A/N: This is VERY... rusty? as I kind of rushed it. :P I'll fix it soon! Please comment even if you have nothing to say! If you hate it, please tell me how to improve. Thanks!
"Dad! Help me out here! Daniel won't go to sleep!"
Chris looked up from the scroll he was looking at and peered at his daughter over his frameless spectacles.
"Where's John?"
"He's still at work. They just got a new order for boots and he has to stay late all week."
Chris sighed and stood up, lumbering slowly towards his crying grandson. His joints groaned as Chris' full weight shifted to his knees.
He winced as he headed towards the boy.
"Now now Dan… listen to your mother…"
"But… the-there are ghosts out there! Zack said so!"
Chris glared at the older child who seemed to find the yeti-skin rug extremely entertaining.
Chris heaved another sigh before he turned towards Daniel.
"Come, it's time I told you a story. You have nothing to fear from these ghosts."
"Story?"
At that word, Zack's eyes swept upwards and his eyes glowed with excitement as he scrambled on all fours towards his grandfather.
"This is a story about the great General Lich and his brave men. The story takes place hundreds of years ago, during the great invasion of El Nath by the Silver Warriors of Orbis."
Stephanie smiled wearily and quietly walked out of the room, slowly closing the door behind her.
A low guttural roar swept across the beautiful plains, echoing in the distant mountains, the cool winter air adding tension to the peaceful grounds, as if the very land was holding its breath; waiting for the inevitable. A deep sigh seemed to rise from the ground as the land let up its pent up breath, sweeping across the withered and charred ground, echoing in tune with the clearing of the cornets. The browned stalks of grass rose in the tender breeze, dancing along with the gentle rays of the moon. A murmur ran through the plains as the gentle wind wafted through the darkened grass.
Silver figures stood perfectly in line, their ranks going past the line of sight of the tiny force of highland warriors.
"Sir, there's too many of them! Scouts have reported that day outnumba' us a hundred t' one!"
"Aye lad… outnuma' us day do. But we'll take down as many as we can! Sound the charge!"
The trumpets rang clearly, resounding off the white walls of the El Nathian mountains. The crystal clear sounds vibrated across the wind-swept plains, proclaiming the majesty and beauty of nature. As the melodic waves died down, another roar rose from its depths. The sound of a thousand voices resounded in the clear morning air, proclaiming the bravery of the mountain men.
They charged at the Orbis Knights, light glistening off the beaten steel blades of axe and sword. The ranks clashed together, sword meeting shield, and axe to spear. The El Nathian men fought savagely for their homes, the lost lives of their brethren, their woman, their children, their very way of life. The thick animal skins they wore were no match for steel plates and spearheads but they fought on with the ferocity of nature herself.
Lich and his men broke through the first rank of men, slaughtering the plated figures where they stood. Screams split the air as dying men cried out in sorrow and pain and the killers in victory and bloodlust. The brave general led his men past another line of men after suffering grievous losses. Despite their ferocity, the silver men were too many.
One by one, the brave men of El Nath fell to the twinkling edges of the Orbisians. As Lich fell to a spear thrust, tears blossomed from the depths of his eyes. He watched as his courageous men died. Despite the displacement of their leader, despite the hopelessness of victory, his men fought on, giving no quarter and asking for none. This would be a wound the tribesmen would never recover from, the slaughter of an entire generation of their finest men. Lich cried for this, he cried for the end of his people.
His vision was suddenly blocked by a glimmering figure.
"You should have surrendered general."
Lich felt a split second of fiery pain in his neck before his vision blackened and he fell into the cold, black embrace of death himself.
The browned stalks of grass rose in the tender breeze, dancing along with the gentle rays of the moon. A murmur ran through the plains as the gentle wind wafted through the darkened grass. A blanket of silence and darkness lay over the lands as Night herself held the earth in her calming arms.
The light of the stars were blighted by the intense glare of the campfires as they glinted off the polished metal of the men sitting around the fire.
A hush fell across the lands, unbeknownst to the invaders, as a figure seemed to appear from the shadows of the mountains.
What little starlight there was fell across the figure, revealing a beautiful woman. Her snow-white hair wafted gently with the breeze as tears rolled down her sculpted face.
"Oh my babies... my sons…" she whimpered, her voice cracking in grief as she looked upon the bloodied bodies, left to rot by the Silver Men.
She slowly walked until she stood over the unblinking eyes of general Lich.
"You have defended your land with bravery and honor. I am proud of all of you. You gave your life to defend your home and you would give it again. I will grant you a second chance at life to chase the vermin from our lands, to purify the night sky once more. You will forever defend El Nath from invaders, you will always be here for any with the blood of the Mountains."
At these words, she bent down and breathed a silvery mist over the face of Lich. The silver cloud slowly seeped into the pores of his skin.
"A second chance…"
At these words, she stood up and walked back into the darkness of the rock cliffs.
"We slaughtered those savages like pigs!"
"Yeah! They bled just as well as pigs too!"
"Oh man that was awesome! Those stupid vermin should have never tried to stand up to us!"
"I can't wait until we reach that stupid village of theirs, the woman there will be ripe for the picking! We'll show them what real men can d- URG!"
A resounding snap was heard as the man's head was ripped from his shoulders. The other gave a yelp of horror as a decaying face looked him right in the eye.
"Brrraains!"
A piercing, blood-curling shriek rang through the heavens, joined by the echoes of countless others as they joined the flickering stars in the skies above just as the rays of dawn broke free of night's embrace.