The Overlord pushed his horse hard as they made their way back out of the thicket. Copper bled from the leaves of both maple and elm. Little stood in the way of his master's dominion over everything, save one tiny enclave. They would be dealt with soon enough.
"Onward!" he wagged his sword at his nightmare's side.
His instructions upon leaving the blazing cottage had been clear and concise: find anyone or anything in gold armor and crush the life from it. His victorious horde flanked the Overlord on both sides, ripping and tearing living nature as they barreled out.
Soon, master. Your bidding shall be done, and all will bow before the glorious wrath of Destruction!
He eyed a chipmunk as it scurried along a tree branch at saddle's height. With a barbaric swat of his blade, the Overlord reduced the small game to a pink cloud of fur and gore. The Overlord howled and turned his ride toward the forest's edge ahead. Grunts and wails echoed at his back. Tassels and knots of hair whipped in the fury of their approach on the open fields. The sun rose, but remained concealed by the boiling wrath of his master's unnatural storms.
They trampled the last of the glade's brush under hoof, and thundered across the fields. The Overlord's mare huffed and snorted under the relentless strain her reins.
Wherever you are, I'll find you. By my blade, you and your line will cease to exist!
Down into a shallow vale, they rode. A small flock of sparrows scattered as the dark invaders made a mess of their meals. As he rounded the next hill, the Overlord and his front line were met by a charging wedge of unicorns. The gallant creatures split the enemy's advance, giving way for the much larger bear that trailed them.
The Overlord's mare reared up on her hind legs. "Scatter and circle them from the sides!"
Several of his minions got the order in time, pulling hard on their animal's reins. Many of their cohorts reacted too late. An onslaught ensued. One vicious swat after another, the towering bears toppled goblins from their saddles. A boyish pixie charged the hill, slinging bolts from his bow in raining death. Several of his adversaries fell where they stood on the battlefield, shafts protruding at obtuse angles from their necks.
He waved the others behind him onward. "Go, now! Fight while we still hold surprise."
There! Golden armor and shield. Their female Champion of Light drew her sword and stormed the knoll. The Overlord bucked his mare forward. "Come, child!" He slayed the winds with his weapon. "One last fight before you meet your fate."
Steel fell upon steel. The force of her acceleration spun the Overlord in his black saddle. Another swat blindsided him, toppling the agent of Darkness to the turf.
"Your soul will boil."
The pin-sized pixie whirled his war hammer. "Ye'll have to take a spot in line." The red-haired runt snarled. "I've got a lengthy list, lad."
As the fairy charged his position, one of the Overlord's ghouls rushed from the side and took the man to the ground. The golden one shouted behind him. The sharp edge of her blade found purchase in the back plate of his armor. Enraged, he spun to face his challenger, but her sword remained lodged. The Overlord backhanded the girl, spinning her through the air.
"The enemy's really scraping the barrel, if this is the best they have left." He gripped the golden hilt, and dislodged the nuisance. He held both weapons and marched on his stunned prey. "Time to crush you under foot like the insect you are!"
Tendrils of smoke wound from his hand. He flung the golden sword to the dirt and howled. Searing agony oozed up his left arm. A minute glowing insect buzzed inside his visor and stung him just below the eye.
"You little…"
It dodged his raking hand and zipped around his helmet in oblong orbits. The Overlord twisted to his left. A glint of yellow fluttered in his line of sight. He lifted his hand to crush the bug, but instead found a golden blade speeding toward his neck.
Strange sensations. An inhalation followed by a disconnect. The world listed in one direction, and then the darkened skies turned end over end. The Overlord's final vision was that of his decapitated body falling limp. Then, his world went dark.