Thunder split the sky as soldier’s lit torches. The army stood ready for their next command; rain splattered on their silver armor. Two sturdy figures rode in front of them on black horses. They looked over their army and nodded their heads, proud of what they accomplished. The first one, with a sword tied to her waist, was Eloc. She was a swordsman with great strength and experience who led this great army. She pulled on her reigns expertly and faced her partner. Eloc’s short black hair shrouded her eyes as she glanced at her friend’s expression.
Her friend Tijn was an archer of surpassed skill. It was said that time itself stopped for her arrows. Her brown hair also shrouded her eyes but she could see the deaths that were about to appear around them.
“Is he ready?” Eloc asked.
“He has been ready.”
A massive creature rose from the forest and was lit by the many torches and flashes of lightning. Many of the men gasped or cried out but Eloc and Tijn just smiled. They were ready for their enemy.
“On your command,” the creature said.
Eloc placed her helmet on her head and unsheathed her sword. She then directed her army forward with Tijn on her right and the creature flying above her. They rode for many miles until they faced another army. This one looked stronger and larger than what Eloc and Tijn had mustered up the last few months. The enemy did not have armor like their army did but had animal skins and leather plates all along their bodies. Their shields were small and round; leather straps held it to their body. But they were bloodthirsty, vicious people. It did not matter if their equipment was not as strong or sophisticated as theirs. Their leader stared forward, uninterested in the flying mass. He unsheathed his sword as well and pointed it at Tijn.
“Surrender now, or face destruction by the mighty tribes of the Corsek Mountains!” he yelled at her.
In response, Tijn loaded an arrow onto her bow and pointed it at the enemy’s leader.
“We would rather die.”
She released her grip and let the arrow sail through the air. It landed directly at his horse’s feet, making it neigh in annoyance and stomp his hooves angrily. His rider yelled out and spat at the arrow. He raised his sword high over his head, just as Eloc had done. They brought their swords down at the same time, at which both armies ran forward in fury. Swords and shields clashed as the two armies swung at each other. Blood spattered onto the ground and cries rose from both armies. Eloc rode with her army and charged their leader. Her sword flashed as she delivered the first blow. They fought for a long time, neither of them giving up or revealing any openings. Their horses circled each other as their riders shifted in their saddles.
Tijn stayed behind and rode up onto a rock ledge where she looked down over the battle. She loaded multiple arrows onto her bow and shot all of them with lightning speed at enemy soldiers. She had killed about sixty when she saw the mass give out a cry. He had been attacking the soldiers on the ground with his claws, picking them up and throwing them across the battlefield. But the enemy had cannons. The cannon balls hit his body and he tumbled to the ground. The earth shook as he fell. He let out a painful cry and then he was down.
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