Crimson Reprisal [STOPPED FOR NOW]

I | The Alorian Knight

LENNIN

"Stop right there!" A vehement voice roared across the land beyond the gate.

The horseman came to a grinding halt. Those bloody red eyes, that gave even the bravest man a shiver, glared at the lord. Metal coated body on an armored war mount, he was definitely a knight.

"Who in the Rog Hells are you?" For the second time, Lord Lennin, Guardian of the Eastern Gate shouted from the top of the wall, at the unknown visitor. No men were allowed to enter Amor without declaring their origins, especially on Lennin's watch.

"Aer..." The rider beyond the gates murmured a shaky yet lifeless voice. The sound was so rough that it was like swords clashing beneath his throat.

Standing at the edge of the wall carefully with his hands crossed rigidly in place, Lennin observed the rider like an eagle catching every detail on sight.

The dented chest plate moved as the rider adjusted his stance, allowing his horse to get a good grip of the soil of the Sevi Lands. Frowning with his eyes locked onto the unknown visitor, the lord sensed an unwelcoming hostility. "Get the archers ready," Lennin ordered his men with his crackling voice.

It was clear that the lance he held tightly to was severely broken, barely usable, as if it had just been used in combat. The battle scars on his helmet proved that he was a tough fighter. It had seemed that the rider was patently worn out from a former battle. The scratches on his war helmet mangled his appearance, but the sigil of the flaming skull still remained visible.

"The emblem of Alora," Lennin whispered to himself as he focused on recalling his foggy memories. It had been years since he had encountered an Alorian knight.

"Take another step and arrows shall pierce through your soul!" Lennin roared like the forgotten dragons, loud enough for his voice to be heard to the boundaries of Amor. The eolian sound echoed as the wind stroked the huge gates that protected the land. Everything fell silent.

Leering at the great wall of Amor, the rider did not flinch. His gaze was affixed to the gate which his lance was aimed at. Some men felt the aura emitted as fear crawled through their veins but Lennin thought otherwise. The lord only saw insanity stewing within the rider, as no one had ever dared to challenge the Kingdom of Amor, even the notorious bandits beyond the walls. 

Redwood bows above the concrete walls were stretched to maximum capacity with an arrow hot, ready to be freed. Dozens of archers locked on their target with their left eyes closed, pinning him down visually.

In a blink, he kicked the war mount beneath him, charging towards the gate at a blazing speed.

"FIRE!" Arrows rained down like shooting stars. With a few devastating hits, a few sharpened arrows pierced through his broken armor. The horseman was finally brought down, crashing downwards to the ground headfirst. 

As the soil beneath him was painted red, the rider grunted lifelessly. "Aer..." The fallen knight reached towards the arrows that are stuck onto his chest, snapping them like cutting tree branches through the woods. The damages dealt on the Alorian knight seemed to be utterly ineffective.

No man could possibly survive that.

The horse was brutally shot as well, but it didn't take long for it to regain its energy. It stood up with its bloody legs, desperately trying to gain its balance. The murky body of the cremello horse had turned crimson by then, but it didn't seem to be bothered by its wounds.

Fumed with dissatisfaction, Lennin thundered another command, "FIRE!"

Showers of metal tipped arrows conquered the sky once again, as another piercing arrow soon struck the horse's ear through its jaw making it collapse onto the ground with a loud thud once again. This time, there was no way the rider could escape the sight of the guards. He was without his war mount.

It's over. Lennin thought, unsheathing his long Amorian sword from his scabbard, the lord yelled, "Surrender yourself!" The swing of his sword was beyond reach but his words definitely cut through the atmosphere, slaying an air of ferocious order towards the fallen knight.

Out of the red, he threw a lance with all his bloody might like a raven soaring across the air and abruptly smashing into the ground, landing just a few inches before the wall.

What in the Rog Hells...

The rider, having multiple deadly arrows stuck into his back was still making his way towards the gate. Blood leaked from his entire body like a river flow, but he was still inching closer. The entire wall of men gazed speechlessly at the fallen knight, crawling.

Horror struck the guards out of their living flesh as they reached forward, moving closer to get a better view. The men above the wall, including the lord himself, held their breath as they gazed towards the demonic creature.

Could... could it be?!