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”.