Bao

by Patrick Wood

Bao. Definitely one of the most intelligent and over-prepared creatures to live on the shadow of the Earth. This shadow, just as important as the Earth we know, has evaded our eyes forever. Or maybe not.

Bao has been studying all his life. How sad it is that he never let a drop of fun enter his pool of life. Never has he thought to stop studying, stand up, and say, "I am intelligent!"

Bao's only thought was, "I am stupid; I am a disgrace to my parents!"

But a creature can only learn so much in a lifetime ...

"You have everyone on your side! Now is the time to take advantage! If you ordered everyone to give you all their possessions, no-one would doubt your wisdom," said the advisor to the king.

"Are you suggesting that I take everything from everyone?" asked the king.

"Exactly. The more you have now, the more we'll have in the future for this land. That's what we'll tell everyone. What we won't tell them is that a portion will be used to satisfy the people of the palace."

"Sounds good to me."

Those were the most regretted words the king ever said.

Bao woke up to here the sounds of his angry parents. He heard his mother cry "He is going to take everything. We worked so hard for all this!"

Bao walked to his room's door, but he dared not open it and face his upset parents. Bao heard no more words, only sobs and sniffles. He forced himself to open the door. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, Bao," said Bao's mother. "You are not going to be happy when you hear this."

Bao had no idea what was going to be said next. He thought about what could be going on, but nothing came to mind. There was a ten-second silence, then finally Bao's father said, "You know who King Liu is don't you?"

"Of course! He has made this land better and better for twenty-seven years," said Bao.

"Well, he is going to make it a lot worse. He is taking our house and everything in it."

Bao knew his parents wouldn't kid around about something so serious.

"How long until we must evacuate?" asked Bao.

"If we are lucky, three months," answered Bao's father.

"What are we going to do?"

"You want to make us happy more than anything, right?"

"Of course."

"Serve in the rebellion, then."

Bao's head swam. So much of the unbelievable was happening so quickly. He and his family had lived for so many pleasant years and now that would come to an end. He loved those memories so much he would fight for more. Then Bao's father said, "Dragons, ogres, trolls, and all the other creatures you have heard about are real. Plus, they will probably side with the king. You will have to fight them."

Bao woke up on the floor with his parents above him. "What do you say?" asked Bao's father.

"I will not let you down, father."

And so it began. Bao set out to join the rebellion. Within minutes he had signed up and gone to the commander's tent. Bao entered and saw the commander. He had an elaborate coat full of medals. He must have served in the king's army before King Liu became a greedy jerk.

"Hello, you must be Bao. I keep checking the enlistment sheet. This is one small regiment. Anyway, you may call me commander Shota. Let me show you the soldiers you will be working with."

Bao and commander Shota walked out of the tent and shortly found the soldiers. "Bao, these are Fang, Chang, Kuroki, Leung, Tambi, and Smith," said the commander.

"You enlisted just in time for our first mission. A scout party of trolls on the king’s side has set up an encampment. Tambi will set it on fire while the rest of us kill any trolls that give us trouble. Now let’s go to the weapons shack and get you something. Slim pickings though since the rebellion just started."

Bao was amazed. Trolls were real. Even if trolls were much like Bao's species, and the least impressive of the creatures Bao had heard stories about, it was still unbelievable. Bao wanted to leave badly. He was not much of a soldier. He knew that would be the wrong decision, and went on to the weapons shack. He was shocked to find that the most effective weapon was a board of wood. Boa took the board with a sigh.

Bao joined the other soldiers, who were drinking milk for energy before they set off. Leung finished his cup with one big chug and he began to talk to Bao about the rebellion. Bao was soon equipped with all the information he needed.

Sooner than a minute afterwards, Commander Shota ordered the group to start on their way. Bao began to sweat buckets as Tambi spotted the encampment in the distance. The group walked on.

Tambi ran, torch in hand. He set the encampment on fire. Nothing happened at first. Then un-armed trolls ran out of the building and promptly surrendered.

"Tell the King to expect more of what happened here unless he stops his foolish actions," said Commander Shota.

Without any other option except fighting with their fists against the rebellion and their weapons, the trolls returned to the palace. When the King heard about the rebellion he summoned his advisor. After the King informed the advisor about the rebellion, the advisor told the King to dispatch regiments of troops across the map to crush any rebellion regiments in their area.

This news reached Commander Shota who told his troops "... and just our luck, we've got the ogres! Even though we are a good regiment and I would love to take them on head-on, I don't think we would have a chance doing that with the kind of weapons we have. "

Commander Shota paused a minute, and then said "We need one heck of a plan to defeat the ogres. I can't think of anything. We have to brainstorm."

There was silence for a few minutes, and then Bao said, "I'm just spitballing here, but what if we had one man rush at the group of ogres, make a U-turn, and then had the ogres pursue him until the ogres were in the desired position? Then the rest of us could ambush them from the back. Yes! We could hide in the dense forest around here. We would need long range weapons we could make from metal and poisoned wood. We probably have over two months for development. And s-"

"Whoa," interrupted Commander Shota. "This sounds good. You should write this down."

"I'll draw a diagram," said Bao.

"Wow. You're really smart, aren't you?" asked Leung.

"No. Actually I am quite deficient. I doubt this will work."

"Well it sounds like a good plan to me."

Kuroki appeared with paper and a pencil for Bao. He had gone to get it right after Commander Shota suggested the plan should be written down. It was obvious he was more confident in the plan than anyone else.

Bao allowed himself to smile as he drew the diagram.

Everyone thought this would work, and set out to make arrows and spears.

When they were done they faced one problem. Who was going to be the one to get the ogres attention, and then run for his life? Bao knows the plan better than anyone else," said Chang. "He should be the runner."

Everyone except Bao (who protested a great deal) agreed. This was most likely because no-one else wanted to do it. But that was that. Bao was the runner.

A little more than two months later, Kuroki spotted the ogres slowly advancing. The plan was now in action. Bao bravely advanced on the ogres, while the rest of his regiment ran into the forest.

Bao walked on, perspiring from nearly every part of his body. He walked within five feet of the ogres. The ogres then stopped and looked at him.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" an ogre bellowed.

"I want you to stop collecting unfair taxes."

"HAHAHAHA!" laughed the same ogre.

"DO YOU THINK WE CARE ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL PROBLEMS?"

"I have a gun in the shed, and I am going to go and get it. Just try to stop me!"

Bao started to run. The ogres fell for the trick and tried to catch him.

They weren't fast, but their long strides gave them an advantage.

Regardless, Bao managed to lead them into the ambush. The fastest ogre felt the pain of wood and metal and the lethal pleasure of poison, then another and another until the ogres were completely defeated.

The news of the battle spread, making Bao a popular hero. It went down in history as Bao's Battle. This reached the king, so Bao was in some major trouble.

"...and you thought it wouldn't work," said Leung to Bao. "I just got lucky, I really am quite stupid."

"That battle was proof you're not. Not a single causality to your side."

Bao was congratulated several times over. The regiment would not have been so happy if they knew that the king was going to release his most vicious attack yet.

A whole army of trolls were dispatched. Luckily for Bao and his regiment, their base was one of the last stops on the trolls' warpath, so the number of trolls had dwindled.

Kuroki woke everyone up at a very inconvenient time to inform them that the trolls were advancing. Tambi broke out the torches, which scared off all but the bravest trolls who were defeated in combat. There it was another win for the regiment. But where was Chang?

"We have to find Chang!" said Bao.

"That's what they want us to do, it's a trap!" said Leung.

"Chang is a great person! We could overpower those trolls anyway," said Commander Shota.

The regiment went in search of Chang only to find him dead and tied to a tree with obvious signs of torture too gruesome to mention. A mass vomiting followed.

"Those sick cowards!!!" thought Bao as he lost his lunch.

"WHAT?" screamed the king. "ANOTHER DEFEAT?" He paused and then continued. "Dispatch half the army!"

The King sat back and thought, "That should do the trick."

Ogres, trolls, dragons, and many other species loyal to the king set out to complete one objective: Destroy all rebels. For the next three weeks many great rebel leaders and their regiments fell to the overwhelming attack. Bao's regiment saw no action.

Bao woke up in early morning, soon after the battles, with a sore throat.

He went to the nearest well, alone. For whatever reason, the well was far away from camp. Bao bent to take a drink and saw a dot in the distance. He drank and looked back up. The dot was larger. Bao took one more sip and then it hit him. A regiment!

But did it belong to friend or foe?

Bao knew what it was. A regiment of trolls, the king's trolls that is.

Bao knew he couldn't make it back in time. He didn't want to lead them to the camp. He decided it was time for him to die. He would stay put.

He had a terrible feeling of fear and a heart pumping excessively, but he also had the wonderful feeling of knowing he was going to die a hero.

As the trolls approached, Bao heard footsteps behind him. He turned to find Smith running at him, or was he running at the trolls? Smith had always looked very strange and never uttered a word. Smith lifted an odd object (gun from Earth) and let out a war cry. Light flashed from the object and a loud noise was made at the same time. A troll fell and Smith fired again and again and more and more trolls fell.

Now there were only three trolls left who were charging at top speed right at Smith, who killed two of them. Bao picked up a rock to distract the third one. It was too late.

The troll caught Smith in the stomach with a sword. Bao hit the troll on the head with the rock he had picked up, breaking the troll's cranium. It was a nasty sight, blood spurting and brain oozing. Bao kicked the body away so he wouldn't have to look at it, and then went to Smith.

Smith then said his last words in English: "I came here from Earth."

Bao wondered what Smith had tried to say as he watched the life leave the man who saved him. Since Bao was from the shadow of the Earth, he had no idea what English was.

Bao wrote down Smith's last words as best he could. He sat for hours trying to make sense of it, but his efforts were in vain. Bao became sad. He had seen two good men die, killed by soldiers of the same king that took all of his belongings. He had seen mass carnage, something only the wickedest of minds enjoy. Bao was a good, caring creature, so this was harder on him than most. And now he couldn't understand Smith's last words! He was homesick and had no connections with females. Images of peace, prosperity, his parents and everything else Bao loved entered his mind as they were shattered by images of trolls and gore. Bao then began to cry; he knew prosperity was impossible and he was most likely to die in battle.

NO! Bao forced himself to stop crying and drop all thought, which was very difficult. He would tell his regiment of Smith's death and see if anyone understood Smith's last words.

The news brought pained faces that only got worse when nobody understood Smith's last words. Commander Shota hated to lose another man but he still told the men to stop mourning and arrange a quick burial and then prepare for warfare. Commander Shota may have been a sympathetic man, but he was not a fool.

News only got worse for Bao and his shrunken regiment. No more than a month after Smith's death, Kuroki spotted a group of enemy dragons.

"This is where our lives shall end," said Leung, surprisingly calmly.

"Maybe so, but let us fight anyway. The king takes more no prisoners and we must stand by what we believe. Let us die as heroes or live as heroes!" shouted Commander Shota.

And with that the regiment headed to face what looked like certain doom. Before the regiment could attack the dragons flew and let fire flow in orange waves from their mouths. The regiment's members ducked and dodged, but Commander Shota was hit and instantly reduced to flaming bones.

Bao watched in despair. His commander, his brave admirable commander, was gone. And he could do nothing about it! Or could he? With quick feet and a leap he managed to get on the roof of a stone fort. When a dragon came within jumping distance, Bao thrust himself through the air with force to land on the dragon’s neck. The dragon shook violently but Bao held on (despite that his arms barely fit around the dragon’s neck). When the dragon finally tired, Bao swung down its neck and raised his arm as he held on tightly with the other and hit the dragon with a forceful punch to the eye. The dragon whipped its head back in pain, causing Bao to fall from quite a height. Bao hit the ground with the heels of his feet first and then fell on his back so pain was minimal. Bao sprang back up, fists throbbing from the last punch. He had hit the dragon’s eye with a knuckle. The dragon reared and then headed back to where it came from. Bao was proud of himself but there were still more dragons to deal with. By some miracle the rest of the regiment managed to stay alive the whole time.

"The torches!" thought Bao. "But could dragons burned? Only one way to find out."

Bao gathered and lit a few torches in an instant. Once he saw Leung cornered by a dragon, he rushed over and burned the dragon, making the skin char black. The dragon blew fire in pain and outrage, scorching Leung and causing him to suffer the same fate as Commander Shota. "Not one more man shall die!" declared Bao.

He burned the dragon again. This time it retreated. "They’re awfully cowardly," thought Bao.

He looked around but heard nothing and saw nothing. The adrenaline left him slowly.

"Hello?" cried Bao.

"Is that you Bao?"

"Yes. Would you be Fang?"

"Yes, I would."

"Did any of the others make it?"

"‘Fraid not."

"No more dragons?"

"Nope, I killed the last one."

"Thank goodness for that."

Bao spotted Fang approaching him. "We can’t call ourselves a regiment now," said Fang.

"No doubt. We need to join another regiment," said Bao.

"Right. The nearest ones are in Opren Platz."

"Let’s go!"

"I hope you know there is a lesser demon guarding the only way to it."

"What? Do you think we can take him?"

"Not with a piece of wood! Take Shota’s sword and any other of the weapons lying around that might be useful."

"Right."

Bao and Fang gathered a week’s worth of food even though the trip would be only three days because the food supply at the base was plentiful and they didn’t want it to go to waste. "What else do we need?" asked Bao.

"Not much. As long as I have food I’m happy." said Fang with a smile.

"All right then, let’s go!"

Bao and Fang began to walk and walk and walk. The landscape was boring and the nonstop walking very tiring. Bao and Fang tried to keep up there energy by eating some of the food. It didn’t work to well. The two found themselves sleeping before the sun went down.

The next day was a bit better. Their feet rested and stretched, the traveling became easy. Also, the landscape was a little less familiar.

Flowers became more abundant, filling the air with a pleasant smell. By the end of the day Bao was having fun. Fang was an excellent companion, after he finished bragging about the dragons he slew the day before.

Fang told humorous new jokes and showed his nice, friendly personality.

"I’m so glad he didn’t die," thought Bao as his lips formed a slight smile.

The third day held memories Bao kept until his death. The two companions told jokes and stories until their stomachs hurt from laughing and their faces became sore from smiling. The day proceeded much like the second for several hours. The flowers suddenly became less abundant as the landscape got gloomy. After a few more minuets of walking a cave became visible. "That is the border of Opren Platz and where the infamous lesser demon dwells," said Fang with a hint of fright.

"Well, no matter how dreadful it gets we have to continue," said Bao.

"That does true...don’t underestimate the demon. This will be an unimaginably difficult fight to win," warned Fang.

"We defeated dragons! You even slew one without a torch!"

With that, Fang broke out with a huge grin and started for the cave, causing Bao to do the same. Upon entering the cave Bao saw nothing unusual. Nothing could be seen besides an occasional stalagmite or stalactite. The cave was wet and dark like most other caves, with nothing unique about it. The two continued on without a word, their footsteps landing like thunderous booms in the silence.

Still nothing happened until Bao spotted a flash of red which zipped away at the speed of a bullet. "Did you see that?" asked Bao.

"See what?" replied Fang who had now lost his grin.

"Never mind. It must have been my imagina ..."

In the blink of an eye, a horrific sight appeared. It was a relatively humanoid figure, red and menacing, over six-and-a-half-feet tall with the head of a bull, standing upright on two hoofed feet, showing its fit body.

Bao stood still thinking of what to do next. Instantly slay or talk. Bao was not allowed more than a moment to think before the demon smacked Bao's face with a clawed fist. Bao nearly became air born as he flew backwards. He touched his cheek and then stared at his hands. From a mere touch, his hands were soaked in blood. He looked to his left to find Fang on the ground, sword drawn, and having suffered the same fate as Bao.

Negotiating was impossible. Turning back was impossible. Bao drew the sword that had once belonged to Commander Shota and charged the demon, only to be smacked again. Bao's face burned in pain and dripped blood. It was now clear to Bao what he had to do.

Parry the blow.

Again Bao charged, slightly slower this time. The demon tried the same move but Bao was ready. He parried the blow and yet the demon seemed unfazed. Bao swung his sword and slashed the demon's torso a bit above the stomach. The lesser demon roared in frustration. He had been outsmarted!

The lesser demon gave Bao a good backhand blow to the face, causing Bao to stagger backwards with a nose more than just harmed. Bao looked over at Fang. He hadn't moved an inch.

Bao's eyes went from seeing Fang to seeing the ground after he was smacked again. Getting up was going to be no easy feat this time. He took awhile to shake off enough pain to sit up. He thought, "Why didn't he finish me off? Fang!"

At first Bao saw nothing then he spotted Fang fighting the lesser demon in the distance. He tried to stand up and rush over but he was forced to sit down again by intense pain.

No matter how great the pain he would not let his only friend die. He climbed to his feet to fight the pain again and began to stagger over to help. He wouldn't walk to help his friend. He would run. And he did. He began to run like a drunken man, stumbling every so often.

Bao's arrival to the scene distracted the lesser demon, allowing Fang to cut the lesser demon's waist. The lesser demon growled and swung his fist at Fang. Fang had anticipated as much and ducked safely under the blow.

This left the demon open for Bao to attack. Bao knew another normal blow would not be enough. It was time to fight dirty. It was only fair; the lesser demon had done the same.

Bao lodged his sword in the lesser demon's crotch, pulling it out just before the lesser demon hit the ground. The lesser demon rolled, clutched his groin, and moaned in complete agony as its blood began to wet the ground.

"I guess it's safe to say he's male," said Fang.

"Stop making obvious observations and run!" shouted Bao in reply, who was now already running.

Fang and Bao reached the end of the cave without problem. They now knew the lesser demon had died. "We need to get you to a healer," said Fang.

"That’s for sure," said Bao.

Bao noticed that plants were once more up in numbers. "So this is Opren Platz, huh?" asked Bao.

"Yep," said Fang, regaining his grin.

"Its beautiful," said Bao, truthfully.

"You've got that right. Now stop making obvious observations and find yourself a healer."

This made Bao smile and then wince. It was painful to smile after so many hits around the jaw.

"Do you know your way around Opren Platz?" Bao asked.

"Far from it." said Fang. "This is my first time here."

Bao and Fang searched high and low for a healing house and came across one just as they were about to quit. They entered to find a pale-faced young man with long black hair behind a counter. "Good day to you. I'd be Galen. Who'd you be?" asked the young man.

"I'd be Fang and this here would be Bao."

"Good gracious me, Bao. You look as if you tried to kill yourself! I'll heal those wounds for something of value. Those swords look nice."

"NO!" screamed Bao, way to loudly. He obvious surprised himself with his ferocity and fell into embarrassment.

"That’s fine; do you have anything else to offer?"

"How about the dead body of a lesser demon we just slew?" said Fang.

"The border's lesser demon?"

"Yes."

"I would be a fool to charge such great warriors. Come, Bao."

Galen and Bao entered the room and Bao sat down as soon as he saw chair.

He was very exhausted. "I will now rub your wounds with the leaves of a Sapras tree. This will disinfect and close your wounds. And, as an added upside...you will smell good!" said Galen who then followed it up with a laugh.

Bao began to laugh alongside Galen. Laughs were few and far between in times as dark as Bao's. "Is this one of the king's establishments?" asked Bao after noticing it was full of valuable objects.

Galen twitched and bit his lip, paused, and then responded with "No. Opren Platz is the location of the rebellion's strongest regiment. We have been able to protect what is ours from the king so far."

"How commendable! Do you serve the rebellion? Fang and I do," said Bao proudly.

"Indeed I do," was Galen's reply. "I am the head healer of Opren Platz's regiment."

"Bless you. Bless you many times over. Maybe we will see more of each other. Goodbye."

"Well met, Sir Bao."

"Wait! Could you take Fang and me to the Opren Platz rebellion regiment?"

"Of course."

So Fang and Bao were in for even more walking and before long their feet felt ready to fall off. Finally they reached the rebellion's HQ. "We wish to see the general," said Bao.

"If I was not absolutely certain the general could dispose of you if you caused trouble and I didn't think you were as trustworthy as I do I would not be telling you this. The general's tent is the third from the left. He keeps it looking like all the others for safety."

"That's smart thinking. Thank you, Galen," said Bao.

Bao and Fang approached the tent and Bao noticed that Galen was staying behind. "He's far from nosy," thought Bao.

Bao and Fang entered the tent to find a general behind a desk wearing an even more elaborate coat than Commander Shota's, and a beard resembling that of a billy goat.

"Who'd you be?" asked the general.

"Fang and Bao of the late Commander Shota's regiment," said Bao.

The general laughed as he said, "More like two muscle-less fools thinking they can pass themselves off as a dragon slayer and the most brilliant warrior in the rebellion to get money!"

"How did you know I killed a dragon?" asked Fang.

"The leader of the rebellion has got to know everything. But you are not Fang and he is not Bao!"

"Would the sword of Commander Shota change your mind?"

The general's face showed only complete shock as Bao drew the sword.

"I'm so sorry!" said the general. "All this combat has made my tongue sharp and my mind dull."

"It's fine." said Bao. "We do not look like warriors; you had a right to be suspicious."

"You couldn't have arrived at a better time, Bao. The rebellion regiment at Elles lost its commander. Since your regiment no longer exists, I would like you to be the new commander."

"But what of Fang?"

"He will serve you as a soldier."

"I know nothing of Elles."

"It is a lush green place of elves, a day's walk from here if you're quick enough."

Bao heard Fang groan and could not hide a smile. Fang had a right to groan. They had been walking for days. They probably wouldn't go very fast and have to sleep overnight in the wilderness. "I'd recommend getting started now." said the general.

"Your recommendation is my command," said Bao, and with that, he and Fang were off.

"The general called you the most brilliant creature of the rebellion!" said Fang.

"Everyone makes mistakes." said Bao.

The two then began to walk in silence. Fang tried to conceal his pain as they walked on. Miles took their toll on feet. Bao was almost as sick of walking as Fang. The only thing that kept him going was the wondrous display of plant life. Colors from green to purple sprang up everywhere, not to mention a few 200-foot-tall trees.

The green plants were vaster than anything Bao or Fang had ever seen before in real life. Bao had seen such things in books he had studied, and did not hesitate to tell Fang everything he knew about plant after plant. Years of staying up late into the night reading about biology can do that. But it could only keep them going for so long. Not knowing that they were very close to their destination, they decided to sit down to rest. Sitting down became lying down, rest became sleep, and sleep became deep. So deep in fact, a yelling ogre would not have been able to wake them.

Bao woke up to find himself across from a fire in a wooden room with a blanket covering two thirds of his body.

He considered yelling but he knew that was not a smart move. He saw Fang to his right and decided to wake him up.

"Fang, wake up and be silent. I don't know where we are."

Fang looked around as he woke up and then asked, "Am I dreaming?"

Bao's answer was a quick "No."

"Then pinch me," said Fang.

Bao complied.

"OW! NOT THAT HARD!" shrieked Fang.

"You idiot! You weren't supposed to yell!" screamed Bao.

They saw the room's door begin to open. "Now you've done it," said Bao.

Bao and Fang were surprised to see a female elf enter the room. They were both expecting something horrible. Bao had seen many beautiful things in his life, but in his eyes the beauty of all those things combined could not surpass the elf's. She stood just a few inches under six feet (rather tall for an elf) with long brown hair and deep blue eyes. On her head sat a headpiece with a jewel the same shade of blue as her eyes and dress. Her figure was slim, and a slight smile lit up her face. "Hello," she said in Bao's language.

"Hello," said Bao, trying to keep his speech very simple because he could not speak Elvish and he doubted that the elf spoke much Gnarvish (Bao's language).

"While I was taking a walk I saw you two sleeping and shivering in the cold and I knew you would sleep better by the warmth of a fire. I didn't want to wake you so I gently carried you to my dwelling because I figured you were heading my way anyway," said the elf, again in Gnarvish.

"You carried us and you speak Gnarvish?" asked Bao, this time in Gnarvish. He was starting to really like the elf.

The elf then showed a full smile and said happily, "With Gnarves as handsome as you, how could I resist the urge to speak their language?"

Now she had done it. Bao's adrenaline rose, his heart beat rapidly, and every part of his body shook ever so slightly and downright poured sweat. He tried not to get too excited and tell himself that meant nothing. But when he saw that the elf was not wearing the marriage wristband all married elves had to wear at all times or else their marriage was over, Bao's "symptoms" only got worse.

It was Fang who spoke next. "Please inform us of your name and our present location."

"My name is Svika. Your present location is Elles. Now please let me know your names."

"You carried us all the way to Elles?" asked Fang and Bao together.

Again Svika smiled fully and then said "It was a rather short distance."

"Now please tell me your names," said Svika in a very pleasant tone.

"I am Bao and this is Fang!" said Bao before Fang could even open his mouth.

"I have heard those names before. Are you two part of the rebellion?"

Fang nodded as Bao said "Yes."

"Then… you…" began Svika.

"Yes, we’re dragon slayers." said Bao smugly.

"I don’t know what to say. Well, you two are in the right place. Almost every elf in Elles is part of the rebellion."

"Does that include you?" asked Bao.

"Well, I don’t do much… but I am indeed against the king."

Fang, Bao, and Svika continued their conversation for hours. They talked of Elles, Elves, and even their own lives. Their speech became less and less formal as they learned more about each other. Bao did not want to stop talking with Svika, but he knew it was time to get on with the plan after at least two hours of delay. So, with great pain, he said, "Svika, I do believe it is time Fang and I departed. I hope we will see more of you."

"You can see more of me. I go to Enen stream every day at four for water." Said Svika.

"I will make it a priority to meet you there." Said Bao, excited about the news.

"You are one of the nicest people I have ever met," said Svika with her nearly ever-present smile.

"I think the same of you. To take us in and spare your own time is as kind a gesture as I have ever seen."

Svika smile grew and she led them outside. "I think you will like it here." She said as they stepped out into green, green world of Elles.

"I agree."

Svika bid them farewell and Bao and Fang then continued with their adventure. Bao looked back and watched Svika go back inside with a smile.

"You like her, don’t you?" asked Fang.

Bao nodded.

"I’d get over her as soon as possible. She could as easily be 119 as 19." said Fang.

"But she gave us her word." said Bao.

"You would trust an elf? Maybe you aren’t the smartest being alive."

Bao turned his hand into a fist and raised his arm to strike Fang, then slowly put it down in astonishment. "I really do like her. I almost hit my best friend over her." He thought.

"Sorry, man. Anyway, just try not to get too attached, okay?" said Fang, as shocked that Bao almost hit him as Bao was.

"What’s so bad about elves?" demanded Bao.

"They can deceive you easily. Many races had at least one skirmish with them for good reasons. And, granted this has never been proved, elves are thought to be magical. If this is the case then they could thwart you and I like ants!"

"If that’s so how come they lose battles?" asked Bao, thinking that would win the argument.

"They rarely do," said Fang.

"I thought the elves of Elles are on our side, anyway."

"That’s what we think."

The two walked on in more of a hurry to observe Elles then find their base. They walked in silence until Bao said, "How do you know so much about elves?"

"I spent a lot of time in the military. I had to learn about all creatures that could be fighting in a war," said Fang.

"Do you know what Smith was?"

"Not a clue. He was freak of nature as far as I could tell."

"Don’t talk about Smith that way! He was a great soldier!"

"Yes, he was."

They reached the base. Fang began to enter but Bao stopped and called "Wait! Do they know we’re coming?"

Fang said "I hope so," and darted of to the commander’s tent.

Bao thought Fang wasn’t being as much of a great companion as he was on their way to Opren Platz, or even Elles. Maybe they just needed to stop spending so much time together for a while. Fang sighed and entered the commander’s tent.

Bao walked in to the tent to find Fang talking to a soldier who reminded Bao of himself when he first joined the rebellion. He was poorly equipped and was a Gnarve, just like Fang and Bao, and he spoke proper Gnarvish to Fang. "…tactician in the rebellion. Here he is now." said Fang, turning to face Bao.

The soldier looked at Bao in awe. His mouth hung loose and his eyes went wide. He then dropped to the ground and stood on his knees while bending forward over his arms and inclining his head. This was the ultimate sign of respect in Gnarvish culture. No one had ever done that to Bao before.

"I knew we were going to have a new Commander, but I never expected it to be a hero. I am honored." He said.

"There is no need to stand on your knees. You are a soldier. You deserve a great deal of respect yourself," said Bao.

"Such kind, modest words from such a great hero," said the soldier, picking himself up.

"Please tell me your name."

"My name is Virgan. Please allow me to show you the rest of the regiment and translate."

"Translate?"

"Yes. Except for me the regiment consists of elves, none of whom speak fluent Gnarvish."

Bao and Fang, accompanied by Virgan spent a few minutes memorizing names and then instructions for drills, which were repeated in Elvish by Virgan. At four, Bao told the regiment he needed to leave for awhile and said Fang was in charge until he returned. No one asked any questions. Bao grabbed a map of Elles from the commander’s tent and set off for Enen stream, which he located with no trouble.

Bao met Svika, who talked to him and brought him inside for drinks. This continued every day for weeks. Bao and Svika became closer and closer. After each visit, they both thought the other was perfect. It was obvious that each had feelings for the other. Svika did nothing about this, but one day Bao decided it was time to pursue the opportunity he had of spending his life with Svika. He arrived but to his surprise found that Svika was not there. She had been there every other day. Before he could think about it any longer he heard someone cry "Bao!"

It was Virgan. "We have been called to a battle. Not just any battle, though! We have defeated all the king’s attacking forces so now he’s on defense while we have whole regiments left! All rebellion troops have been called for an attack on the king’s castle!"

Bao forgot about Svika and ran back to base with Virgan. They elves had already begun to pack food. Bao followed suite. Everyone seemed to be eager. They were on their way in less then an hour. Bao strolled alongside Virgan, well behind Fang. "Should I walk to Fang and make amends?" thought Bao. "No, I think we need another day off. I’ll talk to him tomorrow," said a confident Bao to himself.

"How long will the walk take?" asked Bao.

"At least three days," said Virgan.

From previous experience Bao knew that three days of walking made for one sour Fang. He would have to talk to him after they won the battle.

Wait! Bao, for maybe the first time, was confident. He knew that the rebellion was going to call upon Bao for battle strategies, but he didn’t care! He knew they could win anyway. One thing was certain; Bao had won the war with himself. After years of ultimately low self-esteem, thinking he was not good enough and in need of major improvement, he burst into confidence. He now knew what everyone said about him was true. Maybe he was right. Maybe he did need improvement; he definitely improved a lot on this adventure. Or maybe it was just that Svika made him happy. Svika! Would he never see her again?

Bao went from smiling happiness to tear-inducing sadness. He had to return to Elles and wed Svika after the battle. The regiment trekked along and stopped only to sleep every night. Bao avoided talking to Fang for the sake of their friendship. When they arrived at the castle, shock hit them like a speeding car.

They had arrived a few minutes too late. The two sides were fighting frantically. Some rebellion troops actually made it to the castle wall; however none were able to scale it. The deafening cry of war suddenly seemed to lose volume as a voice cried, "PULL BACK!"

Bao knew this voice. It took him only a moment to match it to the general. The rebellion hid into the trees and Bao’s regiment followed suite. Bao, Fang, and their men, well, elves, searched for the rebellion. The trees proved to good cover, it took Bao awhile to locate them and the King’s forces apparently decided not to even try to follow them. Bao was once again in shock upon seeing the rebellion. It was magnificent! Countless creatures of all different races stood to face the general.

"My loved warriors, Bao and Fang have arrived!"

The sound that resulted caused pain to Bao’s ears and joy to his heart.

The sound was defining roar of shouts of pleasure and approval that accompanied by thunderous applause made Bao feel like a god and made his confidence soar. It was exactly what he needed. He believed in himself and knew that he was not just hype. He had finally developed a tiny ego.

He was not arrogant at all; he was just as he should be. Not cocky but confident. All his life this was what he needed. The step up on the way over to the battle was a step in the right direction, but it was not enough. Only at this moment was his self-esteem perfect. "Bao shall lead us with his tactics. Let us give him a moment to think," said the general. "Do not crowd him."

The rebellion moved away to allow Bao a moment to think in peace. It was not long, however, before he was confronted by a rebellion Wight. The Wight was wearing a commander’s coat. "I don’t know hwhat makesh you shink you’re the besht. You and I are at the shame rank. We are both commanders. I have as much right to come up wish tactish as you. If you don’t let me come up wish the tactish for you, I’ll cut chure ‘ead off!"

While it pained Bao to let such a rude creature have his way, he knew that Wights were usually smart enough to come up with good plans and dueling with a Wight was a gamble. Plus the Wight was right about the equal ranking. Sure, the Wight wasn’t as famous but they were both commanders. Bao gave in.

The Wight told Bao his plan, which Bao was to tell was his own so the rebellion would go along with it. The plan didn’t make sense to Bao but he thought the Wight might be intellectually superior to him. I myself have never heard of anyone considered to be intellectually superior to Bao, but that’s beside the point, on with Bao now.

Bao told the general the Wight’s plan. "Whatever you say!" said the general. "You heard the man, attack!"

Another earsplitting roar was emitted from the rebellion as it ran through the trees to attack. The plan involved Bao scaling the castle as the first man on a wooden ladder. Bao ran awkwardly with the ladder tucked underneath his arm hoping not to be killed before even making it to the castle. He avoided arrows and soldiers and ran along. After a while the ladder seemed to grow lighter as if another soldier was carrying it from the back he looked over his shoulder and was overjoyed to see Fang had gotten over their squabble and decided to help him.

Bao reached the castle and began to set up the ladder as a guard on top of the castle poured searing hot oil down towards him. Bao sprang out of the way, saving not only himself but the ladder as well. He looked around to see if Fang had managed as well as he had, but Fang was nowhere to be seen. The guard had apparently had dumped all of his oil and as Bao set up the ladder again and began to climb it, several soldiers followed. As Bao reached the top, a guard pushed him. Bao knew he was going to fall. He could fall straight down, ending the attack by causing the soldiers behind him to fall but maybe save his life by using the soldiers to cushion his fall. Or he could leap off the latter and let the attack continue, but end his life with a painful jump to doom.

Bao thought the rebellion was more important and his parents were more important. Bao went with the second option as he flung himself away from the ladder with one last hope. The hope that the attack would succeed and his parents would be happy. The fall seemed to occur in slow-motion to Bao. He fell down and down but was still high in the air. Bao thought he might have the time to position himself and survive the fall. He tried but after hitting the ground an unimaginable amount of pain shot through his back, Bao thought he had only broken his back. But in a few seconds there was nothing to be felt.

Yes, our Gnarvish hero had died brutally from a 75-foot fall. Bones stuck through his skin, which was drenched in blood. A horrible moment yes, but Bao died an honorable death. He had died a hero and the attack might not have succeeded if not for him. Those few soldiers he saved were thought to be the deciding factor. Even though his fighting was glorious to say the least, as the first man to scale he probably would have died anyway. The King had been removed from power, probably all thanks to Bao. His story is one to be sung about. Bao the Gnarvish hero is gone from physical existence, but there is no doubt his soul stands proud and smiling. Bao deserves a salute from everyone and them some. So I would like to be the first to say, "Bao, I salute you. May you rest in peace forever."

And you, my dear reader of these pages, I salute you as well. May you dwell in peace.
 

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