It was a bright sunny day as I walked through the marketplace. Farmers and merchants were peddling their good and haggling with customers. I adjusted my cowl to keep the sun out of my eyes and checked my bow. I heard arguing nearby and decided to check it out.

It turned out to be a portly merchant arguing with a rather large lumberjack.

"What seems to be the problem?" I asked as I drew close.

"This tosspot is trying to swindle me out of my money!" The lumberjack growled.

"No, I'm not! Supplies are low and times are tough. A man needs to do what he needs to do to survive," the merchant argued.

"Ten gold for a piece of shite slab of beef?" Lumberjack scoffed. "That's hardly fair!"

"Piece of shite my ass! That's the best meat I've got!" Porky rebuked.

"Enough!" I snapped. I glanced over the meat in question and had to agree it was on the lean side. The cuts were small and there wasn't much to them.

"Give the man eight gold for two-thirds of the stack," I ordered.

"That's outrageous!" Porky cried indignantly.

"It's more than fair; now give the man his meat," I ordered sternly.

"What gives you the right?"

"I am a Royal Guard. My word is law," I said. I gave Porky the Lumberjack's gold and the Lumberjack his meat before moving on. I was becoming late for a general assembly of the army.

I took the steps to the Grand Courtyard two at a time and arrived in a large open space. Above me was the King's castle; a large, forty-story, palace of white marble stylized with tall pillars and narrow arches. Standing in the courtyard was fifty other Royal Guard members along with a dozen other military officers.

General Aizen was standing on a raised platform. He was a short stocky man with black close cut hair. A man in his late fifties, he had lead us to many victories and his word carried great weight.

"Alright men, listen up!" Aizen cried out. "Our spies have been investigating the local cities and seemed to have picked a city worth our efforts. Out spies reported that a small city north of here has become rich with resources but has very few guards. I am looking for volunteers to partake of this mission. I only need a few good men to lead the rest of the regular militant forces.

"Whose first?"

"I'll lead," a harsh voice called out. A battle-scarred captain of great physical stature came forth and joined General Aizen. Where Aizen was calm, cautious, and compassionate, this man was cruel, brash, and merciless.

"Ah, Captain Gin, why am I not surprised," Aizen said dryly. The tension between the two officers was palpable.

"Who wants to go on a raid with me?" Gin asked with a malicious grin. Several hands went up and Captain Gin's usual cohorts stepped forward. A patchwork group of men all as vicious, bloodthirsty, and merciless as their leader.

"Ah, but I need one more, someone with a good understanding of achery, given that my last bowman died," Gin said sardonically. "Omega, how about you?"

I groaned and several of my colleagues gave me sympathetic looks. I glared at Gin and his smile turned sadistic. He knew how much I hated raiding other cities for resources, but times were tough right now and we had no choice. I slowly walked forward and stood before Captain Gin.

"Now I think we're ready for a raid," Gin smirked. "What are the rest of my troops?" Gin asked Aizen.

"You will be given two-thousand Minotaur, five-hundred longbowmen, and five-hundred Armored Transports. Use them well," Aizen instructed. Gin nodded and said. "We will leave right away."

We slowly advanced towards the outer city wall. It was made of thick white stone and rose several meters high. A large full moon hung overhead and lite the earth like day. As we approached the city, the Minotaur pulled ahead and my archers stayed back to provide cover. My men were uneasy about this entire operation but as we got closer, things got worse.

"Sir, what are those things surrounding the city wall?" one of my men asked. I frowned and headed over to Captain Gin to raise the concern.

"Sir, my men and I have concerns about the white stones lining the outer wall. I have an uneasy feeling about them. There's something unnatural about them," I said anxiously.

"Well if you and your men are so concerned about it, go check it out! Then climb the wall and provide cover for the Minotaur," Gin ordered, annoyed.

I nodded and grabbed two nearby archers and we went to check out the stones. As we got close I could make out runes and glyphs carved all over the stone. It stood a meter high with a black hole that covered eighty percent of the front face. The hole appeared to be a swirling mass of darkness that no light could escape. One of my men, a young recruit, reached forward and touched the stone. He gasped and withdrew his hand, the tips covered in frost. The stone started to glow blue and a white form suddenly burst forth.

"Aaahhh!" The archer shrieked as the creature sank its fang and talons into him. I backed away in shock. The creature was long, white, and sinuous. It had beady, black eyes and a mouth filled with needle-sharp teeth like a leach. Its arms were tipped with three deadly talons.

I drew my sword and drove it through the beast's skull. It collapsed nest to my dead recruit and went limp.

"What is that thing?" my remaining archer asked, his voice shaking with shock.

"Soul Reaper," I whispered, cleaning my blade. "We've been deceived." I turned and tried to warn everyone but discovered they already knew about the Reapers. The company was being ripped apart by the beasts. Gin had recalled the Minotaur and my archers had formed a circle around the transports but the Reapers were too fast and too agile.

I charged forward and hacked away at the Reapers but it was futile. There were too many. I got knocked down as one swept passed me and attacked my comrade. I felt its talons rake my side and fire bloom there. My head smashed into a nearby rock and the world faded to black.