"Legendary Brothers"

  Once there were two brothers, sons both to a great knight.  Their father was legendary, and the sons naturally wished to follow in their father's footsteps.  Being brothers, they also engaged in competetion.  They wanted to see who could forge the greater legend.

  The elder brother chose the path of Warrior, and learned all he could of his path and the ways of Temuair.  He earned a great reputation for aiding the weak and downtrodden, always able and willing to help.

  The younger brother became a Monk, and gained as much power as he could.  His legend was well known for his ferocious fights against any and all opposition, defeating all who came before him.  He learned only what could aid him in battle, ignoring all else.

  The two brothers competed during their youth many times, to see who was stronger.  They held many challenges and ordeals.  The monk, having devoted himself to power, always managed to best his elder kin.  His devotion to power above all else had given him great personal strength.

  Many years passed, and the brothers grew apart.  They each had their own legends, both very well known and revered throughout the land.  The two brothers were reunited at their father's funeral.  The old man died as heroically has he had lived, lodging himself in the throat of a Draco to smite it before it could roast a poor town.

  The brothers were old, now.  The Warrior's beard was now a mottled grey and the Monk had shaved what little remained of his hair in favor of the smooth appeal of a bald head.  It wasn't long after the service that the two began to compete again.  But this time they themselves were not their focus.

  Each of them had many students, now.  The Monk had his hubae, and the Warrior his squires.  The two soon agreed to a challenge between their students, as a final test of whose legend was greater.

  The challenge was set, and on the appointed day all parties arrived at the field of challenge.  The Warrior's squires stood at full attention, in finely tailored armor and highly polished swords.  The Monk's hubae stood in an unruly mob across the field, kicking and punching at the air and each other.

  The Warrior introuduced his squires, each having a title of honor and pride.  The Monk stood with his hubae, who wore nothing more than peasant rags, and were simply introduced as I, II, III, IV and so on.

  The Warrior laughed some, and asked if his great brother could not afford proper attire for his hubae.  The monk scoffed, told his brother he had no time to waste with learning how to sew like a lowly seamstress, and that the shops were constantly sold out of Doboks...  At any rate, with the Draco stance even rags were more of a match for any armor, however finely tailored.  The Warrior smiled, and told his brother that the battle would tell.nbsp; The two sides engaged each other at the command of their teachers.

  The monks, with their glassed over eyes, rushed blindly forward at their Sabonim's behest, charging full power ahead.  The squires stood their ground.  As the hubae's kicks were launched, the Warrior issued the order to dodge, which was performed in perfect unisen by his well-trained squires.  The hubae's attacks came to naught.

  The battle raged on for some time, the Hubae constantly doing their sabonim's bidding to "Attack!" "Harder!" "Do better, oaf!" and such.  The squires were given better instruction by their more knowledged leige.  "Wind Blade before they close the gap!" "That one just cast protection!  Dodge for one minute and they will be vulnerable!"

  The peasant rags were little protection against the well practiced strikes of the squires.  The guiding light of their leige and the finely tailored armor of the squires offered all the protection they needed.  The hubae found themselves humiliated in short order.

  The battle was lost to the Monk.  He could scarcely believe it!  For the first time in their lives, the Warrior had bested his younger brother.  The Warrior smiled broadly, and offered his brother a drink to help console his first defeat.  The Monk quaffed with his brother and contemplated the lesson he had learned that day:

The truly greatest legends are those that live on in the next generation.

  The End

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