[OL - FB] The Secret War

[Yperio_Bricks]

I am really a fan of your wonderful vignettes and fascinating stories!

[Khorne]

Chapter V. - Predator

Present day.

Manaaki slowly crept forward through the dense foliage, towards the campsite set up by the retreating stragglers of the Brigade Rouge. Like a panther he snuck on his unknowing prey. Aided by his tribal upbringing and years of experience in hunting, Manaaki was impossible to spot for the untrained eye and ear. Without as much of a sound he tread lightly through the undergrowth, covering by the shadows and plants of the thick jungle.

He surveyed the camp and memorized its lay-out so he could pass the information to his companions later on. While there were no apparent signs of a violent struggle, the camp looked rundown with many broken and empty tents. It was clear the unit was under strength and that several soldiers had left. What remained of the men looked tired and downtrodden with little fight left in them.

Tonight would be the night. Perfect.

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4 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

I am really a fan of your wonderful vignettes and fascinating stories!

Thanks! Like I said, most vignettes have been shot now, including the new ones, so I can keep posting at a steady pace now and continue the story until it's wrapped up.

[Khorne]

Chapter VI. - Prey

Thanks to the carefully relayed information of Manaaki on the layout of the camp, the schedules of the guards and the activities of its inhabitants, the raid was swift; performed with surgical precision, it was over before most of the sleeping rebels knew what was transpiring.

Under the cover of the night, captain Lysandre and his men left their positions in the jungle. Like a deadly disease they crept up on the camp, silently killing those who stood in the way of their objective. Guards were taken down without as much as a sound. There was palpable tension in the air as Lysandre's troops did their utmost best not to get discovered, but the rebels were so tired they never noticed what hit them.

Lysandre and a handful of men made their way to the main tent, while several others snuck around the camp to retrieve anything of value. A small scuffle ensued as the gendarmes dragged Nicolas out of his bed, put him in irons and shoved a bag over his head. It was over quick, but it was enough to alert some other members of the Brigade Rouge. Here and there shouts were heard that started to wake up the camp and people started discovering the murdered guards and ransacked tents, but the gendarmes were already double-pacing it back into the darkness of the jungle, in possession of their prey.

Extra picture in daylight:

Spoiler

 

[Yperio_Bricks]

I can only repeat myself  Love it the story and builds!

[Keymonus]

Wow, so many great additions! I really love your storylines, and this is definitely no exception! In these small vignettes, you are introducing so many great characters and really fleshing out our world! I also like how your story continuously jumps between New Oleon and El Oleonda, but still maintains a realistic "fog of war" on what your different characters know.

[Khorne]

Chapter VII. - Haji

The party retraced their steps through the jungle as quickly - and safely - as they could, stopping every now and then to re-orient themselves and make sure nobody was following them. It was a hard march after a short night and the pace was slowed somewhat by the prisoners they dragged along with them. It took Lysandre and his gendarmes a while to make it back to where they had left the horses and some extra men, who were relieved to see their comrades again.

"Let's get out of here as fast as we can," Lysandre ordered the troopers, as he mounted his horse. Patting the neck of the animal, he looked at Manaaki. "Do you know a place where we can make a quick stop to water the horses?"

In his mind, the Tyree'dee warrior was struggling to find the correct Oléonese phrases and words to express himself, so he merely nodded and motioned vaguely in a direction. It was good enough for Lysandre, who smirked. He had learned to trust Manaaki's knowledge and motivation by now and knew the scout would deliver.

The fully mounted party got on their way, trudging through the jungle paths single-file, following Manaaki's lead. It didn't take them long to reach a small pool of clear water. Before they could bring their horses to the water however, a stranger stepped out of the shadows. Armed with a pair of sheathed katanas and brandishing a naginata spear, the individual was clearly a wandering Monomontachi samurai.

The gendarmes were quick to aim their firearms at them, but Lysandre motioned them to lower their weapons. He was intrigued by the spectacle.

"Who are you?", the captain implored. Yet the warrior remained silent. "Are you alone?" The conversation, or lack thereof, went nowhere.

The samurai gestured towards himself with his free hand. "Haji [shame]." He then pointed his spear at Lysandre and grunted in completely broken, heavily accented and nigh-understandable Oléonese "Mori honoraburu [mort honorable; honorable death]". He stuck the naginata spear in the ground, unsheathed one of the katanas and invited Lysandre to strike and engage in a duel.

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On 10/28/2023 at 12:39 PM, Yperio_Bricks said:

I can only repeat myself  Love it the story and builds!

Haha, thanks! I know there's only so much you can say . In the end, it's just a series of 8x8 small MOCs, so there's little new to add. Glad you are following along and like the story and builds!

On 10/28/2023 at 9:30 PM, Keymonus said:

Wow, so many great additions! I really love your storylines, and this is definitely no exception! In these small vignettes, you are introducing so many great characters and really fleshing out our world! I also like how your story continuously jumps between New Oleon and El Oleonda, but still maintains a realistic "fog of war" on what your different characters know.

Thanks for the compliments! I appreciate them. I'm always glad to see people are reading and enjoying the stories!

[Fraunces]

I read them also, and I love them. Keep it going! 

[Khorne]

Chapter VIII. - Standoff

Lysandre threw his hat towards one of his soldiers and drew his sword. He exhaled and rolled his shoulders, preparing himself mentally for what was to come. The captain knew the party didn't really have time to stop for this nonsense, but the samurai had to go - one way or the other, in order to get some water. And admittedly, he was also kind of excited for the challenge, even though he knew he was hardly the best swordsman or duellist out there. As a child of a noble family of lower status, he never really received proper training in the skillset and would apply what he had learned in the army. Oléon's old blood lines - the proper landed nobility, they were the real duellists and often participated in duels as a pasttime. A sport derived from ancient tradition.

The captain braced himself. His opponent squinted his eyes and charged. A flurry of sword slashes came towards Lysandre, which only some of them he was able to parry. Several minor cuts appeared on the gendarme's uniform and a drop of blood fell on the ground. Haji stood tall and boastful in his tactical victory. But it was not over yet. This time Lysandre propelled himself forward and cut away at his opponent, who block most of his attacks with relative ease and determination. Haji was a proper samurai, trained from a young age in the art of proper swordsmanship - unlike the captain.

Sensing an opportune moment, the samurai retaliated and pushed Lysandre back, disarming him as he tripped. Haji put his katana at Lysandre's throat. Confident in his win, yet disappointed he was not granted a noble death, the samurai prepared to end the fight.

Lysandre cocked the pistol which he had whipped out in the last moment and had aimed at his opponent. He grinned at the samurai, who was angered at this display.

"No honour," Haji spat.

"Honour gets you killed. I prefer being alive", Lysandre replied as he pushed the katana away and got up. "You're part of the past. We are the future."

The captain sheathed his sword and put away his pistol. His action was followed by the samurai.

"You're looking for a noble death? Come with us and I can pit you against some of Oléon's finest swordsmen. Or come with us and renew your purpose. Serve a new master, King Philip and lend him your sword. An exquisite skillset such as yours would be a shame to let go off. It's up to you, really."

Haji probably only understood half of what Lysandre was talking about, but it seemed enough. Grunting, he stepped aside and let the soldiers pass to water the horses.

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13 hours ago, Fraunces said:

I read them also, and I love them. Keep it going! 

Thanks! Almost there now!

This chapter was a bit too long for the concept I had in mind. I wanted to strive for 3-4 paragraphs per MOC. Next one will be shorter again.

[Yperio_Bricks]

Nice to see a Naginata and i love that stud on the back thingy so you can apply the hat! Also Haji wears a very nice torso. I have to keep my eyes more open for stuff like that (Chinese New Year sets and company).

[NOD]

The samurai a is exciting and continuation of the story! It's really great how the minifigures are positioned in their movements. It is very difficult to defeat the samurai in a sword fight. Good thing it didn't come to that. The samurai is an asset to the group.