kicked in the ground and his caravan robbed by 2 other men.  Without saying a word, Alissa unsheathed her sword and stabbed one of them and, as soon as they could, the remaining bandits took the horses and escaped with all the goods. "No! My money!" - exclaimed the young man, still on the floor - "Come on, get up" - Alissa said while helping him to get on his feet - "They took everything!" - he said with great concern - "Really? And I thought they had forgotten to take your life" - she said -  "Well, you are right. Thank you, my lady. My name is Marnid and you saved my life" - "I am Alissa. It was not a very kind introduction, but pleased to meet you".

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Once in the Tavern, the beautiful young lady had a drink with the young man, who was still very affected by the previous events. "So, what is your story?" - Alissa asked - "A while back I left my village with a caravan of goods. I was hoping to sell it all in Sargoth and make a hefty sum. But, well... you know what happened. So here I am, no money and no way home" - he explained - "Well, perhaps I could offer you work. Can you fight?" - the lady asked to the man - "Well I will confess that I am not a warrior by trade. But I'm a fast learner. I can ride , and know a fair bit about trade, prices and such" - he replied - "Then you are exactly what I am looking for. Get your things ready".

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Trade enriched the land of Calradia and with the help of Marnid, money would ease the road to success. But Alissa was still in the need of more men - who would be next to join?

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By the Lust of Men

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Chapter 8: Gladiator

It was a day of May when our heroes arrived to Praven. Trade led them to this town and, with the help of Marnid, Alissa went to the Goods' store to sell the different items bought along the way.

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"It was a pleasure making business with you" - Marnid said, when Alissa interrupted - "There is a lot of people on the streets, what is going on?" - she asked to the shop keeper - "You don't know? It is the tournament! People from all places come here for fame and money" - the shop keeper said with great excitement - "Tournaments? You mean like arena fighting?" -Alissa asked with surprise - "YES! Isn't it great? It has been long since the last time a tournament was held in Praven" - the shop keeper said. "What is this, the 5th century? I thought that senseless bloodshed was a thing of the past" - Alissa exclaimed and, after a quick smile, the shop keeper replied - "Oh no, my lady. These torunaments are not held with real weapons. Yes, people gets hurt from time to time, but only wooden weapons are allowed" - and after thinking for a few seconds, Alissa exclaimed - "Well, this could be interesting..." - to what Marnid added somewhat disappointed - "Yes, but it must be already too late and we will never find a place to sit in the gallery" -  "Oh don't worry! I never mentioned a gallery, did I?" - Alissa said while walking out of the shop.

"Wait, wait, wait! Were are you going?" - Marnid asked while trying to follow his rushing leader - "To the King's bathroom" - and after a short pause, she added - "What you mean where I'm going? To the tournament, you fool! We need the denars". After a few minutes of trying to stop her of performing her not so good idea, Marnid grabbed her arm and said - "My lady, please. Think about it for a second. It is not that you are not such a good fighter, but you will be facing mad veteran fighters over there. You don't want to get your beautiful body all bruised, do you?" - "You better worry about your own bruises Marnid. You are coming as well" - Alissa stated, and after walking a couple meters she stopped to ask - "Were you flirting with me back there?" - and with a flushed face, Marnid replied - "Fli-flirting? Of course not!" - "You don't like women?" - she asked with a jokingly face... and so, they continued arguing all the way down the arena.

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Not even Marnid knows how he got convinced, but we all know it was by the lust of men that he agreed to participate in the tournament. Finally they were there, dressed in green, riding a horse, and with a big lance on their hands. In the first round, there were 4 teams with 2 participants each - luckily, Marnid was her teammate. "Make sure to stay close. We need to remain together" - Alissa said to Marnid when the signal to start the match was heard.

Alissa charged the red team, readying her lance to bring them down as they closed in. She hit one with her lance, throwing him down of his horse and, as his teammate tried to avoid trampling him, Marnid got lucky and brought the other one down. The red team was eliminated from the round quickly, but there were still blue and yellow, who were fighting fiercely on the other side of the arena. Alissa attacked both teams from the side, while they were concentrated in bringing each other down. She was able to eliminate one yellow, but Marnid rode into his counterpart's lance, getting hit right in the head. The crowd couldn't help but to express with their voice the painful scene they just saw. But Marnid stood up - "My god! Are you ok? That is indeed a good helmet!" - Alissa said  while protecting him from the other participants - "I'm not sure the helmet was the one that took the hit, my lady!" - Marnid replied still stunned by the blow. Alissa managed to hold both blue opponents until Marnid recovered from the fall, but the remaining yellow man surprised Alissa, hitting her horse and throwing her to the ground. Alissa lost her horse, but she was still in the fight.

"Run!" - Alissa suggested - "Let me say I'm impressed by your creative tactics, my lady"  - He said mockingly while running for his tournament life, but as soon as he finished the sentence a lance struck his butt, eliminating him from the tournament. A second of silence was heard before the crowd exploded in laughter.

It wasn't easy for Alissa to stay in the match, but soon, yellow eliminated one blue and the last blue eliminated yellow, leaving Alissa against blue in a 1 vs 1 fight. Her opponent, still on his horse, charged towards Alissa, but she waited until the perfect moment to strike with her wooden sword, hitting him in the chest as he rode by. The blow was so strong that the man lost consciousness, declaring her the winner of the first tier.

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After the end of the round, Alissa went to talk with Marnid - "How is your..." - when he interrupted - "But... why did I listen to you? I should have never joined this tournament!" - "You will be just fine. Here, take 100 denars. Bet 50 on me and drink the rest to my health" - she said while lending the money to him.

Alissa fought fiercely during the following rounds and surprised by her own performance, she made it to the last round, where she would face Dranton - a bloodthirsty fighter and current champion of the tournament. 

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For the final round, the two participants are dressed in different colors from the worn during the previous tier and their helmets cover their head completely, so that it is difficult for the crowd to recognize the participants until the very end.

The finalists entered the arena, one dressed in red and one in green. Under the roaring of the crowd, both fighters were given the signal to start the match and raising a cloud of dust, their horses accelerated to full speed. The few seconds that it took both oponents to approach face to face, seemed like ages for the expectators and when they were finally in combat reach, the one wearing green armor hit the opponent's shield, breaking it in a thousand pieces. The crowd was lost in excitement.

Both participants stopped their horses at opposite ends of the arena and prepared for another pass. You could hear the voices of the expectators from miles away, some yelled "Alissa", but most supported Dranton. You could see the anxiety suffered by the one in red, while the green one stayed confident, but it would be the courage in their heart the one to grant the winner with victory.

Accompanied by the roaring of the crowd, the horses started to move towards its opponent. The one in green armor uttered a cry of war while riding in what could be the last pass. But suddenly, silence fell upon the arena - the red one fell stunned to the ground and valiantly attempted to stand up, but couldn't do it.

The silence remained until the one in green removed the helmet to reveal the new winner. With the helmet in the hand, the crowd couldn't stop saying her name, declaring Alissa the new champion.

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My apologies for the ones that read Chapter 8 immediatley after I posted it. I had some trouble while pasting the text, since some paragraphs were put in the wrong order :oops:

If you found something weird while reading for the first time, please read again (it has been corrected).

Hope you enjoy!  :grin:
 
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