Act I – Exordium

"She has to be stopped!" A young Warden yelled across the pit of fire that rested in the middle of this makeshift campsite. Her face, bloodied and bruised, was stern, and her bright blue eyes were locked onto the man who stood with his back against her.

"She's too powerful." He responded, not looking at her. His face was solemn, and his voice seemed defeated. He ran a hand through his black hair, sighing as he did so.

"I agree with the Samurai." Another voice said, sounding broken. "You haven't seen what I have. You haven't been through what she's put me through! There's nothing that can be done."

The Warden growled before putting her head in her hands. Perhaps it is true. She might be too powerful, but if we don't do anything, many other would face the same fate as us. She thought. She looked up at the rag-tag group of warriors that stood around the fire.

Six figures, broken and distraught, all seemed to have different thoughts darting around their heads, some more optimistic than others. They were from across the three factions, and they had met through some unfortunate circumstances. Perhaps in a different life they would have been the greatest of allies, but they were starting to break apart from each other in this reality.

One of the figures, which was the Peacekeeper who had spoken up earlier in support of the Samurai, fell to the ground, taking a seat in the muddied ground. Her light brown eyes being read easily, one could easily see the pain behind her eyes. This woman could feel the tears trying to push through, but she held them back with all her might, not wanting to seem weak in front of the others.

A silence settled over the band of warriors, and not one wanted to break it. They all seemed to share this sense of hopelessness. Solemnity filled each of them, and it was showing in many of them. It seemed as though it was true that the end had come.

"I made a promise." A Highlander spoke up, his voice loud and mighty. He grabbed the attention of all those surrounding him. "A promise to my wife. To my children. I don't intend on breaking it."

He rested one of his hands on the hilt of his great claymore and dragged the other among the group of people that looked at him.

"I will fight for my land, for my honor, for my family. I will go against Apollyon, and whether you are fighting beside me or running to safety, I will fight my last fight. And whether I survive or not, I will at least try to bring this coward of a warlord to her knees." The Highlander continued, his voice booming and powerful. "I will leave on the morrow, and I will not be waiting for you."

He turned swiftly, causing the animal skins on his back to swing heavily. As he walked away from the rest of the group towards a small rocky cave in the side of a nearby hill where they had slept the past day, the rest of them looked at each other, no one knowing quite how to respond to him.

Each one of them moved their eyes to the ground, and silence returned to the group for about a minute and a half before it was broken once again. This time, it was by a Shinobi who had been silent throughout the whole night.

"I agree with the Highlander." She said, her hazel eyes inspecting the group of men and women as she spoke. Turning on her heel, the Shinobi followed the Highlander into the cavern. Another figure, the Warden from before, just clenched her fists and went into the makeshift shelter where the other two were, leaving the three more pessimistic bunch outside in the dark night.

"I must return back to my home in Ashfeld." A Centurion said, his voice quiet and calm. "Without me, they shall perish, and I cannot have that."

He looked down at his trusty gladius. It had served him well over the many years of commanding armies and other troops. His father, who was also a Centurion, lived and served for the empire that had been lost to the Great Cataclysm, and it was him who gave the younger Centurion his gladius. The young man sighed as he remembered his father before walking confidently into the cavern.

The remaining two, a hopeless Peacekeeper and a solemn Orochi, looked at each other, their eyes locking. The Orochi's eyes were strange. His right eye was a dark brown, but his left was a milky grey. It served as a reminder against arrogance and egotism. While many would hide it, he wore it like a medallion.

The Peacekeeper hung her head. She knew she had to join the others in this battle, but she didn't want to relive the horrors she had to get through before. Then again, how could she be such a coward as to let her friends and allies die without her? She groaned before standing to her feet. She looked at the Orochi one last time before turning to walk slowly into the cave.

The Orochi was all that remained in the dark night. He sighed to himself. This is suicide, but I cannot leave my allies. He thought, clenching his eyes shut, imagining the probable future of their deaths. After a few minutes, he too turned on his heel before walking hesitantly into the cave. They were walking to their deaths, that much was obvious to the Orochi.

In the near future it would become evident as to whether it was a mistake to go along with his allies, but it seemed as though he wholeheartedly believed it to be so. However, he would have to cross that bridge when he got to it. For now, he had to go along with this ignorant hopefulness that seemed to plague the group of warriors. He could only wish that it won't be his head on their enemy's wall.

Exordium means "Beginning" or "Introduction" in Latin.

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