Knight of Blood
Prologue
The sun shinned brightly on the open plains in the land of Bretonnia. Here, mighty knights are born, trained and battle against the darkness. It is here that our tale begins.
His name was Luc de Fevre, a young knight errant at the tender age of seventeen. He was eager to battle, to help damsels, to slay dragons. He held his head high and smiled proudly, maneuvering his horse across the narrow dirt road. He wore plate armor of steel that covered his entire body. A shield bearing the Fleur de Lys, the symbol of his realm, lay on his left arm. At his waist hung a sheathed sword. He clutched tightly at the reigns to slow his horse as he saw a most ghastly sight.
Lying before Luc in the road were several corpses. One of a woman and the other of an old man. They were intact, for the most part. The blood was dry, showing the attack had happened hours ago. Luc sighed as he passed the bodies, praying that their souls would ascend to heaven.
As Luc rode on, he noticed a small village consisting of many small wooden shacks surrounded by sentry towers and walls made of wood. As he neared, a sentry called down to him, "Who goes there?" The sentry raised his javelin defensively.
"I am Sir Luc de Fevre and I have come to aid you, should it be required." He began. At this moment, Luc drew his sword and waved it valiantly. "I am the greatest warrior from here to the Great Sea!" The sentry lowered his weapon and began to ring a bell. At that instant, the gate opened and a man clad in armor walked out. Luc dismounted his horse and sheathe his sword.
"Hail!" The armored man called. "I am Bertrand, the mayor of this village. We are in need of aid." At this moment, he began to signal for Luc to follow him. As he did so, two warriors appeared and took away Luc's horse. He looked in alarm. "Do not fear," Bertrand continued, "they are merely taking him to our stable. In the mean time, we must get to business." Bertrand led Luc to a slightly larger house in the center of the village. Here, they entered.
The house was plain. A small wooden table with three chairs stood in the center. To the east wall was a bed of the same fashion. In the corner lay a pile of scraps of food and such. Bertrand motioned for Luc to sit down.
"Our town has been plagued by the Undead," Bertrand started.
"Foul unholy beasts!" Luc roared. "They should be put to rest!"
"Yes," Bertrand continued. "We've had no trouble with the worthless skeletons and zombies. However, their leader is a powerful vampire. He wears golden armor, and carries and glowing blade. Nothing seems to harm him. Arrows, spears, swords...even trebuchets seem to have no effect. We believe his artifacts are possessed with magical protection. We need someone to duel him and break all his armaments."
Luc smiled. "That will be simple for a knight of my caliber! Tonight the vampire will join the ranks of the dead that stay dead."
Bertrand shook Luc's hand. "He comes every night at the same time, one hour after the sun sets. The soldiers and I will handle the undead minions. You must target him."
Luc nodded. "I understand. I am ready!"
Hours passed...Luc began to train by fencing with the guards. After several hours of training, he went to the village blacksmith who supplied him with a lance. Luc mounted his horse and stood by the city gate awaiting his adversary. The sun turned bloody as it set into the darkness. Luc's horse began to rear and buck wildly, but the knight kept himself mounted and clamed his steed. Luc approached Bertrand.
"The men are ready and the women and children have been evacuated," Bertrand said. "We merely await the enemy."
Suddenly, cries of terror were heard. "Undead!" Cried a sentry as javelins began to fly from the towers. Soon, a cracking sound was heard as the gate began to pitch wildly. As it broke, Luc looked upon a grim sight. Scores of undead, skeletons and zombies, clutching various melee weapons and wearing crude armor. Despite their allies falling, the Gothic Horrors marched forth and set upon the warriors. The undead fell easily to the blades of the guards, but their sheer numbers overwhelmed the defenders. Luc rode to rally the warriors and cut down many of the minions.
After an hour of combat, the undead stopped fighting and turned back into piles of organs and bones. The fires of torches caused a shining light, until they blew out. In the dim moonlight, the warriors saw their fear, the Blood Dragon Vampire. Many ran, abandoning their weapons.
"Rally you cowards!" Bertrand called waving his long spear as a beacon. "Damn it I said rally!" Luc readied his horse and charged the vampire. The vampire drew his sword to block the incoming lance. Luc turned and charged again. This time, his attack came in contact with the vampire's armor, piercing it. The creature merely laughed and unstrapped all his armor save for his leggings and helmet. The monster then raised his sword and swung it at Luc cleaving his lance in two. Luc seemed unafraid.
"You cannot scare me, minion of darkness," Luc began, drawing his sword. "I will slay you! For the Lady!" he swung his sword, slashing through the creature's chest. It laughed, as the wound quickly healed.
"You cannot kill me, human," the vampire spoke in a dark voice the sent terror through the spine of the remaining warriors. "I am invincible so long as I have this." The vampire pointed to his helmet. Enraged, Luc charged and unleashed his full fury on the helmet, cracking it in two. The vampire growled angrily and slashed Luc's horse to pieces. Luc jumped off just in time to stop the mount from crushing his body. He rose from the dust and stared at the creature.
"Spawn of darkness; it is your time to rest with the dead!" Luc stabbed, hitting squarely in the vampire's chest. The creature let out a high roar and with the last of its strength, plunged its long fangs into Luc's neck.
Luc's vision turned red, he fell to the earth and entered a deep sleep....
End of Prologue.