Chapter 11 - Rebellion

Valandt had awoken that morning feeling more refreshed than he had done in a very long time. Sleeping rough the two nights before had given him new appreciation for the luxuries of being a prince. In actual fact last night was the best night of sleep Valandt had ever experienced. When Valandt awoke that morning he not only felt refreshed but he remembered the voice in the back of his head. `Things can only get better from here` he remembered thinking to himself that morning. Now as he looked ahead and saw the oncoming hoard of beasts and swordsmen he cursed out loud. Valandt was at the moment the acting king, he felt no need for this title, or want for it either. He wished his father would come running from the distance atop his horse and take out all of the invaders and reclaim the throne. It was never going to happen though and although Valandt would never give up the search for the man who took him in as a child and gave him everything, he somehow knew the people would never accept him as a king. Not being of Gyraicus’ bloodline Valandt had been rejected by the people from the beginning. They had utmost respect for him as a warrior, stories of Valandt’s fighting abilities spread across Legia. Rumour had spread of Gyraicus’ disappearance and the people were not going to lay down and accept Valandt as their new king. From what Valandt could see from the tower he had been alerted to, the warrior they call `The Shadow of Death` and the Beast Lord Zvire were leading this rebellion. `That treacherous...` Valandt thought upon seeing Zvire. `Father had given him everything, and how does he repay?` Valandt’s fury was growing at the disloyalty of Zvire and he immediately unsheathed his sword. “Where are you going sir?” one of the guards called to him as Valandt went to leave the room. “To show the people what their new king thinks of rebellions” Valandt said rashly as he headed out, banging on all the doors once as he went past them, alerting anyone inside. Valandt descended some steps and met up with Imunzo, who looked like he had allready been outside battling. “Where is Raiguarde?” Valandt asked.
“He is...elsewhere” Imunzo replied. “I see we are drawn into combat again”.
“It appears so” Valandt said. “Think we‘ll make it out of this one alive?” Valandt asked, slightly light-heartedly.
“Only one way to find out” Imunzo replied, with the same amount of humour. There was a slight rumbling on the steps and swords men, dressed in full battle armour began to scramble down the stairs that Valandt and Imunzo were standing on. Valandt side stepped the men to allow them to pass and when the last one passed them, Imunzo and Valandt began to follow, along a corridor, through the great hall and out of the front gate. The air outside had the stench of fear and it felt like the old stories of battles Valandt had been told about as a young boy. There was an intense knocking at the secondary gate, Valandt waited for the right moment then gave the signal to the tower above for the huge gate to be raised. The creatures Valandt knew as the beasts came pouring through the gate, Valandt’s fury grew as the beasts approached and he swung his sword broadly through the air, slashing the chest of a beast open as he did. The beasts moved at an incredible speed, but the sheer number of those trying to get through the small opening that used to be a gate hindered their progress. The swordsmen of Legia castle managed to gain a bit of ground on the invading army, pushing them back into the valley and hills beyond. The sound of metal striking metal of the swordsmen rung out through the air. Valandt was a skilled swordsmen himself but found it difficult to overpower the beasts. Valandt swung his sword directly at the head of one beast, but the beast tilted back til its head was almost touching the ground, but still it maintained its balance. The beast then flipped over, so that it was standing up using its hands and it blocked the sword with its feet. Valandt felt he could easily be overcome by a large number of these beasts so he tried not to let his anger take him over and took a few steps back and allowed some of the swordsmen to overtake him. Valandt paused momentarily and looked to his side, Imunzo had gone. Valandt saw a purple blur in the background and knew that it was the samurai, doing what he did best. Valandt looked around and tried to see Zvire, The cockiness of the beast lord, turning his back on the man who had given him so much filled him with intense rage and hatred. Gyraicus had given everything to the man and Valandt would not be satisfied until Zvire’s head lay atop a wooden pole as a symbol of what he would do to traitors, next to it would be Schard’s, once he was found. Valandt recognised the green armour of Zvire and saw the axe that he wielded in the background. Valandt’s pupils were aflame with hatred and he began to hack, with no real guile or aim into the air, desperately trying to carve out a path to Zvire. The two got closer and closer until Valandt made eye contact with the traitor, Zvire’s eyes shrunk with fear. Valandt reached over the pile of bodies and grabbed Zvire by his traditional green, spiked shoulder pads and threw him a good few feet into the air toward the castle. Zvire was a heavy man and this act of brute strength surprised Valandt just as much as it did Zvire. The battle continued around them, Valandt could easily have been attacked and killed by a beast and Zvire killed by a swordsman, but they were both left alone while the battle raged on some metres away. “I do not mean for this?” Zvire said and attempted to put his axe back in its position but was stopped.
“No” said Valandt as he blocked Zvire from putting the axe away “I refuse to kill an unarmed man”. Zvire’s eyes then changed to that of malice and he pushed Valandt to the ground and swung the axe at him. Valandt rolled out of the way quickly and took Zvire down with a sweeping kick as he avoided the blade of the axe. Valandt got to his feet quickly and thrust his blade at Zvire’s stomach, this was blocked by the handle of the axe. Zvire then kicked Valandt in the stomach hard and then used the momentum of Valandt’s sword swing to toss him over his shoulder, this caused both weapons to fly off. Zvire got to his feet slowly and looked around for his axe, it had landed by the castle door and he walked over to it. As he picked up the axe he turned around and went to look for Valandt, but was greeted by the impact of Valandt’s fist, hard against his face. Zvire fell back and began to stumble inside the castle. Valandt soon followed and picked up Zvire’s axe and placed it down on the table nearest to him, then walked over to Zvire and hit him hard in the face again. Zvire groaned in pain and Valandt went to hit him a third time, but Zvire blocked it and punched Valandt hard in the stomach. Both Valandt and Zvire were in almost agony and they tried to regain any form of strength. Zvire swung clumsily at Valandt, who easily ducked and managed to land an upper cut onto Zvire, who fell to the floor, bleeding. Valandt took the axe from the table and lifted it high into the air when something caught his eye. There was someone standing in the doorway watching, and suddenly he leapt for him.

Raiguarde smiled slightly when he saw who was leading this army toward the castle. The stories of Goreoth and Paix were merely fables, the Shadow of Death however would be something that he would revel in ending the Shadow’s legend. Noted for being the greatest killer in all the land, Raiguarde took great care not to leave the guard tower straight away, instead he raised the alarm for all the castle guards to greet the invaders with as excessive force as possible. Shadow or no Shadow, it would take any man a long while to force open the huge gate, this would give Raiguarde enough time to get down and face the renowned masked slayer. Raiguarde briefly paused and wondered what face lay beneath that mask, what sort of coward would have to go around killing without a face to accompany the name, but then there was no name either. The previous battle with Imunzo had its benefits, Raiguarde’s muscles were now suitably loosened for battle, however he was still in need of a small rest before heading straight out there. Raiguarde left the watchtower and headed for his chamber, in there he took off his sword belt and opened the cupboard next to his bed and pushed aside all the clothes on hangars. There fixed at the back lay Zialisilyk, or white light, the heirloom sword that had lay in his family for generations. When it was crafted, it had been a wonder among weapons but over the years it grew dull, when Raiguarde made captain of the Legia army, he had the hilt encased in ivory, something that would be near impossible had it not been for the magic of a established wizard named Schard. Raiguarde sighed as he took the sword from its place. “What happened to you ?” said Raiguarde aloud wondering what would become of Schard. Raiguarde took his normal sword out of his golden yellow sword belt and then reattached it to his waist, he then sheathed the Zialisilyk into its place. Raiguarde briefly caught a glimpse in the mirror of himself as he left the room, the perfect image of a decorated soldier. As Raiguarde entered the corridor he heard a noise which filled him with both excitement and fear, though which feeling was stronger he could not tell. The gate was being raised which means that the Shadow was now able to reach the castle. Raiguarde quickened his pace, wanting to get outside before anyone else would have a chance to kill this masked murderer. Stories of men being killed in cold blood were known throughout the land, thieves and old soldiers that had retired from the Legia army, this made Raiguarde’s body begin to fill with rage. `Good men who had served Legia well had died in their sleep because of this man` Raiguarde thought as he made his way down a flight of stairs into the grand hall `and in their honour I shall have justice`. Raiguarde heard the sound of a weapon being thrown by the castle door and it made him jump, he could not make out what or who had thrown it though. Raiguarde felt something move behind him and he quickly jumped, turned and drew the Zialisilyk. “Shadow?” Raiguarde called to the air.
“Yes?” came a voice from behind Raiguarde and then a swift kick to his side made Raiguarde lose his balance, he toppled over and began to fall down some stairs. The Zialisilyk was thrown down into the room at the bottom. Raiguarde stuck his foot out pressed it against the wall to stop him from falling any more and he then headed down the stairs to retrieve the Zialisilyk. The room below was dark, with only light from the lanterns on either side of the room. It brought back bad memories for Raiguarde, for this was the dungeons, the place where Schard and the lizard like man Kaiazal had used to gain inhuman powers. Raiguarde heard footsteps on the stairs and got to his feet, he tasted blood in his mouth as he regained his stance, his lip had been cut open in the fall and was dripping blood. Raiguarde looked around for a moment and found the Zialisilyk and picked it up, he then spat out blood that was leaving a bad taste in his mouth. Raiguarde hated seeing his own blood, let alone tasting it, for seeing your own blood meant you were losing. Raiguarde took up a menacing stance as the figure of the Shadow came down the stairs and walked into the partial light. “Do you not bow before your new king?” Shadow asked, cockily.
“I don't bow to dead men, and I'd never bow to you anyway” Raiguarde's eyes were filled with malice. “Shame, It will be an honour killing you though” Shadow was calm as he said this and Raiguarde was then quick to change the tempo.
“I don't think so” said Raiguarde and with that he lunged the Zialisilyk at Shadow’s chest. Shadow drew the sword of Drakahor and parried it away with incredible speed, Raiguarde had not even seen Shadow move. Raiguarde and Shadow began to battle, the sound of metal smashing against metal rung out and echoed throughout the room, making it seem as if there were many more battles going on. Raiguarde managed to get a clean shot at the chest of Shadow, but the metal of Shadow’s chest plate was too thick to pierce. The situation was then reversed moments later when Shadow thrust the sword of Drakahor into Raiguarde’s chest, causing a dent in the amour at best. The two traded blows like they were old friends and had studied each others technique for years. The battle raged on and on, neither managing to have the upper hand for long. Raiguarde had underestimated Shadow’s ability, or overestimated his own and was frustrated in his inability to land a clear hit on his masked opponent. This frustration lead to Raiguarde momentarily losing his concentration and it that moment Shadow knocked the Zialisilyk out of Raiguarde’s grasp. Shadow then punched Raiguarde hard in the mouth, causing the wound in his lip to throb with pain. Raiguarde was groggy and barely conscious, he nearly choked on the blood in his mouth several times before managing to struggle the energy to spit enough blood out to enable him to breath properly. Shadow then pinned Raiguarde up against a wall and aimed the sword of Drakahor directly at his throat. Raiguarde wanted to close his eyes but he kept them open and attempted to embrace the death that surely awaited him. A purple blur in the corner made Raiguarde blink, Raiguarde then refused to open his eyes. Raiguarde then felt Shadow drop him suddenly. As Raiguarde opened his eyes he saw who had saved his life. The samurai warrior, Imunzo.

The sun beat down heavily on Legia castle, the nonchalant sounds of birds filled the air and the scene was filled with immense beauty. Trees were greener than before, leaves happy to be caught in a gentle breeze and going with the flow of it. The air was filled with the smells of flowers, Legia had become a quiet little part of heaven today. The sky was cloudless and careless, all around was peaceful and serene. The wind blew through in no rush, moving through at a smooth pace. There were a group of children playing in the fields, they had with them a blanket and were having a picnic, rejoicing in the perfect harmony. Doves flew along the air, effortlessly swooping around with the majesty of kings. Their wings were caressed gently by the soft breeze as they glided around this small part of paradise. A grand old oak tree stood tall and proud, showing off its splendorous leaves and mature branches. Time stood still, all around was bliss in its purest form. Underneath the picturesque oak tree, against its mighty trunk were a young couple. They were too transfixed on each other’s gaze to notice any of the magnificent sights around them. The young girl curled up in her lovers arms and they shared a kiss. Without warning the scene descended into mayhem. An explosion rocked the castle and blew the roof clean off. A huge dust cloud formed and enveloped the children playing. They went from laughing to struggling to breath in a flash. The smoke cleared slowly and a red light emanated from the hole in the castle and into the sky, ruining the clear blue heavens above. A black wind began to flow from the castle, killing everything in its path. The grass went from green to burnt in the blink of an eye. The children, still choking on the dust from the explosion turned to dust themselves. The dying scream of the last child filled the air with harrowing death. The black mist continued to destroy the area, rolling on toward the young couple. Shapes began to form within the mist, the shapes of demons. The mist enveloped the oak tree, reducing it to cinders in a second. A few leaves were floating in the air, aflame and slowly falling to the ground. The leaves did not make it to the ground however as the fire had torched them all before they could make it. The young couple were left untouched as the black mist passed them. Demons began to surround them one by one. They shared one last kiss before the demons pulled them from each other, the young woman managed to mouth the words `I love you` to her chosen before she was torn limb from limb by the ravenous demons. The young man was forced to watch this most excruciating of pains as they killed her, slowly and painfully, her screams now filled the air. The young man swelled with tears as the demons then leapt on him, tearing into his flesh and taking out his heart to devour. The bodies of all the ravaged disappeared and everything became black. The figure of Kaiazal then appeared and laughed evilly, bellowing, harrowing laughter. Astral awoke with a shudder, in tears at what her dreams had shown her she jumped out of her bed and readied herself to leave Palestar castle. One of Astral’s servants came bouncing through the door upon hearing her calls. “Yes queen Astral ?” he asked upon opening the door.
“Prepare my carriage, I am leaving for Legia castle”.
“Right away” and with that he left. Astral looked out of her window and walked across to her balcony., the sun had only just come up. She shivered once more with fear at what she had seen, for it was no ordinary dream, but a terrifying vision of the future.

Shadow cursed at how things were never straightforward. The castle had been blocked by an immense gate, this however was simply solved by stealthily going around the back so no-one would notice and climbing the wall there, then Shadow easily sneaked inside the castle. Upon getting into the castle Shadow saw the figure of Raiguarde, the captain of the Legia army. Shadow watched Raiguarde move and waited for the right time to pounce. Shadow saw Raiguarde startled at the sound of something clang by the door of the castle and darted behind him. Raiguarde turned and Shadow saw him looking around. “Shadow?” Raiguarde called out and with that Shadow decided to make his move.
“Yes?” Shadow called and with that kicked Raiguarde down a flight of stairs. Shadow paused momentarily and waited to see what Raiguarde’s next move would be. After a while Shadow got tired of waiting and began to stride down the stairs after him. The room that Shadow entered was dark and badly lit, Shadow instantly thought that this was not the king’s room. “Do you not bow before your new king?” Shadow said, feeling confident.
“I don't bow to dead men, and I'd never bow to you anyway” Raiguarde said defiantly.
“Shame, It will be an honour killing you though” Shadow said, and was then caught off guard by the blistering pace of the army’s captain.
“I don‘t think so” Raiguarde said and with that he lunged at Shadow. Shadow instantly drew the sword of Drakahor and parried the oncoming blow from Raiguarde. The duel of the Shadow of Death and the White lion then began. The battle was played at furious pace and neither man could get the upper hand. Raiguarde was a much more worthy opponent that anyone Shadow had previously faced and Shadow was sure to keep a strict concentration and the opportunity to win the battle would arise. The duel continued and Shadow kept a keen eye on Raiguarde, making sure that doubt or fear would never cloud the mind of anything but victory. The moment Shadow had been waiting for arrived when Raiguarde dropped his concentration for a split second, in that split second Shadow kicked Raiguarde's sword of his hand and Shadow sharply followed this up by punching Raiguarde hard in the jaw. Shadow then pinned Raiguarde up against the wall and pointed the sword of Drakahor against his throat. Shadow was surprised at Raiguarde’s ability to keep his eyes open and face his death, for this Raiguarde had Shadow’s partial admiration. Shadow saw Raiguarde blink and noticed that Raiguarde’s eyes were drawn toward the stairs. Shadow immediately dropped Raiguarde and turned to face a purple clad warrior. Whoever it was had been in the battle himself, he was holding his arm and Shadow could see that blood was leaking from it. Shadow stood back as Raiguarde got to his feet slowly and prepared to take on both approaching men. Shadow’s eyes darted around looking for a way to escape. Shadow was in no mood to take on two warriors while backed against a corner. Raiguarde picked up his sword and Shadow immediately thrust the sword at Raiguarde, who blocked it. Shadow then applied pressure to the sword and Raiguarde fought back with equal pressure, Shadow then quickly stopped, followed by Raiguarde who was desperately trying to regain his strength. Shadow then thrust the sword again at Raiguarde, who could not keep up this time and feel back, Shadow then launched into the air and dropkicked the other man to the floor. Shadow darted for the exit and ran up the stairs into the grand hall. Once in the hall Shadow spotted Zvire, Orscyar and the prince of Legia, Valandt. Zvire was nursing his wounds and bleeding heavily, Orscyar and Valandt were duelling. Shadow had not seen Orscyar fight before but he was very skilled and kept up with the prince who had a reputation for being one of the best. Valandt’s reputation upheld itself and Shadow saw him toss Orscyar’s sword aside and then move in for the kill. “Stop!” called Shadow and Valandt turned to face him.
“Get out of my castle” said Valandt upon viewing Shadow’s presence “all that stay will die, by my own hand if it is needed” Shadow moved out of the stairway just as Raiguarde and the purple warrior appeared. Shadow kept the sword of Drakahor drew and was locked with Valandt’s gaze. Zvire and Orscyar regrouped behind Shadow as Raiguarde and the purple warrior made their way behind Valandt. “I challenge you” Shadow called, once all men were in place. “A duel, you and I, the winner will be crowned the new king of Legia” Shadow continued. Valandt stood resolute and did not chance his gaze or look of menace and accepted. Shadow turned to Zvire and Orscyar and told them to back away. Valandt did the same with the two men behind him. A noise startled the six warriors and they saw as a carriage pulled up. Shadow knew the figure who got out by name only, it was Astral, queen of Palestar. She took up position next to Raiguarde and looked battle ready. She made eye contact with Shadow and Shadow could sense her fear. “Four on three” Valandt smirked “Are you sure you wish to clash with me?”
“He‘s sure” a voice that wasn’t Shadow’s came from the doorway, it was the figure of the young wizard Presto. Presto then stood beside Orscyar and Zvire. Shadow smiled. “Now the odds are even.”
“Yes” said Valandt, his voice not giving away any emotions. Valandt stepped forward and held his sword in the air, Shadow then took a few steps forward and finished the crisscross of swords that Valandt started. Shadow took a look into Valandt’s eye and then went to swing for Valandt but an explosion filled the room. Shadow hadn’t noticed but the sky around the castle had grew pitch black and Shadow watched as three figures came out of the smoke. Two he did not recognize but one was the unmistakeable face of the lizard like Kaiazal. “I came to see a battle, hope you don‘t mind if we add something extra to the fight” a circle of fire separated Shadow and Valandt from everyone else and Kaiazal laughed “Let the duel for the crown begin”.