Dietrich Ausgustein

Dietrich was born into the world, receiving everything he could have possibly imagined. His father was a mighty Occitanian noble whom held vast marks of land. His mother was a famous artist and painter, making beautiful peaces of art that reached all way to the Kaiser's palace walls. The young boy could not have been prouder. His future was bright, and without danger. He had several servants that were assigned to him only, and obeyed his every command. Dietrich's father ensured of course that the boy did not become spoiled and complacent. He gave him proper education, his own personal teacher and ensured that he remained in shape by teaching him the ways of the swordsman. A noble without the knowledge of commerce, manners and swordsmanship is bound to fail, the father thought. This was a nightmare he did not want to see come into fruition.

The boy grew as the years passed. However, he had become arrogant and stubborn. He skipped his classes and duties to chase after young women and to taunt the other nobles. He was not much liked by the other families, which caused much distress to fall upon the father and mother. They had to put him back into shape somehow. Their reputation was at stake. They could not allow their only son to ruin everything they had fought tooth and nail to gain. What would the mighty Kaiser think of them?

Dietrich's family reached their peak when another family had caught Dietrich together with one of their daughters without the family's consent. They could not allow this to continue any further, and in a drunken rage, the young man's father forcefully shipped off his son to the nearest legion recruitment center, and enlisted him into the legion. He told the instructor to make a man out of Dietrich, even if it were to break his spirit in the process. Dietrich swallowed.

Forced to stay in a tight spacing with other men, not allowed to go outside at night, and working out constantly took it's toll on Dietrich. He was a man of love, not of war and hatred. That, of course, would change of the years to come. Each day, he was awoken before the sun had barely managed to slip past the nearby mountains. It was still dark outside when they lined everyone up and prepared for a day of hard and unforgiving training. The training instructors gave Dietrich no form of special treatment. In fact, he had to suffer more than anyone else. He soon found out that this was his father's doing. He had told them to make it hard for him. Was this how a father treats his only son? The thought ran through Dietrich's mind for some time as he laid in his bed, exhausted and covered in mud and dirt.

As the months passed, Dietrich showed an aggressive change of pace. He became quicker, stronger, more flexible. He began to show signs of a true warrior. A true legionnaire in the Kaiser's service. The instructors were pleased with the progress. It didn't take long before Dietrich reached far beyond his fellow trainees. He stood out from the others, never yielding or giving in to the mental torture or physical exhaustion.

Then, the day arrived. Two had passed since Dietrich was thrown into training by his father, even before being drafted, and he had passed his final course and exams faster than any other in his group. He had potential. And when his father came to take him back to the mansion, Dietrich refused. He told his father that he wished to join the legion. To do his part for the Kaiser and the Empire. His father, shocked after hearing these words slip out of his once redundant, lazy and womanizing son, began to cry manly tears of joy. He agreed to his son's request, wishing him the best of luck.

Dietrich then carried on with the ceremony. However, he was then approached by two officers who stated that he was not to become a part of the legion. His skills and potential giving him the honor of becoming a soldier in the Kaiser's army. The elite. The finest besides the royal knights. Without a second though, Dietrich accepted the offer.

He was brought to yet another training site only hours after the ceremony had ended. These soldiers were unlike anything Dietrich had ever seen. They fought with such ferocity and skill that it was almost frightening. Hard times were ahead of Dietrich, but he had to see it through. For his father's sake, and for the Kaiser. He had to make them both proud if he wished to keep his pride. He would see it through, even if it killed him. He'd make his father proud.

The first weeks were the toughest. He was taught a form of martial arts style called Strassenkampf. It was difficult to learn and harder to do properly. He was also taught to use every piece of equipment that the Occitanian military forces uses. Swords, flails, axes, shields, crossbows, you name it. They had it all, and they wanted Dietrich to be the able to master it. And he did. As the years passed, Dietrich became hardened and durable. Barely nothing made him flinch anymore, let alone tire him out. He was a monster when it came to melee combat, and unmatched in most situations. He truly made the officers and his fellow soldiers proud of him.

The day came where Dietrich became a full pledged soldier of the army. He was ready for war. The only issue was that Occitan was at war with no one, and the city guard could handle most of the threats that rose up from within the Empire itself. It was dull, almost maddening. He had trained so hard to shed blood, and so long to enter combat, only to remain idle like a puppet. It was unbearable. The only thing keeping him together was the discipline that had been rammed into his mind with a hammer by the instructors back during training.

It was then, a threat rose. Demons had began to appear on the northern borders of Occitan, and had defeated the legionnaires sent to take care of it. The elite had to be sent in. Dietrich was thrilled to hear that his group was to be sent out to defeat these foul hellspawns in the name of the Kaiser. A long trip ensured, until they entered a forest, engorged in a strange mist. Dietrich could barely see anything in front of him. It was at that point that a large, winged demon appeared, twice the size of a man. And with it, a swarm of lesser demons. They charged at Dietrich and his fellow soldiers, who lined up in a professional fashion and brought up their warhammers and other weapons of choice, forming a mighty wall. The two sides clashed into each other, crimson blood spraying all over as both demons and Occitanian soldiers alike were ripped to shreds in the ongoing fight. Dietrich was fending off against the lesser demons when he was suddenly thrown into a nearby tree, and the winged demon appeared before him, a demon-sorcerer behind him. Dietrich quickly rose to his feet and charged the demon, warhammer in hand. He jumped up on a pile of rocks and used them to leap at the demon, slamming down his hammer into it's skull, cracking it open like a raw egg. The demon fell. The sorcerer fell to the ground, begging for mercy that would not come. Dietrich grabbed the sorcerer and headbutted her down into the ground, the sorcerer cried out in agony before Dietrich's warhammer came down like thunder, smashing her face like watermelon.

The deed was done. But at a price. As he turned around to regroup with his fellow soldiers, they had all been slain by the wretched demons that the sorcerer had brought forth. He could not believe it. Strong men with the will to move mountains, dead. He fell to his knees, and made a prayer to the saints for forgiveness. He wished he could have done something. He wished he could have saved them that day. He was found by city guards only hours later, and he was brought before the Kaiser, a hero. And it was there, at that point, that he descended into knighthood, under the eyes of the nobles, his father, and the Kaiser himself, he became a knight of the Occitan Empire. He chose Strauss as his patron saint, and wears the symbol proudly on his armor. In the armed forces of the Empire, he had found purpose, power, and faith. All in one place.

It was time for him to begin a chapter of his own, however. He left the Empire after pledging his allegiance to the Kaiser, vowing to return to protect him until the end should the enemies of the Empire appear once more. He left towards the nearby nation of Talibar in hopes of finding a place to settle. His search then lead him to a small town called, Surna . . .

The End.