Episode 1: Typical Night On The Beat (Short Story Character Series)

Episode One: Typical Night On The Beat

The breeze of the night had a chill that cut through his thick armor as he made his way down the street on his nightly patrol. The stone pathway was noisy as his armor made contact with each step, and he could see the occasional rat scampering by. Irion, a young but fairly seasoned member of the Stormwind City Guard, sporting short brown hair, short enough as to not get in the way, stood taller than most but was still broad enough, even more so with his armor on. Irion stopped a moment to rest on a nearby bench. He let out a long sigh and paused, leaning his head back and listening to the wind howl as it went through the stone corridors and the flames of the torches on the walls as they flickered. It was very calming, and peaceful.

“One drunken brawl and you are already down for the count?”. Irion looks up to see his shift supervisor Corin chuckling as he approached. He was not a large man, balding slightly in his age, but capable and his presence commanded respect nonetheless. The night was young, and already an argument at a nearby tavern gave rise to a brief but violent brawl and a short break from the boredom of the night patrol. “You first, old man” Irion jokingly replied as both men laughed. Corin sat down next to Irion, breathing a heavy sigh of his own.

“So, how is Doran holding up?” Irion asked concernedly, already knowing the answer. Corin pauses a moment before responding. “He will live, but he won’t ever be back”. Doran was a close friend of Irion, both part of the same class and had grown close to each other over the couple years stationed at Stormwind. A week prior, they and a small detachment of fifteen guards had been sent out to patrol through portions of Elwynn Forest due to recent reports of gnolls in the area becoming bolder, even attacking travelers as they passed on main roads, killing them, and according to some rumors…much worse. Their goal was to show a presence to the townsfolk and the gnolls alike, however, things ended terribly as a group of a dozen or more gnolls descended upon them seemingly from nowhere. Gnolls are massive, brutal creatures twice the width of most men. The battle was short but costly. Several of the soldiers died that day, either in battle or shortly after.

Irion winced. “Damnit, but I guess I knew that was coming”. “How’s your arm?” Corin asked. Irion motions toward his arm covered in armor. “Fine, the healers did wonders and what is left is of little bother”. “Well, Doran did his duty and now it is time to continue ours.” Corin stated.

Enough talk, we’ve rested plenty. Time to get back to it.” Corin stated commandingly. Irion responds, “Yes Sir”, as he pulls himself up and begins putting one foot in front of the other.

“Never coming back, huh?”. Irion muttered to himself as he peered across the courtyard while entering the cathedral district, illuminated by the light of the full moon. “Lucky him”. Irion continued his rounds, remaining alert as the threats were numerous these days. Be it bandits, thieves, or revolutionaries wearing red masks with a bone to pick… you could never be too careful. He began checking the doors to businesses making sure they were locked properly, walking the housing areas ensuring that all is well, all while making sure to spend a proper amount of time around the taverns, just in case there were any more incidents.

As the sun starts to rise and the streets began bustling with activity, Irion is greeted with the same smiles and scowls in relatively equal proportion from the populace as he continued to make his final rounds. “AHH, GET OFF ME, YOU MAD MAN!”. Growing weary and looking forward to his end of shift call, Irion hears a shout coming from a nearby merchant as the owner begins to open for the day. Irion rushes to the location from which he had heard the shouting and came across a tall wooden building much like the others in the area with a small series of stone steps in the front that lead to the door and a large placard across the upper portion of the building detailing what was clearly a treasure chest. There, sprawled across the stairs Irion found a man, obviously homeless with clothes that could only be described as dirty rags, long hair clumped together likely due to the oil buildup mixed with dirt, and a crazed angry look in his eye on top of the store owner pummeling him. Irion acted quickly and lunged forward with a quick knee to the assailant’s chest that sent him flailing backward and should have ended the conflict immediately. However, the assailant shook his head and looked up toward Irion and drew a shank from his drawers. Irion immediately drew his sword, placing his shield in front of him and moving forward all simultaneously without hesitation hoping to gain the advantage as the assailant got to his feet. The assailant swung his small blade violently but was unable to get around Irion’s shield who effectively used it both defensively and offensively. Irions footwork was respectable, allowing him to brace against the attacks without much effort. The assailant, however, was sloppy and drunken. The assailant swung his blade forward but became unbalanced, and Irion used this opportunity to press his shoulder into his shield and force his opponent into the wall of the business with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Then, Irion brought the shield wielded by his left arm across the right side of his body and whipped it across with brutal efficiency right into the chin of the assailant, this time bringing a swift end to the encounter.

The store owner hurriedly got to his feet, dusting himself off in the process, nose dripping with blood. He was a plump older man, well combed short brown hair with white patching on the sides of his head, wearing brightly colored clothing, and multiple rings across his fingers, clearly very successful at his trade. “Where in the hell were you?!” The store owner shouted. “And why was this man in my store?! What are you lazy lot paid to do if not to protect?”. Irion gritted his teeth, “Apologies, Sir, but we have him now and you are more than welcome to come to the jailhouse to assist us in filing a report”. “File a report?!” The store owner exclaimed. “What I want, is for you so called guards to do your jobs! Had you not been so lazy he wouldn’t have been in here in the first place!”. “What? Were you to busy harassing the decent folk?!”. Other guards started to arrive at this point and began assisting Irion with a horse to carry the unconscious assailant to the stockades.

Irion began to explain “I am…”, “Shut it, fool! And get out of here, I haven’t the time for your nonsense!” the store owner interrupted as he slammed the door behind him. Irion clenched his fists and growled under his breath “Stupid old fool, were it not for me you would still be at this man’s mercy”. As Irion left toward the stockades, he was well aware of the glares of many nearby that followed him as if he were the bad guy.