#25 – Acre

Acre was not born into a life of fighting and warfare like some. He gravitated towards it, discovering that he was exceptionally skilled at it, and managed to make it his livelihood. By the time he turned 16, he joined the Vanguard, a small, roaming company of mercenaries who sold themselves to the highest bidder as some of the finest shock troops in the land. Acre was born to an impoverished family of peasants, and came to fighting as a way to burnish his family’s name, to bring some actual coin into his pocket, and because he genuinely enjoyed it.

Acre’s travels took him far from home, and soon, his family became the unit. He spent 20 years in the field, fighting in nearly a hundred different pitched battles and sieges, witnessing each injustice and cruelty war could inflict on a populace, but never losing his taste for battle. However, as he aged, he felt his skills diminishing, and as technology changed, the Vanguard’s form of brutal, plodding, ground-based combat began to become outdated, as imitators popped up across the land and generals began to plan specifically to defeat the trained shock troops.

Finally, after a failed siege and storming of a castle, Acre was captured and imprisoned by forces of the King of Gamarth, Ageim II. Ageim ad always been a dedicated admirer of the Vanguard, and offered Acre a choice. Death, or a lifetime of status and strength as the King’s bodyguard. Having nothing against Ageim or his kingdom (Acre never cared much for politics), and with his unit defeated, he agreed.

Acre has spent the last five years in Ageim’s employ, simultaneously loving and loathing his job. As much as he hated to admit it, he was aging, and pitched battles had begun to take their toll on him. Acre had no death wish, and while dying on the battle field was valiant, it wasn’t something he aimed to do. Moreover, Ageim was as good as his word, treating him a respected member of the royal court, even coming to him for advice, as Acre’s travels with the Vanguard took him all across the realm and allowed him to see many different cultures. Still, Acre hated the infighting and politicking of the royal court, intrigue never suited him. But being a member of the court, he couldn’t escape it.

All has not been good times for Acre however. A few short months ago, just after his birthday, Ageim announced that he wished for Acre to impart his wisdom and skills to another young man, sworn to defend the throne from birth. The boy, Valion, is barely 17, but has been training as an elite warrior all his life. The implications, if not stated, were clear to Acre. He was being asked to train his replacement. To Valion’s credit, he has never been arrogant or cruel to Acre, always respectful of his elder. But Acre still finds himself annoyed by the boy’s mere presence, he finds the task an insult to his abilities. But, a soldier to the end, he dutifully follows his orders, teaching the boy how to turn his raw talent into the varied skills a good soldier needs.

The world is changing around Acre, his skills and ways of fighting are slowly being phased out. Few, however, would still underestimate the kind of skills a man of his pedigree can bring.

Tags: Bodyguard, soldier

Category: 2012, Fantasy