The storms were blowing rather fiercely these days as if the land itself was warning of the horror that was to come. The world seemed to roar somehow with an empty blankness, but if one listened closely to the thunder you could almost hear the beat of a drum and the laughter of a dead god. War is coming, war and worse. The land will shatter, the six primalities will clash across the world and the balances will tip. The prisoners shall be freed, and death and damnation shall march once more. War is coming and the world will never be the same again.

(Line Break)

It was not a good night to be out on patrol, it was dreary, raining and pitch black. Garrick believed that it should be obvious that no guard would be out it here if they could help it. The problem was in two parts right now, command doesn't give a f*** and two Haladon really loves complaining.

"We shouldn't be out here man"

Sigh "I know Hal, but we have our orders"

Garrick was really getting tired of hearing the kids drivel

"What from some hedge knight our king decided to make regent of these for some reason?

"It's our orders, follow them Haladon"

"But what the hell is going to be out here? There's nothing out here but wolves and the occasional gnoll, there's nothing that requires the attention of a whole troop of guardsmen!"

"What about those raiders we've been hearing about"

The rain ricocheted of the young man's brow as it was raised in a sign of contempt.

"You don't honestly believe those stupid rumors about raiders with greenskin"

"It could be a subspecies of trolls"

"Bah, King Llane drove them off in the war of The Bleeding Thorns"

The old warrior sighed, with the golden age the kingdom was currently in many of the younger soldiers had grown arrogant and insufferable.

He agreed with the kid, but he had followed the regent since he saved his troop during the beginning of the war and so far, he had never led them wrong. But Halodon was not only a new recruit but a transfer from Stormwind itself. He had no trust the regent, all he knew that he was a former hedge knight that became friends with the king, and in a kingdom of knights many just saw hedge knights with the blackest of contempt.

If this went on any longer it would soon spiral into rebellion, Garrick raised his fist to bring the troop to a halt and turned to face Haladon. "I know you don't like him, I know that he used to be hedge knight, but frankly none of that matters, we gave our oaths to him so we must follow through or we will become oathbreakers, Is THAT the fate you wish"

Haladon's face lit up in anger, it was understandable for in this kingdom's culture keeping your oaths was so ingrained in it, that breaking them is tantamount to be called inhuman. Harsh but ultimately needed to keep him from doubting their lord. Garrick grabbed his shoulder and shook him slightly. "You're a good kid, but this is what it means to be a soldier, you must have trust in Ana-" An ax came screaming through the rain into the old soldier's face cutting off his sentence and his life. A group of Roars and howls came from all around them as arrows and spears came flying taking the lives of even more guardsman.

"To arms, we are under attack!"

Haladon pulled out his sword and desperately tried to rally the footmen around him, but seeing an old veteran like Garrick fall so quickly dropped the morale like a what else could they do but fight? They were surrounded unable to see the enemy before them, in a panic, many of the men started swinging wildly often hitting each other in the process causing the hulking shadows to laugh in twisted amusement. Not much to go on but enough for Hal to identify were at least to know where one of them was, he struck out with his sword and got enough a nice pained roar in return. The thing was quick to return the favor with a quick swish of a weapon that went over Hal's head as he barely ducked in time. He quickly brought up his sword and impaled the meaty body killing the creature. A howl of rage as a slightly higher voice spoke in a foul tongue as it struck out with a spear.

"Drak sat' tranir!"

Hal bashed aside the spear with his shield and tore his sword out of the body of the previous creature and swept the blade forward, the splash and flash of red eyes signaled that it jumped back. It dashed to the side and scored a glancing blow against his leg, with a scream Hal jumped back anticipating where the creature would try to move next. SLAM. Hal grinned as his gambit succeeded and the creature was crushed under the weight of full steel plate armor, he rolled to his side and quickly got up only to find himself surrounded. All he could hear was the rain and their heavy breathing, a streak of lightning flashed through the heavens to reveal hulking beasts with burning red eyes and tainted green skin. Hal stepped back slightly only to hit a body, slowly he looked up to see infernal green eyes staring down upon him. His heart went still as he heard the rough, thunderous tone twist itself into recognizable words.

"You fought, you lost, now sleep"

He heard a swing, and all went still.

Okay, for now, I have given up on Branching fates for now. If you were interested in that I'm sorry but for now, it won't continue perhaps I will go back to at some point but not now.

Anyways this is a story I've been sitting on for YEARS in truth, though it has gone through an absolutely ABSURD number of renditions and evolutions. This has actually led to me to refine and decide on the characters I have planned for the specializations and what will happen to them. I hope you enjoy this story and what I have planned.