Nexus Biographies

FLASH! A big light blinded him momentarily as he stared up into the sky. His breathing was heavy. Blood covered him from head to toe. The blood was so thick, it was impossible to tell where exactly it was all coming from. He clutched his chest, gasping for air, and coughing out more blood. FLASH! The light blinded him again. He struggled to keep his bearings. There was so much pain; he knew this was the end. FLASH! The light blinded him a third time, and this time remained a constant bright white blur, accompanied by a loud ring in his left ear. He clutched his halberd and closed his eyes tightly. He then attempted to take one last breath of air.

...

"Gijouhei! Gijouhei! Gijouhei!" Shouted the elite troop of soldiers. These soldiers, the Chongun, were fierce warriors - warriors whose lives were filled with nothing but war. Scars ran, it seemed, in brilliantly designed patterns up and down their bodies. Every now and then, a soldier would appear that was also missing an eye, or had one fused shut. Their lives revolved around the blade. Their weapons were as cherished among them as lovers, never leaving contact with them. They had come from all walks of life. Some were martial artists. Some were sword masters. Others were pikemen. Whatever they were, or what they came from, they had their mind set on one thing: serving the people through battle. Not just anyone, mind you, but those worthy of being served.

Their main motivation was their love for life, and ways of life. They wished to preserve all that was good. Many people will argue that this is not true because of their hunger for battle. But these people, I say, are far too blind to see the truth in it.

One reason one may say the Chongun were not a life-loving group of people is because of their brutal intolerance for certain types of people. It was not uncommon to see a random beheading of a petty thief or a deceptive scammer by the hands of a passing Chongun. They would also think nothing of killing a person of high power who hid cowardly behind guards, or people that thought only of themselves. During these times, even guards would not dare to stop a Chongun from doing this. Just the sight of a Chongun struck fear in the hearts of others.

On the brighter side of every Chongun, most importantly, is that all would have done nearly anything for any good, honest person.

These were the soldiers that marched through the streets of the cities of Koguryo. They inspired all that watched them. They were loved by all - well, almost all - and they kept the cities safe day after day after day.

Kysh'itra: the word that wrought terror in the hearts of all that was evil in nature. They could smell a rogue from acres away. But what exactly were they? They were far beyond a warrior. In fact, they weren't warriors at all. They were machines - machines that had mastered the art of war - machines that could tell you everything about battle - machines that knew how to handle and fight against every type of weapon or battle formation. They could strategize in such ways that they could use even the most amateur of warriors to be very effective in battle.

Leadership was a key element in the Chongun militia. Though many Chongun were lone fighters, they would still be led by their local Sonbae. These Sonbae were basically war generals on a very small scale. They lived and breathed the art of war. They were born for war. They loved it. They cherished it.

These were the Chongun at the front of every troop. At times, there would even be two or three Sonbaes. Some, it seemed, had seen far too many battles. Their armor brilliantly shone in the sun and awestruck all that looked upon it.

Their days were blessed and numerous. It seemed that they would prosper for all times. However, it has always been said, "One that lives by the sword, dies by the sword."

***

The Kogurian Royal Army marched deep into the wilderness to meet their foe. Their King marched proudly ahead of them, leading battle chants to bring courage to his troops. The numbers in the army reached nearly five thousand. However, even in the security in this number, they could not reach the courage needed to prepare for the battle that awaited them. The sky was filled by what seemed like a single cloud - pale white with spots of dark gray dotting it occasionally. They trudged though a swamp filled with dead trees, that had nasty green and gray moss growing on them. Cobwebs filled their paths. The mud reeked with a smell that was almost unbearable.

Throughout the entire five thousand man army, not a soul was behind the title of Chongun. This was not a battle of good and evil. This was a battle for land. It was part of a war which the King wished he'd never been a part of. It was greed that began it. It would be greed that would end it.

Not one soul spoke a word as they neared the other end of the swamp. The only sound was their trudging through the mud and the buzzing of the insects in the swamp. Occasionally a crow would squawk, or an owl would hoot. Their hearts all beat rapidly, despite the slow pace at which they moved.

Beautiful green forests were finally in sight. The men began to laugh at their own cowering. Some platoons began to run for the forest.

The task at hand had left their minds.

A wall of arrows came out of the forest and pummeled the army. They struggled desperately to run, but the mud was too thick. Many got stuck, or fell, and inevitably died. The water turned from a murky brown to a crimson red in a matter of minutes. About five minutes passed, and the arrows came to a halt, only to be followed by a great force of horse-lords and powerful mages. The horse-lords ran through and beheaded all that still managed to run, and the mages set fire to the bodies to make sure that none survived. Even the King and his royal guard died in their struggle to retreat. Only one person survived to tell the people of Koguryo what had happened.

...

Sighing, the youthful Chongun said to his friend, "Why does life have to be so complicated, D'oragon?"

"What do you mean, Seth?" he replied.

"I mean, that woman over there."

"Who, Celes? She's way out of your league man. She's a Kysh'itra. Besides, you know things don't usually work out well between two battle-driven warriors."

"Yeah man, I know. But, I can't help but think about it."

Chuckling, D'oragon replied, "Yeah, who could blame you? She's the most beautiful and the most skilled warrior in Masan. I mean, how can someone not respect a woman that has that much determination?"

Seth was a slightly above-average looking warrior. He was a fit, highly trained, and greatly motivated Chongun - one of the best in his squad. His deep black hair spiked slightly towards his left, and he wore on his neck a golden chain necklace with a mythril clasp.

Seth began to daydream as he watched Celes practice. D'oragon continued talking but Seth stopped hearing his words. His eyes were affixed on Celes. She had long red hair, bright green eyes, average height, and was probably the nicest person anyone would ever meet. Amazingly, she was nearly free of battle scars. The only ones she had could not be seen, except by the occasional peeping tom. This was almost unheard of for a person in her position.

"Seth! Seth! Stop drooling! It's time to get back to training! Seth! I said wake up!" whispered D'oragon angrily.

"Huh? Oh yeah, right. Sorry." He replied, blushing, as he grabbed his practice halberd.

Seth was the most promising of the group. He worked hard to reach his goals. He trained every day. He did all the good deeds he could during his time off. He even cooked for some of the poorer people at the other side of town. He enjoyed his life; however, he did all of this mostly to gain Celes' attention. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but it wasn't hard to see it in him. His friends all knew, as well as his cohorts. The only one he would speak of it to, however, was D'oragon. Unfortunately, Celes never gave him any of the attention he wanted from her. She was simply his general, and nothing more.

It took Seth at least a couple of hours to fall asleep each night. He began to question his own identity - his reason for being. Why had he chosen to follow this path, the path of the Chongun. It wasn't for love, at first. No, he had not felt that until Celes had transferred over to Masan only two years earlier. However, that's definitely what it had turned into. Never before, had he been so determined to work so hard. Yet still, she only saw him as one of her soldiers.

"Look, man. If you're seriously in love with her, you need to say something now while you still can. Otherwise, it's time you gave up," said D'oragon as they were eating lunch one day in town. "I mean, it's getting pathetic. Despite all your motivation, you have very little energy. Your appetite is small. And most of all, you're not getting any rest."

Seth sighed as he looked outside the window to watch some children playing stickball in the field. "You know, maybe I should give up - being a Chongun."

"What?! What the heck are you talking about? That's all you ever talked about when we were growing up. Now you're here, and it's been all you lived for. You can't just drop that now," D'oragon explained. A few heads in the restaurant turned to him due to his volume. He continued, lowering his voice, "I mean, lots of people have their lives ruined through love. But good grief man, why have your life ruined by someone who doesn't even know you care for her?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, man."

"You're helpless, man. Completely helpless. I'm going to get some more rice."

Just as D'oragon finished his sentence, the town alarm began to sound. They quickly grabbed their gear and rushed out the door. They followed the guards to the southern walls where they met up with the rest of the town's Chonguns.

"What's going on?" shouted a bulky Chongun carrying a battle axe.

Celes replied, "We're being called to Kugnae. Kysh'itra Talimar there has requested our assistance. It appears that the King and his army died in his battle for greed. Now his enemy has the same greed for our lands. He has advanced through and burned the forests of the druids and is nearing Kugnae." She looked at each one of the Chonguns with a slight disturbance in her eyes. "It also appears that the enemies we face have mastered the arcane, and have powerful mages in their arsenal, along with fearless horse-lords. Our mages simply don't match theirs in comparison. We're the only thing left to stop them."

The Chonguns nodded and mounted their horses. The town militia followed them to Kugnae, where they met with the other Chonguns of Koguryo and the remnants of the Kogurian Royal Army, which was led by the Prince.

Talimar shouted to the Chonguns, "Listen to me, friends. The army of this country is now few in number. We, the Chongun, are nearly all that is left to defend Koguryo! Sonbae, I am counting on all of you to lead your men to victory!"

A big "Hoorah!" echoed from the mass of Chonguns. There were roughly 3000 of them, followed by another 5000 in town militias and 2000 in Kogurian Royal Army remnants.

To Seth's surprise, Celes shouted to him, "Seth, we have too many people for one person to lead. We need to split up, and I want you to lead the other half! You're the best Chongun in my squad. I know you can handle it!"

Seth was awestruck by what he heard.

"Don't just stand there, Sonbae! Get moving!"

Seth snapped out of it and got his platoon together.

Talimar began to shout again, as he saw the army quickly forming to his liking. "Today, my friends, we must utilize everything in our training! Every person here is brother and sister! Lead your troops accordingly, following my lead. We face an army of at least twenty thousand strong. May the winds guide you all, during this battle for our honor - this battle of the Sonbae!"

The army began chanting "Hoorah!" again for several minutes. They then started to advance onto the battlefield.

...

Musadan... The legend has it that one who reaches the absolute peak of enlightenment as a Chongun would receive this title.

Musadan... Musadan... But as far as anyone knew, that's all it was - a legend. It said that his only fault was mortality. It was a warrior so perfect that he would only die of old age.

Musadan... Musadan... Musadan... The last one to ever exist supposedly turned the tides of war to his favor, and achieved victory for his people through his own strength and ability.

But it was only an old wives' tale... or was it?

...

The footsteps of the enemy echoed from miles away. Seth stood with his platoon at the front lines. D'oragon was cheering him on in the background for a job well done. Several thoughts ran through his mind; this all happened way too fast. Suddenly he's called to battle, then acknowledged by the woman he loves, promoted, and is now heading a platoon at the front lines of the army. It was almost too weird to be true - like it had been taken out of some strange dream.

Seth looked back at his platoon. It included half of his squad of Chonguns, a few powerful mages, some disgruntled druids, and some roguish mercenaries. He then compared this to his thoughts of what he was up against. He had never been a leader before. He knew the teachings of the Art of War word for word, but never had to apply it. His nervousness increased with every passing minute. Talimar and the Prince rode back and forth in front of the army to spark courage in the men. Seth had never seen Talimar before. He fit the average Chongun image almost too perfectly. There was not a spot on his body that did not have a scar. His left eye was gashed in such a way that he could not use it again. His hair was short and brown, and he wore a cleverly designed bright yellow armor. In his right arm he held an elegant katana, and in his left a bright white shield, unlike any he'd seen before. It was truly an amazing site - to see a person who'd been through so much and yet still managed to survive.

He looked over his shoulder at Celes, who stood firmly and confidently, awaiting further orders. She was still as beautiful as ever. To Seth, she was even more beautiful in her bright red battle armor. The weapon she carried was crafted by herself - a great spear with a beautifully carved staff. He smiled slightly, seeing that his taste in weapons wasn't that far off, as he carried with him a halberd. His armor was a light blue with some off-white splotches on it. It was a family heirloom passed on to him by a grandfather far down the family line. As he looked at his own armor, he realized he didn't have to look grand to be a fine warrior - nor did he have to have the very best. He just needed to be himself, and believe in himself. This gave him some slight comfort, as he readied himself for the battle. He'd been in several battles before; however, none were on this large of a scale.

Sunset neared, and the enemy was in sight. The Sonbae army advanced to meet their foe. The generals did not even rush out to meet each other. It was clear was the terms this day would be. They would battle to the death, and the odds were not in Kogurian favor.

They stared at each other for about two minutes. No one ever knew why. But they did; they just stared in silence. This was broken by a restless Kogurian mage who struck down a soldier on the enemy's front lines. Both sides launched arrows at each other as they charged.

Seth cleverly used his platoon to cut through the front line of their foes straight to the archers. He had decided that his goal was to rid the enemy of projectiles. Their powerful mages intervened, but were struck down slowly by Seth's own mages, with the help of the druids. His platoon was well equipped for killing their enemy before the enemy could get to them. Battle waged like this for hours. Many of the lesser trained Kogurians were dying off fast. It seemed there was no hope in sight.

The troops on both sides were getting tired, but Seth would not quit. He had to keep his honor, and continue on. He was down to a handful of people: a few Chonguns, a druid, and a mage.

"Arghh! Take that, horse man!" D'oragon shouted as he knocked a horse-lord to the ground, and killed him with the same blow with his war hammer. This same blow pulled several muscles in his arm. He fell to the ground and dropped his weapon, clutching his arm in pain.

"D'oragon! Get up!" shouted Seth as he ran toward his best friend. It was no use; D'oragon couldn't focus on anything but the pain. "D'oragon you have to get back up!"

A nearby archer overheard the shouting and saw the weakened Chongun rolling on the ground. He grinned and took a shot right into his back.

"D'oragon!" shouted Seth, in tears. He motioned for a healer to come help. The wound was well beyond the Druid's power, as well as a nearby Monk. D'oragon couldn't manage to say anything before he died. All he could give were tears as he took his dying breath.

Seth, in anger, took a bow from a fallen archer and pulled the arrow from his dead friend's heart, and shot it straight into the forehead of his friend's killer, flawlessly and effortlessly. He told his remaining troops to go join up with another platoon. He also heard from some shouting that Talimar was also slain in battle. This troubled him as he fought through his enemy. One fell after another in his fury.

Only one thing was on his mind now - he had to find Celes. An hour later, he finally found her along with her platoon cornered in a rocky area. He rushed through to help her.

"Seth, what are you doing here?!" She shouted.

"Almost my entire platoon is dead; I sent them to join another. And D'oragon..." he hesitated, "D'oragon is dead too. I don't want you to die also!"

Celes looked into Seth's sad eyes and saw in him what he felt for her. It was almost like it came straight from some fairy tale, this great cliche. But it was not the time to catch up on that, they had to fight back.

They managed to fight their way around back towards the center of the battlefield. In the distance he could see their general, who was charging through in their direction. It suddenly occurred to Celes, if she could take him out, they could have a chance to win this battle, even this war.

Seth could see what she was thinking. "Oh no you don't! He already killed Talimar, didn't you hear?"

"What?" she exclaimed, with tears in her eyes. Her tears then turned to rage as she shouted, "Then, my brother will be avenged!" She tore through the enemy, forgetting the pain of her weariness. Seth followed.

"You can't be serious!" he shouted, running closely behind, dodging enemy arrows and blades whilst killing what he could.

"Oh, I'm dead serious!" she replied, focused only on her task at hand.

They reached their destination. The enemy's general stood in front of them. He was a tall man. His pitch black armor covered his entire body.

"I'm calling you out to a duel!" Celes growled.

He jumped off his horse, and pulled the great sword from his back as he chuckled. He took one swing at her, and though she skillfully blocked his swing, he completely overpowered her and threw her back, knocking her unconscious, and making her appear dead to many that weren't watching their fight.

Seth jumped in, "No!" he shouted. "Fight me!"

The black armored general chuckled again as he swung his sword at Seth. Seth thrust his halberd many times at the knight, but he was just too skilled in battle. When the knight retaliated, he landed one strong blow to Seth's chest. He gasped for air as he was hit again, and again - his arms, his legs, his shoulders - and the next thing Seth knew, he was on the ground.

FLASH! A big light blinded him momentarily as he stared up into the sky. His breathing was heavy. Blood covered him from head to toe. The blood was so thick, it was impossible to tell where exactly it was all coming from. He clutched his chest, gasping for air and coughing out more blood. FLASH! The light blinded him again. He struggled and struggled to keep his bearings. There was so much pain; he knew this was the end. FLASH! The light blinded him a third time, and this time remained a constant bright white blur, accompanied by a loud ring in his left ear. He clutched his halberd and closed his eyes tightly. He then attempted to take one last breath of air, and opened his eyes again.

His halberd had caught the general's sword as it was coming down upon him. Suddenly, Seth forgot the pain about his body, despite how torn it was. He repelled the blade back toward his foe and jumped back to his feet. Seth looked straight into the general's eyes, seemingly through his thick black helmet. The general charged again, and Seth quickly and almost effortlessly spun around behind him. Furious, the general swung his sword around to catch him off guard, but Seth simply jumped backwards over him and ended up in the same position. Each mocking move of Seth's made the general angrier, and with each swing of the general's blade, Seth became more aware of his style, his patterns, and his weaknesses. Seth began to fight back, occasionally getting locked face to face with his enemy.

Others around them dared not intervene; they knew this was a battle for honor. Celes began to awaken, and the general's attention momentarily affixed on her. This split second was all Seth needed as he thrust his spear deep into the belly of his foe, and tore him from the inside as he pulled it back. The general fell to the ground, dead, and his royal guard came to avenge him. Seth saw every one of their movements every bit as carefully as he saw the general's, and reacted accordingly. He took out each one with ease - such ease, that the second he killed one, he would pull his weapon back in such a way that he killed another. Celes regained complete consciousness to see him fighting, and quickly scrambled to her feet to join in. Together they battled their way back to the main Kogurian force. It was apparent after the next few hours that the plan was working, the enemy morale had diminished, and the Kogurian forces, now being commanded by the Prince, were gaining the upper hand. Seth continued to fight flawlessly; no man could touch him now. A Monk had helped him stop the bleeding, and his wounds still did not bother him.

The battle was over by dawn. The remaining enemy forces, roughly eight hundred of them, fled into the wilderness. The Kogurian army was left with roughly fifteen hundred men. Seth, now conscious of his agonizing pain, sat down to rest. Sonbae Xathor and Kysh'itra Lokie walked up to him to congratulate him.

"You've had quite a day mister Musadan," said Lokie with a smile. Everyone around looked at Seth in shock, realizing the truth in Lokie's words. Seth was almost frozen in awe. "You've really given us a meaning to our legend."

Seth was completely speechless. He simply nodded, and then fainted. Whether this was from the wounds or from Lokie's words, is unclear. The next day when he awoke, however, was the celebration of the Pyrrhic victory.

Seth went and sat down right next to Celes, who was still beautiful as ever. She now seemed to acknowledge him for more than a mere soldier. Over all the shouting and screaming, he managed to finally get his message out to her, and asked for her hand in marriage. She smiled at him, and accepted his proposal without question. The rest of their story is history.

There weren't many Chonguns left from the battle. Most of the ones that were still alive were either Kysh'itra or Sonbae. They probably numbered somewhere around fifty or sixty. Even many of these still died a couple of days later from mortal wounds, or lingering curses and poisons. This era of Chongun dominance was over, but they did not die without their honor, which was the most important thing. Over the next several decades, these Chonguns dissipated completely, and their ways of life were not to be discovered until several more decades to come.

~Kamek "Gamefire" Vesayth