Odd, like the dense fog of a moonless night. I don't know what I expected really, angels, demons, anything but... this? My death had been rather quick compared to most. A blade through the heart, in my first real battle too as embarrasing as it was to admit.
My tutors had done well in training me for single combat, with both blade and spell. My fall had come through lack of experience.
We expected the coming assault as my noblility made me a priority target for many. Plenty of cutthroats and bandits made their stakes in the dense forrests, hence the reason I was assigned 30 men as my personal guard. We were to deliver an offering to the Goddess, a gift as thanks for her mercy and protection from her beastial children. We had also a message to deliver, news of the temporary truce that had formed as a deal was being worked out. Both the God and Goddess would be required to work the final details.
Perhaps had I been more wary I may have foreseen the oddity of this battle. The men were celebrating our journeys nearing end. Spirits were high as our large size surely would have deterred any opposition. Yet we were caught off guard as a hail of arrows rained from above. Our aura deflected most of the damage as we scattered to collect equiptment and ready ourselves, yet our enemys never gave us a chance as they charged forth from the treeline.
Luckily for myself I had only to grab my blade next to me. Pale Bloom was the name I had chosen for it, a black blade that seemed to extend from the white rose that acted as the hilt. It's stem wrapped around the handle that was an equal shade to the blade, finished off with a spherical crimson gem acting as the pommel. It was itself a gift from said Godess upon my promotion.
The battle was tense, the initial surprise having put us on the defensive as my allies were forced to gear up amidst the conflict. I held my own rather well if I do say so myself. Our enemy was barbaric in their fighting style, focusing more on landing hits rather than where they struck. I had dispatched several in the ensuing chaos, both blade and spell intertwined in this dance of death.
Twas not for the folly of my own focus that I may have won the battle. I had just ended another of the fodder when I had taken notice of an odd figure. Standing off from the coming hordes, they made no move to approach unlike their companions. Covered in a tattered brown and muddied cloaked, they simply stood and watched. I could make out a pair of silver eyes, boring deep into my soul. I was awoken from my stupor with a sharp pain in my chest.
Glancing down I saw the blood caked blade sticking out before me, as if to taunt me for my pathetic mistake. It left quickly as it was not pulled but torn out, leaving a flow of crimson upon the grass below. I had fallen to my knees as a vague numbness took a gentle hold of me. Taking one last look I saw the figure walk towards me. They kneeled down, cupping my face in their hands... her hands.
The smaller yet gentle fingers stroked my cheek and the aged yet round face I saw before me had shown me that it was a women who held me so.
"I'm sorry... but this is the only way, please forgive me".
I saw an unknowable pain in her eyes as everything went dark.