Old world thinking, or a more modern approach?
The old way to do things the modern train of thought reasons for both anti clutter design
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Author Bill Walown
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Most people are not paying attention while driving. But this could make that commute just a little more dangerous.
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Morbi tristique senectus et netus. Id semper risus in hendrerit gravida rutrum quisque non tellus. Habitasse platea dictumst quisque sagittis purus sit amet. Tellus molestie nunc non blandit massa. Cursus vitae congue mauris rhoncus. Accumsan tortor posuere ac ut. Fringilla urna porttitor rhoncus dolor. Elit ullamcorper dignissim cras tincidunt lobortis. In cursus turpis massa tincidunt dui ut ornare lectus. Integer feugiat scelerisque varius morbi enim nunc. Bibendum neque egestas congue quisque egestas diam. Cras ornare arcu dui vivamus arcu felis bibendum. Dignissim suspendisse in est ante in nibh mauris. Sed tempus urna et pharetra pharetra massa massa ultricies mi.
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The knight is assigned to a recon mission that turns into a jailbreak
The Knight was sent to sack the city as one of his first tasks in the crusade. The story he told his superiors was that he had an existential realization of the wrongs that happen in war. In a momentary lapse of judgment, the knight altered the plans and ordered his forces to pull back.
But that was just a cover story. The reality of the situation was entirely different and something that shook the knight’s belief in God.
The knight had started three days before the assault with a reconnaissance mission. He took three of his closest men: François of Lorraine, Heinrich of Bavaria, and Edward of Yorkshire. Each of them dressed in cloaks bought from traders coming from the city. In disguise, they were able to traverse the city without drawing too much attention.
Even though all four of the men had spent time training in the hot sun, their skin wasn’t as dark as the rest of the population, so they would still draw unwanted attention. The people of the city would sneer at them and look away. Merchants would refuse to acknowledge their presence.
Planning ahead, the knight and his men entered the city by themselves and at different times. They had orders to rendezvous in the bazaar the next day.
Spotting one of his men doing his best to blend in, the knight moved into his line of sight without making contact. Edward, pretending to look at the wares from the merchant closest to him, took note. From the other side of the street, a blinding light began to dance and play in his eyes.
Gazing in that direction, the knight noticed two boys playing with a shiny object in front of an alley. There, he noticed a cloaked figure staring in his direction. The figure moved quickly into the shadows of the alley, so the knight followed cautiously. As the knight followed, the man pulled his hood down, revealing himself to be Heinrich.
Before the two said a word, a merchant began to yell, stirring up commotion.
“lis, lis!”
This quickly caught the attention of two guards nearby. Edward tried to run, but was tackled by someone in the crowd. The man began to pummel Edward, yelling in Arabic. The guards broke the two up and shackled Edward.
The guards passed the alley, Edward in tow. A man appeared and began to pursue the three. Signaling to Heinrich, the knight started to pursue the man following the guards. Before passing the next alley, he grabbed the man, ducking into the shadows.
Once they got into the alley, François pulled his hood down. “Sir!”
“Good to see you too, François,” replied the knight.
They followed subtly behind each other, leapfrogging down the road so they weren’t spotted together. Until finally, the guards led Edward into a small building.
The Knight immediately made his way into some stables across the street.
As François made his entrance, he saw the knight move into a stall with a camel in it. So François entered a stall with another camel in it, making sure to be seen by Heinrich.
When Heinrich was comfortable sitting in an empty stall between the two, the men began to talk.
“Why are we waiting to rescue him? They will kill him if we don’t act now!” François urged.
“We can’t just rush the jail, François. We don’t know what kind of numbers they have, or how we will get out!” Heinrich cautioned.
And as the men discussed what to do next, they heard the screams of Edward from inside. It rang out clear as day. François jumped, hand ready to draw his sword. Heinrich pulled at François’s cloak, urging him to sit. “We need a plan,” said the knight.
“Eventually, there will be a change of the guard. We can count the number going in and out to know what we are up against. And when things are quiet, we can sneak in and take them down one by one.”
“We just need to hide the bodies in case anyone follows us in.” The men looked at each other, nodding in agreement.
“Heinrich, pretend to be a beggar and keep an eye on the door from here. François, see if you can find another entrance,” the knight instructed as he stood.
“And what, pray tell, are you going to do?” François questioned.
Turning to the wall behind him, the knight started to climb. “Get a better vantage point.”
From his new point of view, the knight could see the city sprawled out. He watched over François as he casually crossed the street, careful not to pass in front of a passing guard. The disappeared around a corner.
Before long François, came back down the road. He was laughing with and talking with a local woman. Luckily she was unrecognizable, since she was dressed to be in public.
When nightfall came, the three knights entered the building. Guards stopped them and asked what they were doing. Before too much was said, the three knights jumped the two guards. beating them into submission before tying and gagging them and throwing them into a cell.
They each took a torch off the walls as they went down a hallway that led to a set of stairs. On their way down, François said to the other two men, “It will be forever that we’re in here. We won’t be able to leave until daylight if we have to search together.” Heinrich agreed and suggested that the three men split up on different floors.
François and Heinrich took the first two floors, Leaving the knight to make his way to the very bottom level. Armed with the keys that he had stolen off the guard, the knight began to think as he usually did: How are they going to get out of this mess he’s got him and his men into it?
As he came around the corner he saw a large room with three people chained to one wall. In the shadows he saw a small shadow of a person, and the eyes almost reflected back the light from his torch. “Help me.” a childs called out. “I’m scared.”
He continued to look around the room noticing the large guard, waking from a nap he was taking in his chair.
Drawing his sword the guard smiled, sending chills up the back of the knight. Pulling the sword that felt so familiar in his hands, the knight readied himself for a fight.
The guard hurled his chair at the knight, taking him off guard. As the knight ducked the back of the chair made contact with his head knocking him over sending pain instantly to the point of impact.
Before the Knight could make it to his feet the guard had made it across the room brining his curved blade down on the Knight.
With the sharp ring of clashing steel the knight brought his own sword above his head to block the blow. The next sound was small pieces of the guards blade clinking on the floor.
Again, with the full weight of the guard, he swung coming down on the knight.
Again the came as the knight stuggled to block the blow.
This time a larger piece of metal hit the floor. This time it was blue.
Time stood still as the knight saw parts of the sword his wife had given him, hit the floor.
And for the first time he felt a new sensation rush through his body. Absolute fear.
And as the guard came up to deliver his final swing. The knight kicked with all his might and all the speed he could muster. He felt the top of his foot make contact with the guards knee, pushing it sideways.
The guard toppled over writhing in pain, as he hit the floor. Seizing his chance to get out of reach of his would be killer, The knight scrambled to get to his feet. Until he was suddenly pulled back in the direction of the guard.
Caving blood from the knight, the guard had reached a berserking rage, using his pain to fuel his adrenaline rush. Increasing his strength beyond reason.
The guard squeezed the knights calf so tight , it felt like his skin would break. And with one easy pull the guard dropped the knight to his chest. dragging him backwards.
The knight struggled to flip himself over. And with all his might he plunged what was left of his blue bronze sword into the neck of the guard sending blood everywhere. Then he pulled his sword back and plunged it back in to the guards neck causing more blood to squirt out.
Not sure if this was enough the knight repeated the process. He could feel the thick red fluid on his face, dripping down. When he felt the grip of the guard loosen, and his body collapsed to the ground the knight was finally able top catch his breath.
As he pulled his feet from under the guard, he noticed a small jingle. Frantically the Knight searched the guards waist finding a small pouch filled with coins, and a string with keys.
A brilliant idea came to his mind. He would create a distraction that would allow more than just him and his men to escape. This was no longer a rescue mission; this was a jailbreak!
He began to unlock each of the three prisoners on the wall. “Make your way to the top level, and wait for us there, he told the second man. Coming to the last prisoner, he found what he was looking for – a man beaten and bloody. He found Edward.
Edward’s shirt had nearly been ripped off of him, and lash marks covered his back.
“Oh, thank God,” Edward declared. “I thought I was destined for heaven…”
“Not this time, my friend,” said the knight panted back.
Helping Edward to his feet and supporting his weight, the knight helped him to ascend the stairs.
As they made their way up the flight, Heinrich met them to help shoulder some of the weight.
“I saw a man come up I thought you might need… Sweet Lord in Heavan, what happened to you down there” Heinrich gasped, looking at the knights face with the light from his toch finally reaching Edward and the knight. Meeting Heinrich’s gaze the knight said, “I met someone Heinrich. Sadly they departed this world for the next”, handing him the keys that he had taken from the guard, still covered in blood. “I have Edward; you take the keys and go free all the prisoners. They are our ticket out of here.”
The three men heard footsteps hurrying down the stairs, so Edward stood behind the wall, just out of sight. The other two knights prepared for a fight.
With blood coming down his face, François came into the light. “Oh, good, you two made it. Did you find Edward?”
Edward tapped him on the shoulder, leaning against the wall. François turned around, and Edward gave him a grimacing smile.
François said, “What a miracle, the Lord truly blessed you this day.”
“He could have blessed me in a less painful way, François,” Edward retorted, turning around and revealing his bloodied back.
“Lucky for you, the Lord blessed me with these hands. I’ll have you fixed up as soon as we get back to camp,” François reassured him.
Turning to the knight, François said, “I found a guard on the first level. So I dealt with him, and took his keys. All the prisoners from the first level are waiting for us. I told them I was coming down to free more prisoners. We’re all getting out of here together.”
“I knew there was a reason I picked you three to be by my side for this mission,” the knight responded. “I had the same idea, so I freed all the prisoners on the from the bottom level and had Heinrich do the same on this level.”
One by one freed prisoners began to reach the knights, François counted six men. When Heinrich made his way over François asked “Are there still a few down here?” he began to look concerned.
“There were only four on the first floor, I saw one more coming up while I was one my way to meet you here. So that’s eleven not counting us. It doesn’t look like it’ll be a grand battle out of here.”
The knight looked around at the others. “I released two others, apart from Edward. A man and a sickly looking child. But I don’t know that that helps us much.”
“I only saw the man on my way down, I didn’t see a child, sickly or other wise.” François replied.
“Well the Lord has been on our side so far. Let’s hope He protects the young one, and continues to guide us.”
He had no sooner uttered these words than a commotion erupted upstairs. The six prisoners ran up the stairs ahead of the knights, as they helped Edward hobble his way up.
By the time they reached the top, four more guards lay unconscious on the floor, beaten beyond recognition. All the prisoners were making their way out to their own freedom.
From outside, there began to be shouting and screams of pain. One of the men ran back into the jail, pointing frantically out the door. It was the man from the bottom level. The man picked up one of the beaten guards’ swords.
The knights took the hint, knowing that there was a fight waiting for them outside. François and Heinrich drew their swords and the knight took a sword from one of the guards.
“Where is your sword, Sir” François questioned.
“I left what was left of it in the guard below” The knight responded.
“ Sir, that was the sword your wife gave you. The one you made such a fuss about in training!”
“I know, François. But I think escape with our lives is a little more important, than a twice broken sword.”
The prisoner cautiously waited by the door, looking up and down the street. He stopped the knight from exiting, with fear on his face. He knew they were out numbered, and all the other prisoned who had tried to flee were laying dead in the street outside.
When the prisoner tried to hold the knights back, Heinrich saw something he couldn’t explain. A cloaked child, standing but a swords length tall, walked buy the men in silence. Exiting without pause.
From outside , guards began to scream and cry out. Then silence.
The prisoner rushed to the door way. Looking out he gasped in shock. All four of the knights made their way to the entry, looking out into the street.
Looking to the street, lit only by the moon, dead men littered the streets. Prisoners lay in dark pools of thier own blood, some with thier limbs detached laying close by. But the shocking part was the guards. None of them had a scratch. They had had the place surrounded.
They too, lay dead on the ground next to the prisoners they were trying to keep inside.
Knowing that it would do no good to linger, the prisoner motioned to the group of knights. Telling them it was time to move.
He led them back towards the bazaar before turning to a door and knocking on it. There was the muffled sound of a woman’s voice on the other side.
She opened the door, and her eyes grew wide, like she was seeing a ghost. She began to cry and threw her arms around the freed prisoner.
When she opened up her eyes, she noticed that the men accompanying the prisoner were not from here. They all had the same European look to her, even though they were dirty and bloodied.
She began to reprimand the prisoner as he argued back. The knights did not know what was being said, as Arabic was still a new language to them, but something told them that they were not welcome here.
The prisoner then hushed her, pushing her inside and beckoning the men in.
Once inside, the woman took a seat and glared at the four knights standing in her dwelling.
The prisoner went into another room and came out shortly with new clothes and a bowl with water and towels. He motioned for the knights to change their garb and get cleaned up, and the manner in which he did it told them to do it with haste.
As the knight looked around, he took note of something. Something that someone in his position should not have noticed. He was in the home of his enemy, but more than that, he was in the home of a family.
This family wasn’t rich. They weren’t surrounded by lavish adornments and foreign colors. Their table was not overflowing with food, and they didn’t have the niceties of anyone upper class. They were just people.
Once again, the prisoner waved them back into another room. Edward finished getting dressed in his new garb, wincing from the material touching his fresh wounds on his back.
The prisoner then pointed to an open window. He said something and then began to crawl through it. The knights took it as instructions to follow him, so they did.
The prisoner led them down an alley and around a couple of corners. Finally, they reached the outer walls of the city, and the knight noticed that the man had led them to a door in the wall. He pointed at the door and began to walk the other way.
The knights took this as their last bit of help from the man and entered the door. Once inside, they could hear guards at the top of a flight of stairs, so they drew the swords that they had stolen earlier and began to creep up to the floor above.
As the room came into view, they could see a flickering light from a torch, and they could hear that the guards inside were slurring their speech, even if it was in another language.
Peering around the corner, Heinrich stuck two fingers in the air, indicating that there were only two guards in the room.
Trying to be as stealthy as possible, François and Heinrich snuck up behind the two guards, hitting them with the hilt of their swords at the base of their skulls, and catching them before they hit the floor. Again, they gagged and bound the guards before stashing them behind a table. The knights then began to move down a hallway and up another flight of stairs.
This time, François looked to see if the coast was clear. He turned around and told his fellow knights that they were in the middle of the wall between two towers, and each tower had guards posted.
By this time, Edward was beginning to feel rather faint, so he leaned against the wall while his colleagues made a plan for their exit. But absent-mindedly, he leaned up against the wall with his back, crying out in pain, and his three companions looked at him, shocked.
All four of them rushed back down the stairs, taking shelter against the wall as they heard guards approaching from the towers above.
The guards then rushed into the room and immediately noticed the two that were tied up behind the table. As they turned around, the knights were ready. They leaped forward and into action, subduing the guards before they had a chance to call for help.
The knights couldn’t help but see this as an opportunity, as they had four guards, and there were four of them.
Without saying a word, each knight took a guard, stripping them of their uniforms. The four knights then made their way back to the wall and began to look around for a way down the other side.
Edward, still doing his best to hold his composure, pointed to a rope on the back side of one of the towers.
So the four men split up. Heinrich, being the largest of the four, went with Edward.
The knight and François made their way to the second tower, well aware that the other guards would notice if someone wasn’t at their post.
Once in position, Edward hoisted the rope up to the top of the tower and began tying himself off. Heinrich took the rope and began to lower Edward down on the other side of the wall.
Still standing guard, François made his way over to Heinrich, and again he tied himself off. Heinrich lowered him down so he could join Edward on the ground.
Just as he did, a new guard, catching the knight by surprise, started to shout and point as Heinrich pulled the rope back up.
As the guard shouted, he began to run, passing the knight. As he did so, the knight subtly stuck out his foot, sending the guard tripping over the side of the wall.
Guards started to shout from all over the wall, and Heinrich knew that their cover had been blown. So he wrapped the rope around his leg and began to rappel down the side of the wall himself.
Once he had reached the bottom, the knight did the same himself, trying to reach the ground before the guards managed to catch up with him.
But it was too late; one of the guards looked over the side of the wall as the knight came to a near free fall, the rope burning into his leg.
All the air rushed out of his lungs as he landed flat on his back against the cold, hard sand. Immediately there was a rining in his ears and the world faded to black around him.
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Author Bill Walown
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Morbi tristique senectus et netus. Id semper risus in hendrerit gravida rutrum quisque non tellus. Habitasse platea dictumst quisque sagittis purus sit amet. Tellus molestie nunc non blandit massa. Cursus vitae congue mauris rhoncus. Accumsan tortor posuere ac ut. Fringilla urna porttitor rhoncus dolor. Elit ullamcorper dignissim cras tincidunt lobortis. In cursus turpis massa tincidunt dui ut ornare lectus. Integer feugiat scelerisque varius morbi enim nunc. Bibendum neque egestas congue quisque egestas diam. Cras ornare arcu dui vivamus arcu felis bibendum. Dignissim suspendisse in est ante in nibh mauris. Sed tempus urna et pharetra pharetra massa massa ultricies mi.
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Author Bill Walown
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Tags Old world thinking, or a more modern approach?
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Most people are not paying attention while driving. But this could make that commute just a little more dangerous.
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Here is a sample of some basic Markdown syntax that can be used when writing Markdown content in Astro.
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The knight is assigned to a recon mission that turns into a jailbreak
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The world has such facinating technologies out there
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