Piercing through the skull of yet another undead Wardens body was tired and torn from the constant battle for survival, his armour has warped and split with streams of crimson liquid flowing down his body like a series of horrific rivers yet he never stopped, for if he did it would mean the death of his soldiers.
He knew that if he paused for even a moment of rest that the lives that had already been lost this day would be for nothing and he was unwilling to let that happen for as long as he still drew in breath, he would not allow himself to falter for a moment before they reached the keep and had slain the dragon who had called it home. He had a family waiting on his return from this dreaded nightmare, a wife and a soon to be born child who desperately needed someone to protect them in this broken world, for they were not to be chosen to fight just yet.
There were many other sleepers in this battle who had loved ones who depended on their strength to survive, if they were to die here then there would be more blood on Wardens hands than he could ever count, looking up as the floor quaked beneath his armoured boot he saw the undead captain finally making his way forward from the crowds of undead who seemed to slink away as he approached as if parting an undead sea.
His armour seemingly untouched by age and the look in its eyes showed no hint of decline in his mission to protect the place he had sworn himself too all so long ago, Warden and those remaining at the head of the formation looked up at the monstrosity readying themselves to fight the behemoth.
The ones behind him were scared, he didn't need the ability to sense emotions to know that much but he wasn't, not by choice of course but in times like this it served him well, promoting the symbol of fearlessness onto both his allies and enemies alike was a powerful message which was hard to ignore for either side.
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The Forsaken Commander saw no reason to trouble itself with the insects out front at first, and yet one of them couldn't escape his gaze, the foremost man in the formation, a younger man clad in what would have been once beautiful bronze armour much like that his fellow knights of war used to wear back before the War of the realms, between the divine Host and the Daemon army.
His mind had long since been corrupted filled with nothing but the thought of consuming the flame, his body reeling in perpetual torment which he wished to spread across reality, being torn apart and rebuilt almost constantly in such grueling agony yet he continued on, his mind was so different to what it had been once before, so full of life granted by the sparks of the flame.
'Revolting'
This was the only thing which crossed his mind now, to consume the revolting strength of the lingering flame and make reality suffer under its own existence, how blissful a world like that could be, and yet small fragments of the man he had once been remained even if his name and power had long since been lost to time. He still controlled the same army after all this time and still valued strength above all, only fighting those worthy of his power even if every part of his body and soul screamed and clawed at him to devour it all.
His mind could only remember echoes of memories long past, too distant for any semblance of solidarity with the creature he once was, and yet the eyes of the puny insect below him reminded him of a man long ago. The memories of such a vile creature were too much for any creature to witness, the one they had reclaimed this kingdom from having been freed of his dominion, the one who had once ruled over much of reality, The Plague of Steel.
The look was the same, the same fearless nature and the revolting will to make it happen, he would never allow himself or this Bastion to fall to such a creature again he had to squash it before its wings grew in or else it would infect reality with its poison yet again.
Pulling his spear high the Forsaken Commander readied himself to squash this infection before it could take root.
///
Warden stared defiantly into the creatures eyes, as he raised his blade to fend against the monstrosity, the force it excluded on reality was far more immense than anything he had ever felt, as if the world itself was trying to crush him into nothing more than a smear on the cobbled streets.His body and armour were badly damaged and even his blade had started to dull but he had no choice, to stay and fight for the chance of a better tomorrow was better than dying a coward.
The undead general seemed to have caught his gaze as its face contorted into a devilish grimace, as nothing put the purest of malice burned in its eyes as it stepped ever closer as it raised its spear up high, moving so slowly and yet Warden knew that was only an illusion of size as he attempted to pivot to the side as the spear flew through the air directly towards him as hurried steps rushed beside him.
His life flashed before his very eyes as the spearhead as dark as the night sky drew closer, certain that these would be his last moments as he readied himself for the pain which never arrived as a shadow barely covered his body just before it collided with him.
A splintering storm of wood and metal danced in the air around him as the figure of a younger woman was revealed to him, her towering shield starting to break away in a shower of sparks as she was sent flying backwards straight into him, launching them both back a considerable distance. Her long red hair sprawled across the stones as Warden held her close, taking the brunt of the force as they hit the floor with incredible speed.
The area where they had once stood was now a cloud of dust as the stone disintegrated under the weight of the might blow, looking down at the young shieldmaiden he could see that her injuries were terrible as a massive bloodied wound was leaking from her side promising to be her end if nothing happened quickly.
He could feel his own injuries, new and old open even deeper into his flesh as a pool of crimson pooled around them like a haunting lake, the image was both horrific and strangely alluring with the form of the gallant knight holding the dying body of the one who saved his life.
Warden tried to stand, to fight until his last breath as so many others had done and yet his body refused to listen any longer as the inhuman strength which was holding him up finally faltered as the undead behemoth approached his spear and pulled it from the ground. Another sleeper who had been fighting side by side with their fearless charge forward, inspired by the sight of Warden and attempted to use his heavy axe to slice into the giant's leg, pulling all of his force into the swing.
Less than a moment later the behemoth turned his head to stare at the man as the hatred continued to burn in its eyes as a monstrous gargle escapes its mouth with one one word escaping its maw,
"Plauge!"
Suddenly the lone sleeper was suddenly flung back at incredible speed against a nearby building, the sound of his organs rupturing as blood exploded from his body from his mouth noise and eyes echoed over the streets, his his body lifeless folded itself on the stones as the memories he was wielding broke away into ethereal sparks.
The sheer brutality and ease that the giant displayed in that moment would scar the minds of the sleepers for the rest of time, sending waves of uncontrollable fear rolling over the sleepers like a tidal wave to the point in which Jest's powers became all but meaningless and yet despite their fears they stayed standing.
As a crowd of sleepers moved forward to protect their leader the fear that they all felt bloomed in their chests paired with the fierce determination to survive, they needed to make it out of here alive no matter the cost, it was their best chance of making it home and they would be damned if they let this abomination take that away from them. Taking up a defensive formation around Warden the sleepers prepared for one final assault, one last push to make it through the enemy lines, they were already as good as dead anyway might as well try something in the end.
The forsaken commander readied itself for another attack against the oncoming scourge, if this new pest was truly the same breed as the old one only by taking out all of its hive would ensure that it never came back again, meanwhile the sleepers prepared for one last assault, the numerous beasts and other undead had backed away at the seeming command of their commander so they at least had a slim chance of victory.
Before either side could move however something caught everyone's attention.
A flickering light illuminated in the back of the formation then disappeared once more, again and again the light appeared and disappeared without warning and with no way to tell where it was coming from, with each time it appeared however more and more of the form attached to it was revealed. At first the figure was indescribable as if their own senses were having a hard time believing something was ever there at all, then it started to collapse, soon the figure of a tall powerful man flickering in and out of reality in shimmering hues came into focus.
His powerful arms draw the beautifully carved Warbow carved from blackened wood with golden ornamentation across its accents, along one of his arms a rusted chain coiled around like a serpent seemingly digging deep into his flesh as well as the powerful memory. Blood silently dropped to the floor as his face came into focus, his eyes were completely bloodshot, highlighting the amber glow as the redness removed all traces of white from ever existing, illuminated by the golden glow, streams of blood rolled down his face as it began to stain his olive skin.
His face was focused as the flickering became less and less frequent as all the essence from deep within his soul was pulled forward into the light, the brilliant energy shaped itself into the form of a golden arrow crafted from divine light as the string of the bow was pulled further and further as his mind entered a state of utter focus.
Damian felt like he could see and feel nothing and yet it felt like the world was louder and brighter as it had ever been as terrible pain cried out from his body as his vision was split in two, one showed a desolate battlefield drenched in putrid blood of friend and foe alike whilst the over was of a brilliant sun over a vast ocean.
The sun was marred with cracks which grew with every passing second as the world within his soul shock violently as the once calm waters of this sea grew into a fierce typhoon threatening to tear itself apart, the broken chain burned with energy as the smells of sizzling flesh filled the air and yet he didn't flinch, his mind was focused and all ti could focus on was piercing the heart of his enemy.
Feeling the tension on his soul build greater and greater with every moment Damian felt as the power poured out of him like a tidal wave as he prepared his final strike, if he failed now then no one would be safe, not here not anywhere.
Locking eyes with the Forsaken Commander he whispered on final word as he let the arrow whistle through the air,
'Die.'
It was a simple command, and one in which the creature did not intend to follow as it raised its spear up high with both hands to meet the attack head on, a sudden wall of force pushed back against the radiant arrow as the two forces collided with each other, sending powerful shockwaves out which pushed the closest sleepers to their knees as they stared up in awe.
The single arrow and the towering behemoth were seemingly locked in a stalemate which seemed to last an eternity and yet was already lost before it even began as the force pushing against the arrow gave way as it continued its path undisturbed as it ripped through the creature's spear and chest with little difficulty. Damian had thought that it was the end right there and then as the voice of the spell whispered in his ear,
[You have slain, an Awakened Tyrant, Forsaken Commander]
A sudden force filled his body, rejuvenating some of the energy his body had just spent, making him feel just a little bit better, he barely had time to understand what had happened when a sudden burst of divine light erupted in the enemies formation as a tidal wave of energy rushed into his soul as the spell continued to speak yet by the time it spoke again, he had already collapsed onto the hard cobbled floor of the street.