Tomyas was one of those leaders who you did not want to trifle with. He, himself, when faced with an adversary would even utter, "You really don't want to trifle with me." Most adversaries, unfortunately, did not pay heed to his stilted threats and quickly found themselves in a puddle of their own innards. Tomyas was not only a dragonborn - half human, half dragon – but he was a highly decorated dragonborn who had been given commendations from the king himself time and time again. This was immediately evident when a guest walked into Tomyas's study to find each wall completely covered with medals, ribbons, and plaques honoring Tomyas for his service in the King's Mystic Army. "You have so many commendations," a guest would most likely say. "Ah, yes," Tomyas would reply. "And yet, people continue to trifle with me."

Tomyas had been in the King's service for over a hundred years, but his longevity was not based soley on his skills in combat; early in his career he had wisely presented the King with an artifact of eternal life that he had collected from a previous conquest, a gift that was easily worth three commendations. It was this gift, coupled with his mighty prowess in combat that had enabled him to retain his specific position as Army General for such a long of time.

In truth, however, Tomyas had not seen combat for quite some time. After all, the village and the surrounding kingdom were protected by an energy field generated by the King's great sorcerers. As a result, his position mostly entailed calling upon one of the great sorcerers and inquiring, "How's that energy field doing?"

"It's still managing to protect the entire kingdom from any threats," the sorcerer would say, adding, with a hint of effrontery, "I mean it is an energy field."

To enter the kingdom one must have a shard from his Majesty's sacred grounds and to get into the Majesty's sacred grounds one must have a shard from his Majesty's hallow grounds. There was a shard necessary to get into those grounds as well, creating a systematic web of shards that had confounded would-be infiltrators for a good half-century. And if an outsider actually did make it past these obstacles, he was swiftly dealt with by a sorcerer who turned him into a bunch of shards. Life was simple, and not much had taken place since the Great War almost fifty years ago. But, that seemed like a separate time in itself, since then the dark forces have been brewing underground from the very last days of that conflict, biding their time in order to prefect a strike. Generations of their murderous offspring, had been breeding in the dark lands and had increased the size of their army ten fold since their defeat fifty years ago.

Tomyas (Toh-My-As) was the ripe old age of one hundred and twenty. Tomyas was currently feeling his age; he was easily ten years passed his prime, though his race often lived to much greater ages. They served those who had defeated them in combat and many had changed masters often over the years, but not Tomyas, his dedication to his duties was legendary and he had yet to be defeated under the rule of his King. Even at his advanced age Tomyas stood over seven feet tall and had a bright red suit of armor. Whose sharp edges were trimmed with gold. His helmet was adorned with spikes, one for each man he had bested in combat, and needless to say he had many spikes. Tomyas' weapons were known throughout the land, he wielded them with the precision of an archer and with the skill of a hundred of the King's finest guards. His skills, though impressive, were no where near as fascinating as the weapons he wielded with them. He carried a double bladed axe, blessed by the priest of the King's temples and shaped like two crescent moons, it was a symbol of the mighty empire which stretched out from the ends of the Earth, one in darkness and one in light, and may the gods help any man who dare to disrupt it.

The rope went taught with a snap, the prisoner dangled for a few minutes jerking wildly before finally succumbing to the futility of his position. His dying eyes focused on the man that sat before him, haughtily staring in his pale blue robes with an uncaring look on his face. As the prisoners' eyes closed for the last time, he used his final breath to curse the man who had put him in this position; it was the King that blasted King.

King Torynn stood and shook out the length of his ceremonial robes, he was born into the royal family from a long line of successors. He did not particularly like the scene that has transpired but in these troubled times, order had to be maintained at all costs. Torynn stood at an astonishing six foot eight and was well known for his strong, gruff beard, a sigh of good fortune that had not been seen since his Grandfathers before him. He always appeared draped in the robes of his family and was constantly followed by the many young maidens of his court who sought his favor. Currently all of which were intently trying to avoid looking at the ghastly scene in front of them. Torynn quieted them as he began to move off towards his castle and they proceeded to obediently mill around like a group of ducklings following their parent.

Torynn was considered to be one of the last great Kings of his generation. Over the course of nine decades he had never been defeated in battle and could hold his own against the fiercest swordsman in the realm. Wielding a sword blessed by the original high priest and prized throughout his families' history it contained much ancient writing and had been passed on from Father to Son throughout the generations. Though no one had been able to decipher its true meaning in years, he considered its mere prescience to be a sign of fair fortune and good luck.

It was a bright day and the sun was high in the sky, and one lowly farmer stopped his work and paused. He looked skyward puzzled, staring at a spot moving on the horizon, he watched it soar and float gracefully upon the currents as it came ever closer. As it came into view he saw that it was one of the King's messenger Gryphon's. Ridden only by the finest of the King's warriors, these agile beasts were reserved for urgent news and deliveries from the outer hamlets and towns. As the Gryphon passed over and faded into the distance the farmer shrugged his shoulders and returned to work in his fields. Meanwhile the Gryphon and its rider soared ever onward, towards a castle in the distance.

Some minutes later it landed on the highest tower and was greeted by the attendant errand boy, who quickly retrieved the message from the air courier and raced off to deliver it to the King.

The boy burst into his Master's chambers and loudly announced his arrival amidst bemused stares from the occupants.

"Your Majesty, an urgent message for you just arrived by Gryphon," he shouted.

"Give it to my squire and he will read it allowed," said the King.

The squire quickly unfurled the message his eyes widening in shock as he read.

Its from the Eastern most reaches of your realm. The message read: Your majesty, long may you reign magical warriors have appeared on our border and our laying waste to the land, they are burning our villages and have taken many of our women and children hostage, our realm is in chaos. Based on their current movements the enemy will spread to Chemis Pass within the next two days any land beyond it will be lost to us forever. We have fewer than a hundred remaining warriors and we request your assistance as soon as possible

H. R. Hemsley

Night errant of the Realm

"Is it accurate?" The King asked.

The squire nodded, "it was signed in blood of gnome." Only someone in desperate need would sign that letter in blood.

The King nodded, it was a grave sign indeed, in the days of old spent gnomes had littered the desks of his four fathers during the attacks of the dark armies.

The King stepped aside from his noblemen, squires, and messengers, staring at the full moon with a patient vengeance. "It appears that these energy fields are no longer what they used to be. It is to be expected, I suppose. For nothing defeats darkness that like the light of a sword, and the longer these stygian armies are allowed to breathe, the stronger they become. Was it not the might of the sword that planted my head under this throne a century ago?"

"Is that so?" said Humdum, a squire notorious for his ability to induce flashbacks.

"It is so," the King said as he began to recant the story of his Ascension…

As some of you old-timers already know, along the roads of a Kingdom so vast lay the home of Cathaldus. I, Torynn, was his son who was next in line to the throne after he. One day I was picking from the wild fruit that lay out in the pasture ahead of me. Times were very good in the land of Halla. King Cathaldus had ruled well in the years that were leading up to his initial retirement from the throne. He had prepped me to take over for him by teaching me the necessary skills to become a brave and feared ruler. He had taught me to hunt, to fish, to weave and ride horses. I was never to sure about why I needed to weave, but whenever I asked about it, father would make me sleep outside in the cold. He also taught me to tame my first gryphon and my first dragon, so that he may use them for flying. Things were at their peak of their proficiency. The people in the land were happy and planting crops. People were going to their respected markets with bountiful fillings of vegetables and meats from their farms. Each day brought wealth and happiness to those around. Even though his wife had passed away a few years before, Cathaldus was happy, sometimes it appeared even more so. I was at the age for Ascension to the throne and there was no threat to the land.

Cathaldus's home was vast; it had been made out of wood from the heaviest trees and hay and mud. It had numerous rooms for him and me. He had a war room for his trusted advisors. He thought that if they were in a better setting then some drafty old castle, his majesty could actually think of what to do and not be bothered by people screaming in his ear about what was happening. There also were stables for the gryphons and the horses. I had my own gryphon that I had trained from when I was a boy. I had learned from a blacksmith how to forge metal and iron into chain mails and armor. I wanted my gryphon to be known and feared whenever I would go into battle or handle a troublesome threat to the kingdom.

Cathaldus stood at a staggering six foot six, and had a beard that was going into its gray years. Even though he was 80 years old, Cathaldus had the body of a ripe twenty-year-old. His face, oddly, looked like it was 90, with a beard that was as long as the ground and a ponytail that must have envied the beard. When he was not around his castle he was always on his farm, training me and tending to his crops and garden. Cathaldus loved to cook and try new things. He was a master chef and everyone who tended his crops never went hungry. He would cook everything from wild fish that was caught in his streams to wild board and deer. He was proud of the kingdom that he had built. When he took the throne after his father, times were tough. There was poverty and famine and people could not feed and clothe themselves. They could not grow crops or slaughter the cows for meat and sustenance. He had told me that if and when he should go to the place where great kings lie, I am to follow in his footsteps and look after the people.

One day Cathaldus awoke to someone screaming and ran outside to see what was going on. He could see in the distance that a gryphon with parts of its limbs missing and scars over its body and parts of its battle armor falling off, crashing into his farm land where the growers were picking corn for tonight's festivities. Aboard the gryphon lied a soldier from the outlying colonies that surrounded his kingdom. The soldier was badly hurt and as soon as Cathaldus laid eyes upon him after he had crash-landed he had passed out. He yelled to his patrons to bring this man into his house and tend to his wounds. The gryphon had died upon impact and there was nothing that could be done for it. He commanded to give the gryphon a burial, as he had fought bravely in battle. The soldier who was cut up, and had severe slashes to his head and face as well as his stomach, was carried into the house and laid to rest. The nurses tended to his wounds, but they knew it would only be time until he was dead. Cathaldus sent for his healer so that he may heal the wounds of this brave soul and that he could tell the king what has happened. The healer had come by way of dragon and rushed in quickly to see what he could do for the mighty brave soldier. He quickly took out a magic powder containing a few elements that had been taken from a volcano and sprinkled them over the soldier. Most of his wounds had begun to heal but there was still the gash that was on his stomach. The healer quickly turned to his bag and opened up a strange jar that contained a jelly like substance. He commanded the nearest maid to go and grab him a cloth and some water. She hurried out of the room and came back with the items that he had requested. He spread the jelly on the wound and laid the towel over it, then pouring water over the towel. Smoke had begun to rise from the towel and the soldier winced in pain from his wound starting to heal. The healer packed up his assorted medicines and left the room.

"He will be better in the morning, he needs to rest before you can talk to him," instructed the healer.

I had come into see what was going on, but Cathaldus commanded one of the maidens to take me out of the room and to my room to await father. Cathaldus, was pacing back and forth in his ward room with his various medals and honors in battle hanging around him. "What could have done this to a soldier under my reign?" he thought to himself. He called in a messenger gnome.

"Gnome, Armehas, fly to the kingdom by gryphon and find out from my consortium what is going on. I must know what the threat is to my kingdom," Cathaldus commanded. With that the gnome hurried to the stables to use one of the many gryphons and began his flight to Halla.

Hours had passed since the soldier was brought into his house from the wounds that he had taken. He had not told me yet of what had transpired, but he knew that he would have to in due time. One of the maidens came out of the room and into his ward room. She told the king that he was awake and asking to see him right away. The king pushed passed her and entered the room swiftly. He took a chair and sat next to the soldier who was recovering from his wounds.

"My king, where is my gryphon?" the soldier asked.

"Your gryphon did not survive and we gave it a warrior's funeral for its bravery," the king replied.

"My liege, I come to you being the bearer of bad news. An army of darkness, like none we have seen before in our time has descended onto our kingdom and they came without warning. They overtook our village with sweeping blows. I was able to make it to the stables where my gryphon and I had just landed from patrol in the north. These cretins came from the southwest. I am sorry my lord that I did not catch them in time to warn the people. But I was able to get a count of what is headed this way. There are ogres, and giants and a heavy infantry of orcs in the thousands. They have massive elephants with battle armor and enough arches to lay waste to a land before they even set foot on it. They are headed straight for our kingdom sire. I did my best to get here, I fear that I will not live to help you in battle," the soldier exclaimed.

"You did well, brave soldier. You were right in your duties to bring me this valuable information. You shall be awarded with the highest honor that I can think of. You're going to have to give me a few days to think of something. In the meantime, you can at least take comfort in the fact that you have been healed by one of my many healers and live to fight alongside me when we face these heathens in battle. I shall assemble the greatest army that our kingdom has ever known," shouted the king. "Torynn!" the king boomed.

"Yes father," I said.

"Ready your Gryphon and armor for battle, we are heading to Halla," the king said.

Without questioning my father's orders, I left his presence and headed to the armory. My armor was vast for that of a young prince. If we were going into combat I wore my chain mail and my purple helmet. I had a small sword that was curved in length that he had put behind his head. He also was wearing his purple and blue robes and under armor for running. I dressed my gryphon in purple as well and put on its breastplate along with armor to cover its tail and head. I also mounted the saddle on and left the armory and the stable ready to fight alongside his father. When I came outside, I saw that my father was dressed in his green armor. The exact same armor as mine only, a different color. His dragon had been prepped and ready for take off.

"Are you ready my son?"

"Yes father," I exclaimed.

"Torynn, I want you to have something." The king said. He handed me a piece of parchment that had a map on it. "The spot on that map leads to a great power should anything happen to me in battle. I want you to leave the field of blood and go to it. Is that clear?" the king said.

"Yes it is." I replied.

With that we were off. We had left the ground with such a booming up lift of power that we had caused a dust cloud to form. We were about a day's ride from the castle, and the king knowing the danger of the situation did not want to stop for anything. His kingdom was threatened and he needed to talk to his generals right away and assess the situation at hand. "A threat of this magnitude cannot go unpunished," he thought to himself. "I will bring fire and brimstone down on those who have hurt those under me."

Away in the kingdom, the gnome that flew in earlier handed the note from Cathaldus to one of the leading generals. The general, who had been at his side from day one when he took the throne, started to consult with one of the higher mages who was able to peer through a pool of water and see the vast army that was heading towards the kingdom. Not much was known about this vast army of evil, but it appears that they came from the ocean.

"My general, shall we sound the alarm for each general to command his and her troops and get them ready for battle?" inclined one of the gnomes.

"We shall do nothing until his majesty arrives safely in the castle. He will know what to do. Besides that army of evil is still two days away. This gives us time to prepare and assess the threat even further." Said the general. "Bring the other generals to me, we must conference and have a battle plan for the king before he arrives."

"Yes sir."

In total there are five different generals, each commanding his own battalion of warriors standing in the thousands. The king has a battalion of mages who wield magical scepters and are able to call forth the mystical creatures. The next battalion is made of human infantry. Standing in the thousands that stand ready to defend the kingdom at a moments notice. There are shamans who have in touch with the forests surrounding them. They are able to bring forth the trees and control weather at a moments pause. Gnomes, are used for use of gathering intelligence about the threat, they look for weak spots in the armor and use it to their advantage. The fitfh race, are those of the half-bull, half-boar variety. They are the forms of heavy infantry. They pull the catapults and the heavy animals are under their control.

One day has passed, the army of evil has breeched the gates through the night, because word did not get there fast enough. Warning messages have been sent out by gryphon to all remaining villages to fall back to the mountains and await further instructions. They are to hide in the mountains and wait for the threat to be dealt with.

"My King and Prince," a squire said to us graciously, "I am glad that you could make it here safely. The kingdom is in peril and needs to have its best people look over the situation. Your generals are all waiting for you in the war room your highness." "Thank you for your trusted words young squire, my son and I will handle it from here," said the king.

"Gentlemen and magical creatures alike, where are we in dealing with this evil enemy?" asked the king.

One of the generals stepped forward; it was the shaman. He described the enemy as being powerful and unwilling to stop at any cost. "Through my magical encounters with the forest sire, I have asked mother earth to assess this armada's actions. They are without fear and they are vigilant. We must assemble an army of greater or equal size to combat this evil."

"Gentlemen, I am too old for this," the king said, thinking only of his neck up. "I am in the later years, but this is no excuse. I pledge my life to saving my kingdom from this disturbing sight. Who is with me!?"

The chamber sounded heavy when everyone cheered, including me, who had not seen people rally so quickly for a huge undertaking such as this army.

"Father do you think that we have a chance in hell of defeating this army?" I asked.

"Yes" he said swiftly. "Sound the alarm throughout the kingdom. I want every able body in front of the gate by sunrise ready and willing to fight."

As soon as the king finished his sentence, the generals were off to their respected areas surrounding the castle where their armada lay. I was shocked to see father's generals acting fast and swiftly. I had never seen such precision on his father's orders. They had been executed with not even a word. Such obedience and respect. Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge for those of you still following this story.

"Hint and nudge understood your majesty," Humdum said. "Please continue."

Yes, very well, then. As I was saying…

My father was adamant about what needed to be done: "I want you to prep the Gryphons for battle, we need every flying beast ready for battle."

"Yes father," I said, eager to please him in this time of need.

Everyone was working and getting prepared as fast as they could, sunset was approaching and they only knew that they had twelve hours until the army would be on our doorstep. The king had dispatched squadrons of scouts to oversee the armies' progress. He needed to know when they were on the move and how best to prepare for them. I saw all of the blacksmith's preparing armor for each class of warrior as he was lacing up the gryphons with saddles and armor to protect them. He was proud to be apart of such a great feat. The gnomes and the shamans were all geared up and making their way to the front gate with their horses and magical items. The human infantry was ready as they were marching passed me in their shiny uniforms of metal and their shields and spears glistening in the fire light. The heavy artillery was moving their catapults and heavy armored animals out to the front of the gate. The mages were making their ways to the gryphons and were flying out to the battlefield.

The sun was now rising, and you could see in the faint distance the army of evil that had ascended upon the kingdom. They were lining up in single rows about a mile from where the King and his son have assembled their army. For such a short period of time the king has rivaled over five thousand troops to their four thousand as the scouts reported. The king had his archers line the walls of his castle in rows, so that one stopped firing the back row would step in and fire while the front row reloaded their arrows. The king's army let out a huge roar as they were telling the other side not to mess with them.

With the end of their thunderous roar, you could see the army of evil charging forward. High on top of his Gryphon King Cathaldus drew his sword and point it towards the ongoing armada. He let out a huge roar and yelled, "CHARGE!" every infantrymen and mythic creature rose up and began to charge head on into the unknown. They were getting closer now. The shamans were summoning giant animals and the mages were casting spells to throw the enemy in to the ground. The heavy artillery struck with huge boulders and arrows were flying back and forth between each other. Warriors on each side fell as the arrows had plucked their armor or they had been shattered to bits by the heavy catapults of boulders being thrown at them. Father and I jumped off our mounts and rushed into battle as both sides collided with each other. People flying head over heels as swords went into guts and spears tore off the heads. Blood was rushing everywhere. Cathaldus and I were separated but I could see him and he could see me. He made his way over to me but felt the burning sensation on his backside. He had been struck with a fire arrow and it was quickly burning up the side of him. He tore off his vestments and continued to fight along side me.

The catapults were doing their jobs by driving the boulders in and taking out the elephants and giants. The shamans had summoned the creatures from the forests: birds, bears, centaurs had all come out and started to lay waste to the orcs. Without thinking, I decided to rush off and kill more and more with leaving his father there alone. I got about twenty feet from my father when I realized what I had done and turned around to see father losing. He had taken a spear through the leg and was bleeding out. He was about to have a sword thrust through his heart when I saved him. Infantrymen came in and surrounded them as the king lay in my arms dying.

"My son, I have taught you all that you need to know, about how to be a king and how to respect people. You are in command now. I want you to fly to the point of the piece of paper I gave you a few days ago. There lies a great power that will help us win the battle and avenge my death," said the king with his dying breath.

"Captain! Take my father back to the castle. Hold the line until I return," I shouted in rage.

I signaled for his gryphon to pick him up and on their way off the battlefield he scooped up a mage who has the power of teleportation. I told the mage to cast a teleportation spell to this point and do it quickly. He pointed to the map of the point, which was in a large valley. Within seconds they were gone from the air, and my father's body was being taken back to the castle. The line was to be held at all costs.

Within seconds I emerged from the teleport in a village controlled by dragonborns. I had heard about these from my father. He, whosoever defeats the head of the village in battle will pledge their clan to the person who had defeated them. Dragonborns are fierce warriors who will stop at nothing for victory.

Everyone in the village stopped what they were doing to see the me, the young prince, standing there with a bloodied gryphon and a mage gnome.

"Why have you come here," asked the head of the village who was caring for his son Tomyas.

I have come to challenge the head of the village. My father was slain in battle and he sent me here to find a great power, which I believe to be you and our people," I said.

"Cathaldus is dead?" gasped the head of the village.

"Yes, my father was killed in battle and I need to defeat you in a match of greatness to win the battle and drive those insidious evil bastards back to where they came from. I am ready for any thing."

"Very well, if you can best my son in a game of archery, we shall help you. But if you lose, you will never leave this place," said Tomyas's father. "Come to the archery field, you will have three shots to get a high score, you can go first."

I stepped up to the line and nailed a bull's eye. Next up was Tomyas. He also got a bull's eye. The score was now tied at ten with two more shots to go. I shot and got a nine. Tomyas shot and got a ten. I knew that if he didn't get a ten on the next go around I would lose and have to stay there forever. I stepped up to the plate, pulled the twine on my bow back, closed my eyes and released. The arrow sailed through the air and landed on the ten. I was so relieved. Now if this patron would get an eight, I could save the kingdom, be crowned king and never have to go through this again. As Tomyas stepped up to the line, he noticed that I was desperate, and was really hoping that he would miss his next shot. If he had lost his father and was transported here to seek out my clan's help, he must have a dam good reason. So while taking his shot the leader aimed off and got an eight. Everyone gasped, I could not believe it.

"You have beaten me in a duel young prince, my clan and I are at your service," he said. I danced around him with a tongue hanging out of my face in a quite childish manner. After five minutes of this, he told me that he had purposely missed the shot, but I didn't believe him. I thought he was just saying that to sound like he was an estimable Dragborn and such. Later on, however, when I saw him best a hundred beasts with a hundred arrows through the heart, I got the feeling that I was an idiot.

With that he raised a horn from his belt and lifted it to his lips and blew. It made a crushing sound that was heard in the valley. When it had finished I turned around and saw a massive army standing there. I was shocked; there were one thousand Dragonborn soldiers in red armor and spikes, ready to go at a moments notice. I looked at the gnome and he cast a spell encompassing them all back to the battlefield. They had arrived just a few feet shy of the battle. The head of the tribe who was named Lect told me not to worry that he and his people had his back from here on out. In fact, Tomyas gave me a special amulet, which I put around my neck. "This will protect you from harm and aging my young king," Tomyas said. With that feat accomplished, he looked at his men and charged into battle. The enemy orcs and the rest of the infantry were wondering who this battalion was as they rushed in from the side and started killing everything in their path. The dragonborns were laying waste to this army, even thought my regular army was taking quite a beating, these warriors were killing the enemy left and right, spilling blood with every thrust, and decapitating the bodies until nothing remained.

When the battle was over there was blood and bodies everywhere, and my people began to cheer in triumphant victory. I looked at Lect and Tomyas, giving them a sign of a job well done.

"Go to the throne room," Lect said. "My son Tomyas will meet you there." I rushed to the throne room to find everyone mourning over the passing of the king. I took my rightful position on the throne and Tomyas placed the crown on my head.

"My people will forever serve you King Torynn," said Tomyas as he and the rest of the court bowed before him.

"I do not think that we have seen the last of that army of evil, they will be back, but to say for sure I cannot. But for now we must tell the villagers to come back and tell them that the kingdom is safe from evil once again," I said. "Let it be known throughout the kingdom of Halla, that I, Torynn, son of Cathaldus have taken my rightful place on the thrown and shall rule as my father did."

Humdum started to clap. "Bravo! Long Live King Torynn!" Everyone else looked at his hourglass sheepishly.

"Well, now," King Torynn said. "We know what needs to be done. Send for Tomyas." It was enough, the King would sort this out just as he and his forefathers would be doing for the last one thousand years. The King began conversing with his subordinates on how to deal with the situation.

The errand boy quickly ran from the castle and quickly found Tomyas talking with one of the clerics.

"Tomyas! Tomyas! Come quickly! The King needs you right away!"

Tomyas was surprised to hear that the king needed him urgently, and immediately muttered some kind of wish about hoping the energy field was intact. Realizing that he had to respond to this request, he immediately told his lady guest that she was welcome to browse over the many commendations on the wall while he went to talk to the King.

"I came as quickly as could my Lord," Tomyas said, as he crossed his fingers in the hopes of not hearing about some potential battle.

"And not a moment too soon Tomyas! For grave tidings have befallen us." The King proceeded to detail his battle strategies to Tomyas and commanded him to take 200 men and magical warriors to the pass, along with a battalion of the finest elves and mages, he was to eliminate this threat, and save the kingdom, business as usual.

"But what about the energy field?" Tomyas asked wistfully.

"It appears that it is down for the moment."

"And the shards?"

"I might have left them out when I went to look at some property in Upper Middle Earth the other day."

"Oh."

"Oh? You, Tomyas, are the General of my entire Mystic Army, and you respond to threats of an attack on our kingdom with 'Oh.' Explain yourself!"

"I don't know what to say my Lord. It's just that I'm in my hundred twenties now, and I fear that I might get tired in a great battle against dark forces. Is there any way I could challenge their leader to an archery match?"

"I'm quite sure that is not possible."

"Did you ask?"

"No, I didn't ask. They're not really taking questions right now being busy and all with carving up gnomes into bloody pulps!"

"I see where this is going. I guess I'll go suit up for battle now. If I don't return, I want you to think of me when you're looking in the mirror and staring at the eternal life amulet I gave you a while back."

"Are you giving me a guilt trip?"

"No, no, no. I'm going to go now." And with that, Tomyas walked away with a slight limp, holding his back with his right hand as though grasping a cramp.

Tomyas headed for the armory to assemble his Captains and don his sacred armor. When he had made it to the room, he was greeted by one of his captains, a young elf by the name of Elroy. He had told Elroy of the situation and what needed to be done. Elroy said, "I will assemble my warriors and tell the Knight Captain to assemble his mages. We will meet you at the front of the gate Tomyas, we will not fail you."

By the time Tomyas had left the room he had blown the horn of his race five times or more and a rank of his personal finest warriors were outside awaiting his commands.

He spoke quietly but with a tone that commanded great respect, "Men, we have a conflict before us that threatens to destroy us and everything we hold dear. I have been ordered to assemble the full force of our army to take on this threat and I ask you to join me in the field of combat, together the five hundred of us as a legion will march upon Chemis Pass and ensure that this dark threat is forever expunged once and for all. Are you with me?"

He was greeted by an astounding HUZZAH that echoed and ricocheted off of the peaks of the most distant mountains, it was a terrified battle cry the likes of which his enemies would never forget. They mounted their horses and went screaming off towards the pass with a vehement Tomyas at their head yelling their war cries as they went. Tomyas summoned his Gryphons to fly ahead and report on enemy movements. They were about an hours ride from the pass and they could smell the smoke and fire that wafted from the front of the enemies' lines. The enemies pillaging raid had laid a swathe of destruction all the way to the pass leaving nothing but scorched Earth behind them. The scent of battle was on. Tomyas's horse threw its head back and reared, its eyes wide and mad with the rage of blood lust. Tomyas began to feel a surge of his old emotions returning, the fever of battle, the smell, the taste of it, all appealed to him like the brew of a fine wine, he was bread for this, the joy of battle ran through his veins and he threw back his head and unleashed a blood curdling howl that froze both friend and foe alike. "Onward men, onward to victory and make those unholy bastards pay for each inch of desecrated soil they have placed their filthy appendages on. Onward for today and onward for the future of our great Kingdom. Long live the King, CHARGE!" and with this final statement, Tomyas led his fearsome warriors, whipped into the frenzy of battle and roaring into the pass. Tomyas saw the first enemy warrior ahead of him, it raised its ugly head and looked through red eyes of pure hatred, letting forth a low hiss, and as if in a foreshadowing of what was to come, Tomyas raised his great axe in both hands and struck.

The first blow was as swift as you could imagine. Tomyas's blade struck an orc in the neck and took its head clean off, blood had covered his face and other warriors from his legion took aim and were clearing a path for the other warriors. The aerial bombardment was all to real, as the gryphons were carrying heavy stones into battle and dropping them on groups of enemy infantry crushing them beneath the massive weight. Tomyas was so exhilarated by the fight that he grabbed a few soldiers and headed deeper in to the territory of the evil army. With every swipe of his blade his armor was growing a darker shade of red, the blood was now dripping from his blade and his armor.

"Sir, the enemy is retreating," hollered a soldier.

Tomyas gave a signal to the gryphon commander, telling him to block their escape route. One by one hundreds of gryphons came with massive boulders and dropped them into place, blocking any chance that this evil army had to escape and regroup for a final assault. They were trapped inside with an enraged Tomyas. He sounded a horn that he kept in his belt and the rest of his men who hadn't been killed by the ongoing army rallied behind him.

"For Torynn!" he shouted.

With that last bit of rage and howling the army of the great King charged against the evil. Their eyes shimmered and were watered as the army of darkness saw their demise coming toward them. Tomyas with one swoop of his axe, impaled it inside a giants head and began slashing at its stomach causing it to fall over. The other soldiers with their spears and swords began tearing the darkness of the army apart one by one. With each body falling, Tomyas was pleased with how his warriors fought. For getting an army of this magnitude together in such a short time was no easy feat. These men, these soldiers of the kingdom, were ready at a moments call. Tomyas was proud that his men fought so bravely in battle.

After long hours of fighting the day had been won. They had returned bloodied and sore from the battle. Upon arriving at the castle, Tomyas immediately made his way, still in his armor and sporting all the bloodied badges of his combat to his King's chamber and reported the news.

"The Army of Darkness have once again been vanquished my Lord, the Kingdom is safe."

The King went up and put a strong hand on Tomyas's shoulder, "A job well done Tomyas, you have made me proud, I once again find myself in your debt for the safe guarding of my Kingdom."

"Think nothing of it my Lord," said Tomyas, "The protection of your realms is my sacred duty, and one which I would entrust to no other."

The King's eyes shown with pride, as Tomyas turned and quietly left the King alone with his thoughts. Tomyas stared off the parapet and into the distance, he had lost many good friends in battle this day but they would never be forgotten, their sacrifice but one more unending step in the safeguarding of the Kingdom. Though their faces were many and some still haunted him over the years, they would never be forgotten by their Commander, whom they had entrusted their lives and he would honor that trust to the end the end of his days. Tomyas had fought hard but he knew his battles were far from over, true victory was still a long way off, another day had come and gone, and it was back to business as usual. Tomyas wearily perched himself upon the stones of the wall and began adding spikes to his helmet and thinking about where he would hang his new commendations.