Fog rolled across the open field as grass crunched under horse hooves and tired feet from the early spring frost. General Seda of the coastal nation Dacia looked across the field to his rival from Avar, the respectable General Lore, and his forces looked as weary as his own. Nearly a century of fighting at the orders of their kings had left both armies’ ranks filled primarily with farmers and peasants barely armed adequately for a real battle. Most of the infantry carried makeshift spears, with some lucky enough to carry a hunting knife for a blade. The sparse cavalry were allowed swords, for what it was worth. With little to no armor, they would be fortunate if they got the chance to use their blades before they were struck down.
“The infantry are ready to move at your orders, sir,” one of his lieutenants reported.
Seda looked from the green banners across the field to the blue banners his men carried. Soon the two colors would clash on the field and create a useless bloodbath of men wildly hacking each other to pieces. It would be a slaughter, not a battle, and both sides knew it. But when your king gave an order, you obeyed.
“Very good then. Tell the cavalry to…” He trailed off as the screams of soldiers and horses could be heard down the line of men. Seda turned to see what had them frightened, some of them running away from the field, and the sight had his own horse startled.
A great reptilian beast twice the height of his horse, a lean body, muscular legs ending in massive paws with talons, and an elongated neck leading up to a slender head snarling with razor sharp teeth came barreling toward him. The creature was a brilliant orange speckled with red, and its rider was equally terrifying. He wore light weight armor darkened with a black patina, a blood red cloak billowing around him as he charged forward, and a helmet bearing a startling resemblance to his steeds face. When it came to a skidding halt, Seda’s horse balked, nearly throwing him to the ground.
“General Seda?” the rider asked. It took him a moment too long to realize not only had the man spoken, but he knew his name as well.
“Who…what are you?” he asked, craning his head upward.
The rider lifted the front of his helmet to reveal a stoic young man’s face. “Are you General Seda?” the man demanded.
Fear gave way to brewing anger. “I am. And what manner of demon are you?”
“I am Commander Delano of the Paladai Order, and you are hereby ordered to dismantle your forces and return home. The days of open warfare are over.”
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Seda scoffed. “I take orders from my king, not you.”
“I am giving you only one chance, General. End this now, or I will.” The man was calm, collected, more so than Seda would have expected from someone who appeared to be, at most, twenty years old.
While Seda had little doubt the creature before him could deal a grave amount of damage, it was still only one man and one beast. Meager as his forces might be, they were still enough to defeat one man.
“I will never surrender to you. I suggest you leave now, before I have my men shoot you where you stand.”
The man looked across the field to the Avarian line. Seda looked as well and saw a similar beast with rider speaking to General Lore, though the animal over there was a bright blue color. So there was more than one of these so called Paladai. The man on the other side raised his arm as a signal to the messenger before him. Commander Delano raised his arm as well before turning his steed around and ran back the way he had come, his comrade running in the opposite direction.
“Sir, what do we do?” Seda’s lieutenant finally spoke up.
Seda watched as Lore’s men took up their arms and readied to cross the field. Though his blood was boiling, ready for a fight, an uneasiness settled over him. What did those two foreigners have planned? Or was it all some Avarian trick?
“Sir?” the lieutenant prompted urgently when he didn’t respond.
Seda finally called out, “Infantry and cavalry, prepare to charge on my order.” The order went up and down the lines as men scrambled back into place. He wasn’t going to wait to find out what sort of plot Lore had concocted with these Paladai mercenaries. With this battle he would end Lore’s fighting days for good.
“Charge!” As the order went out, the men rushed forward leaving only Seda and his lieutenant to watch the carnage below. In his peripheral, Seda could see the Paladai rider in the distance, but he was not alone anymore. At least two dozen more of those creatures all in varying colors now stood behind him, all of them wearing the same black armor and red cloaks. At the other end of the field, more Paladai formed up behind the rider that had gone to Lore.
Before he could think of sounding a retreat, the creatures charged toward the battling armies below faster than any animal he had ever seen before and cut through the men like a hot knife through butter. They did not discriminate between Avarian or Dacian men. Any who did not turn and run were either run through or run down by the terrible monsters the Paladai rode. That was all Seda needed to prove these Paladai had no allegiance to either side, and men with allegiance to no one, good or ill intentioned, were dangerous men.