[Fade in, exterior, small farm]
You see a small farm. In the distance, you see a large barn. A small house with a thatched
roof sits on the bank of a wide river. Near the house is a dock with a two-mast sailboat
tied to it. It bobs gently with the current of the water.
A young and rather rotund boy runs out of the small house. A woman appears in the doorway.
"Dionysus, come back here!"
The boy runs around the house and down the dock...
You see the interior of a small sailboat. There is a bed, a desk, and not much else. There
is a muscular man sitting at the desk, writing on some parchment. A large chest is sitting
next to the bed.
The little boy runs in.
"Pa, where are you going this time?"
"Remath."
"Why are you going all the way to Remath?"
The muscular man gestures at the large chest. "There is a man in Remath who needs
that chest."
"Who, pa?"
The muscular man grunts. "Go back in the house. I'll be there shortly."...
[Interior, farmhouse]
You see the inside of a typical country farmhouse. There is a large black stove in a back
corner, next to a window. On the other side of the window is a washbasin. A table sits in
the middle of the room, surrounded by chairs. A narrow wooden door in the back wall leads
to a bedroom. A slender woman with delicate hands is sitting in a chair reading a book.
The little boy runs through the house and into the bedroom without hesitating. He returns
dragging a gold gladius in both hands.
"Dio, put that down."
The boy raises the gladius above his head, apparently trying to bring it down in a
chopping motion at the table, but falls over backward with a resounding thud.
The slender woman stands up and takes the gold gladius in one hand. She places it on a
shelf above the window.
The muscular man walks in through the front door and grunts at the little boy who is still
lying on his back, in a daze. He walks into the bedroom. A few minutes later he appears
wearing full armor.
"Where's my sword?"
The slender woman points at the shelf. The muscular man walks over to her.
"Mariel, you know I hate leaving you alone..."
"So stay."
"...But he needs my help. I can't just turn my back on a friend."
As they talk, the little boy pulls a chair under over to the window and tries to reach the
gladius.
"What has he done for you, anyway?"
"When we were younger, me and..." The muscular man looks over at the boy and
smiles. He reaches up and takes the gold gladius off the shelf and sticks it in his
scabbard.
"Here, son, this be more your size." He takes a tin gladius from his pack and
hands it to the boy. "I hope I taught ya well enough to use it well. You have to keep
yerself and ma outta trouble."
The boy brandishes the gladius in a display of his ability. "I'll kill anyone messes
with ma."
The muscular man ruffles the boy's hair. "I'll make a warrior outta you yet,
boy." He sighs and turns to face Mariel. She folds her arms.
"What am I gonna do with you, Talos?"
He smiles broadly and the woman rolls her eyes.
"Mariel, I'll come home. I promise." She frowns before embracing the man. He
grabs the little boy and hugs them both.
[Exterior, sailboat]
Talos is standing on the deck of the sailboat, travelling down the river. His armor
glistens in the sunlight. Two figures are visible standing on the dock. He waves, and they
wave back.
[Fade out]
[Fade in, exterior, farmhouse]
You see a farmhouse burning in the background. Dionysus, still just a boy, and Mariel are
standing in the yard. Dionysus is wielding his tin gladius, and his mother has an alanti
dagger. They are surrounded by a pack of bandits.
The largest, and most disgusting, bandit steps forward, staying just out of reach of
Mariel's blade. "Drop your weapons or die."
Mariel spits in his face.
"That wasn't smart." He gestures at a short and fat bandit, who shoots an arrow
at Dionysus. It barely misses. "See what can happen? Now, drop your weapons."
Mariel just stares at him. Dionysus rushes forward at the bandit, and strikes him in the
leg with his gladius. The bandit cries in pain, and smacks Dionysus with the blunt end of
his spear. Dionysus falls to the ground in a daze. Mariel screams and jumps at the bandit,
stabbing at his neck with her dagger. Her swing connects, and the bandit backs away, and
manages to screech "Kill them!" before falling over, blood spurting from his
neck.
The bandits rush at Mariel and Dionysus. Mariel fends them off as well as she can,
managing to kill several before succumbing to her wounds.
Dionysus wakes up to find himself tied to a post, a chain running from it to an iron
collar around his neck. Several bandits are sleeping or playing cards around a fire. A few
of them notice him wake up, and throw a few rocks at him. There is a large tent on the
other side of the fire. Muffled noises can be heard.
After a while, Mariel is dragged out of the tent. She is bloody and unconscious. Dionysus
screams.
"Let me and my mother go!" A few of the bandits that are awake chuckle.
One bandit says, "Take the boy into the middle of the forest and let him go."
Another bandit stands up and walks over Dionysus. With one hit, Dionysus is knocked out.
[Fade out]
[Fade in, interior, tavern]
You see a busy tavern. People are sitting at several tables around the room, enjoying
their drinks and talking. You hear the occasional spurt of laughter or shout of anger. A
large man is sitting alone at the bar, drinking a mug of ale. His helmet is sitting beside
him on the bar, and his thick black hair is hanging down to his shoulders. There is a
large sack of armor on the floor beside him. The armor appears to be stained with blood.
His own armor has faint traces of dried blood. Looking at him, you suspect none of it is
his own.
"Talos?" A large, older man approaches from the entrance.
"No, he was my pa. My name is Dionysus...and you are...?"
"Ah, forgive me, I am Tarquin. You certainly bear a strong resemblance to you
father."
Dionysus grunts. "How do you know my pa?"
"Well, I met him in Remath some years ago..."
"Remath?"
Tarquin nods. "A sad thing, what happened to him there. Goes to help an old friend,
and is killed by the very same friend." He sighs.
Dionysus frowns. "What else do you know about it?"
"Well, I met your father in a tavern there, shortly after he arrived. He was looking
for a good place for food, and I took him to one. I never saw him after that, but I heard
tell from several other fellows after that he had gone to help a friend who was in trouble
with a guild. Supposedly the guild had a long dislike of the two of them, and was going to
send men to kill them. As it turned out, the friend had sold out to the guild, and
poisoned your father's ale while they waited for the supposed attack..."
Dionysus frowns at his mug of ale. "My ma always told me he never made it to Remath,
killed by pirates on his way there...who did you say this 'friend' of my pa's was?"
Tarquin sighs. "I fear I cannot recall..."
A man wearing a black cloak walks into the tavern and looks around the room. Dionysus
stands up, shakes Tarquin's hand, and follows the cloaked man out.
[Interior, cellar]
You see a dimly lit cellar. There are several chests and crates stacked against the back
wall. A flickering lantern hangs from a ceiling-beam, and a table sits below it. Dionysus
and the cloaked man stand across from each other at the table.
Dionysus takes several gladii from a pack and sets them out on the table. The cloaked man
nods and hands Dionysus a small leather pouch. Dionysus walks out.
[Fade out]
[Fade in, interior, cellar]
You see the same cellar. Dionysus is standing over a body. He is now bald, and has many
more scars than before. He shifts his weight and you can see that the body is the
unconscious cloaked man.
Dionysus carefully slices open the cloaked man's neck with the point of his gladius. A
growing puddle of blood glistens in the dim light of the room. Dionysus blows out the
lantern and walks out...
[Fade out]