Rain pelted on the armor of the knights, poised silently on their horses. The sky was dark, its only light flickering in and out, until the storm clouds enveloped the atmosphere completely. Mist encircled around the army, dimming their sights even more, and creating a sense of fear and anxiety amongst the horses, their nervous whinnies confirming this.
"Steady.." spoke the lead knight, dressed in white and gold armor, clearly above the ranks of the others, who wore simple white armor. Helmet was open, for the time being, scouting the area for the supposed enemy. The warriors seemed nervous too, all but the leader, sweat forming at their brows, not only wet on the outside from the rain, but now on the inside as well. The general sat atop his gallant white steed, squinting his eyes through the mist, before turning to a giant white hawk, perched on his shoulder, and nodded to it. The bird took flight, and flapped its wings to make its way down the hill on which the army stood, ready and waiting. Melting into the fog, the hawk kept wary of its surroundings, and continued its search for the enemy. Soon enough, it spotted a large black shape forming in the dense moisture, and before it could turn and fly toward its master, more shapes appeared, until there were hundreds. A thick, foreign black arrow zipped through the air, and stabbed the bird in its right wing. Squawking in pain, its cry ran throughout the area, and alerted the lead knight.
Determined not to let his friend die, the knight closed his helmet, and raised his lance, before giving the order to charge. His white horse took off, and was immediately followed by his brethren, who each had their own soldier to carry into battle.
Following the source of the cry, the general urged his horse on through the mist, the rain striking him and his army like hail. With a sudden jerk, he ordered his horse to stop, and his army, following close behind, did as well.
"What is it, Lord Sanos?" spoke one of the men behind him.
"Silence, you fool!" the general growled out, and seconds later, another arrow came, and pierced into the younger knight's neck, killing him. Going limp, the body fell off its horse, and tumbled to the ground. The horses in front and behind him went wild then, from the sudden attack, and raised their hooves into the air, frightened.
"AMBUSH!" cried Lord Sanos, and soon a giant herd of black creatures came from all sides of the army, and attacked. Sanos, determined not to let any more of his men die, took his lance, and began to spear into the armored black beasts.
Meanwhile, on the very top of the hill, stood a band of archers, who were armored with hard leather, white as well. "FIRE!" cried one of them, and soon, a blanket of arrows split through the mist and barraged the herd of black beasts. As the archers continued their onslaught from the hills, Lord Sanos and his army regained formation, before attacking the creatures again. Lowering himself to pick up his fallen companion, Lord Sanos cradled the hawk in his strong arms, before an animal's growl sounded from behind him, and one of the enemies came, rushing toward the general, and tackled Sanos to the ground. Giving a cry of rage and surprise, Lord Sanos gripped the 'pole' of his lance, and stabbed the rampaging beast through the heart, which died and fell to the ground as black 'goo'. Turning again, he proceeded to impale yet another five or six of the creatures, fighting on the ground beside his steed. The growls of the beasts and the cry of his men was all he could hear, before another group of arrows came down like meteors, special arrows designed to target the black creatures, and barraged them again.
Dropping his lance, Lord Sanos gripped the hilt of his sword, and hacked through the army of creatures attacking him. However, an even larger black beast slowly appeared behind him, its red eyes flashing hungrily. Taking its own berserker sword, it gave a hard thrust into the Solitaire's abdomen, before ripping it out of him.
Sanos cried out, and fell on his knees, holding his side, turning toward the giant creature, a morphed version of several Dark Fiends.
"
Had enough, Solitaire?" it asked menacingly, speaking with not even a voice, but some sort of muffled growls and hisses used to form the words. Lord Sanos looked around him - his men were losing. Grinning painfully, he turned his head back to the Dark Fiend, and removed the armor around his left arm, sliding his sleeve up to expose a mark on top of his hand - a Beast Symbol. The creature widens its 'eyes', and raised its sword in fury, but seconds after, a giant white and gold eagle, close to the size of the hill behind, erupted from the symbol, and flew into the air. Turning around, it landed its talons on the Dark Fiend, crushing it, and many others around it.
"Celedoa, vanquish these fiends!" shouted Lord Sanos, and the eagle responded, rising into the air, and flapping its giant wings, sending golden feather-shaped knives into the remaining army of Dark Fiends, destroying them. Lord Sanos, smiling proudly to his Beast, fell to the ground in a pool of blood, losing consciousness soon after...
Stay tuned for the next sequence in this exciting saga,
Solitaire
Chapter 1 - The Legend
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