Shriek! He kept stabbing with his sword as he felt the big hands of the enemy loosening his hold on his throat.
Stab.
Stab.
Stab… All over. It felt surreal. Warm blood coating his hand red. The enemy hands left his throat. He saw its red eyes through the slits of his armor and heard the blood gurgling in his throat. The life in its eyes slowly embedded away as he collapsed on top of him. The blood of his enemy left his mouth dripping onto his neck. It was warm. He unconsciously licked the side of his dry lips. A cold iron taste invaded his mouth, it was blood. Deafening, blood pounded in my ears.
He realized he needed to quickly stand up. He pushed the enemy off him. He was heavy, he used his whole body to push him off. He stood up leaning onto his sword and shook his head, to shake off the dizziness.
It was chaos. Men fighting everywhere, sounds of swords clashing, and screaming. He saw a soldier lose his arm as he tried to run away from his opponent. It had rained the day before, soaking the ground into a muddy field. He saw him slip. That was the end of him. Another getting pierces through his head, never to open his eyes again. Somewhere else he saw a man getting mauled by an axe. His blood sprained into the air.
He looked around carefully and made eye contact with another. His muscle grinded in protest as he brought my sword up. Here we go again. He saw it running up to him. It was a big man, he felt the ground shake as he saw him swing his sword at me. The wind shrieked, he couldn’t parry, it would crush him.
He ducked under the sword. Could he even defeat this giant of a thing? Another swing came at him fast. He cursed under his ragged breath. How is he so big, yet so fast. Atreus pushed his body to its limit, he contacted his legs and threw himself back. Feeling the enemy’s broad sword inches from my eyes.
His back hit the ground, knocking the breath out of his lungs and his sword falling out of his hand. He saw the giant bring his sword behind him, ready to swing it down. It was grinning at him like a madman. His hand searched for his sword, but alas it was too far. He wanted to run. Run home, but home did not exist anymore.
Am I going to die? A strange fear gripped his heart. He closed my eyes, afraid.
I am sorry mother, he felt the tears streaming down the side of his face.
-
It felt like the time stopped, he heard the enemy swing his sword down. The darkness consumed him.
He slowly opened his eyes. It was black everywhere. Where was he? Am I dead?
He began gasping uncontrollably in panic “Is there anyone?” he whispered in a croaking voice. Silence greeted him. Even tough he couldn’t see his body he knew it was here.
He suddenly saw a light shimmer in the distance. His heart began pounding fast, he maybe found a way out. He couldn’t see the floor or if there even was one.
He slowly crouched down in all fours. Atreus shakingly began to make his way to the light, expecting for each moment he would fall down. Closer and close. The light got brighter.
It was a door. He stood up and felt a weird feeling wash over him like he was her before. It was an ordinary door, made out of wood as the light shimmered at the edges. He slowly extended his hand to the doorknob. He didn’t know why but he hesitated. His hand started to tremble inches away from it.
“Aaaahhhh” He turned around in shock. He heard someone yell in the distance. Nobody was there. He felt the light beginning to dim, he turned back around to the door. He saw it slowly moving back.
“NONONO please” but no words came out of his mouth as the darkness washed over him again.
-
BAM!BAM!.
Atreus opened my eyes in shock. A burned smell penetrated his nose not one of burning wood, but one of flesh.
“AAAHHH” The giant screamed in pain. Stunned he watched the giant consumed in fire. Running in every direction, trying to put out the fire. He felt the immense heat radiant from him.
With his mouth completely open he turned around. He saw him. An elementalists. His mother told him about them. People gifted with power. He wore a red robe, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he threw fireballs everywhere.
Even though the giant was completely burning he saw him turning and running to the elementalists in a last remaining dash. He needed to do something. He jumped up, adrenaline running through his veins. He found his silver sword, surrounded in the mud. His hands felt numb nonetheless, he gripped it frantically. Without thinking running towards the giant. He swung his sword with all the strength he had left at the giant’s legs. His sword met bone, but it was enough. It stumbled down. The fire did the rest as he heard it suffocating.
The elementalists looked shockingly to his side knowing he came so close to his death. He made eye contact with Atreus. His eyes were red, he could feel the power in his eyes. He nodded to him and continued his assault.
TUUUUDDD
A loud horn sounded in the distance. It sent chills down his spine. He saw the enemy moving back. The elementalist kept throwing fireballs at the running soldiers. Screams of pain sounded around him. His breath began to quicken as he watched in horror. It was a massacre.
A large woman came to the elementalist side. Even though she wore a robe too, he could see her bulging muscles through it. She had a large wooden basket on her shoulders. The basket opened on its own as the water was pulled out of it. The water floated behind her, splitting into multiple long pieces. He saw it hardened like ice. The woman brought her hands down as the ice spheres shot away, piercing the enemy in their back.
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He stood up dazed. The elementalists stopped their attack. Bodies were scattered all over the plan. He felt the wind pick up, the burning smell of bodies once again penetrated his nose. He tried to suppress his gag but he couldn’t, he bent down and emptied his stomach on the ground. His throat burned, as he wiped his mouth with his hands. The taste of blood invaded his mouth once again. He sensed himself panic at the taste, spitting on the ground trying to erase it from his mouth.
Overwhelming fatigue washed over him when he started to move.
There was no cheering as he began walking away amongst the hundreds of soldiers, only despair as well as screaming of the soldiers hurt. His legs working on their own while his mind shot down. He felt no sympathy walking past, the soldiers that were in pain. He walked past dead bodies of his own and of the enemy. A red scarf took his attention, it was his own scarf. He walked closer to the body, its familiar eyes hollow, devoid of any life.
-
“Hey! What is your name” It was night, the moonlight shining through the trees. He was keeping watch outside the army camp. A low voice sounded behind him, he turned around alert.
“Heyhey! I just me! I had to join you from your watch.” It was a guy, maybe 2 years younger than him. Holding his hands up.
“Oh, did Lieutenant Wane send you?”
“Yes he did, that grumpy old man always expecting an attack.” He brought his hands forward. “My name is Levo.”
“Atreus” he shook Levo’s hands. “New here ?”
“Yes, itching to kill the savages that have been plundering the border,” Levo said rubbing his hands. “My father tried to hold me back. I couldn’t sit back since it was so close to my home. I am still 1 year too young for the army, but I got myself false papers.”
“We have a farm just a few miles from here. It’s called Tarni, you should come to drop by when this is all over, my mother makes the best meat in the world.“
“You should have listened to your father. They aren’t easy to kill, I heard.” He shook his head.
“You have seen them?” Levo’s eyes widened in excitement.
“Not really…They attacked my village 2 years ago. They found me far from the village. I don’t really remember anything.” He wasn’t lying. He trembled as he remembered the moment they entered his village. “ They were tall and strong.” Levo listened with big eyes. “We never stood a chance. The last thing I remember is hiding with my mom before I blacked out.”
“I am sorry, luckily you and your mother survived.” Atreus’s body completely stiffened.
“No, she didn’t,” he said solemnly. His fingernails drilling into his arm, trying to hold back the tears behind his burning eyes.
“Oh” Levo turned silent. Both watching the surrounding trees around them.
He heard someone yelling his name in the distance. He squinted his eyes, it was lieutenant Wane.
“I have to go,” Atreus said.
“Yeah RUN. It looks like Wane is not in a good mood.” Atreus began walking away.
“Hold up one second.” Levo’s hand went into his pocket and took out a slice of bread. “Will you trade this for your scarf? It is freaking cold tonight?” Atreus hesitated. “I’ll bring it when my watch is over.”
“Okay.” He loosened his red scarf and gave it, cold air prickling onto his neck. He accepted the piece of bread and began jogging away while munching on the hard salty bread.
-
It didn’t feel real as he watched Levo’s pale face. Tears fell down from his eyes. Even though he didn’t know him very well, he was the only one he had talked to in the short time, he was in the army. He felt dizzy and crouched down. All for nothing. It didn’t seem like the Elians would stop anytime soon.
He felt a hand touch his shoulder. “Come on son, he is gone.” He turned his head around and saw Lieutenant Wane through his blurry vision. His hand left his shoulder as he pulled Atreus up.
He wiped away his tears with his muddy hand. Wane was covered in blood.
“Help this old man back to the camp.” lieutenant Wane smiled tiredly at him. Atreus quickly crouched down, his hands touching Levo’s cold face as he closed his eyelids.
They began walking back to the camp in silence. He looked back once, seeing a crow land on Levo’s head, starting to peck in its eyes.
-
The camp was in full chaos. Soldiers running everywhere. Medics helped the wounded, while they howled in pain. He saw a soldier trying to kill himself, another was pushed down by four medics while screaming.
A soldier came running up to them, panting.
“Lieutenant Wane, Captain Mason has called for you.” He let go of Wane as he turned around. Now realized how tired and hungry he was. He began searching for food. He found some leftovers and sat down against a tree in an empty place.
It was weird. Just a few minutes ago he was fighting for his life and now he was eating a small piece of meat that did nothing to his never-ending hunger.
He was confused.
Dizzy.
It was the first time he killed someone.
They were from across the sea. His mother called it the kingdom Ellia. Most of them easily reached 7 feet bulging with muscles. It wasn’t always like this, his mother told him that 20 years ago you could see an Ellian in your city like it was the most normal thing. Peace ended when they killed our prince. Not that it mattered to Atreus, that was the reason he was here. A part of him died when his mother was killed.
He closed his eyes thinking back to that day.
-
“Mom I just finished watering the field,” he said while sitting on the chair next to the fire, watching his mother sew his clothes that he tore yesterday.
“Good job! I am almost finished with your pants.” She showed him the remaining part. “Next time be careful. It is almost winter.” His village was on the border of his kingdom, going to the city would take days. With winter coming, it would be more.
“I am sorry. Next time I will….” His words were interrupted by screams outside of their house.
His mother immediately stood up. “Stay here.” She walked over to the door, slowly opening it. She peeked through the small opening. The screams sounded louder, swords clashing. He saw his mother trembled. “What is going on mom” He stood up.
She closed the door silently. She turned around her face completely pale. ” They are here” she whispered”
“Who mom?” she didn’t answer him. “Mom! Who are they”. He shook her by her shoulders.
“Ellians, they are here to kill us.” He felt the blood drain from his face.
-
He tried to open his eyes but they were too heavy, a lone tear slowly trailed down from his eyes. He felt his body relax as he slowly drifted to sleep.
A loud whistle rang through the camp. It was used to gather everyone up. He gritted his teeth and stood up. He sensed his whole body aching while he jogged over to the sound of the whistle. It was like his sleep did more bad than good
He saw the tired soldiers standing next to each other in messy lines in front of the colonel’s large tent. He stood in the 2-second row. He could hear the whispers of the soldiers around them him. Nobody knew why they were called for.
A group came walking outside the big tent. First was the colonel, he was a middle-aged man but already had grey hair with wrinkles all over his face. After him, came the two elementalist he saw on the battlefield. He heard the soldiers around him gasp, it was not every day you saw them. Nobody knew how many there were in the Kingdom of Invi but everyone knew you had to have amazing talent to even be one.
“Quit!” The colonel yelled.
“This is Nero” He pointed to the man with the red robe, the fire-elementalist. “This is Maki” He pointed at the big woman towering above everyone. “They were the reason we survived for today.”
“They have come to the front line to ask for volunteers. I will let them explain it to you”
The fire-elementalist stepped forward. He didn’t know why, but it felt like the temperature rose a little. Nobody dared to meet him in the eye.
“We are here for a special mission from King Amon. We need three volunteers for our mission.” He felt the soldiers around him getting excited. Most wanted to get the hell out of here.
“The only thing I can tell you is that we will be going into enemy territory.” The excitement disappeared like snow in the sun.