Cold End(Daryl Delancey) COLD END


The image was burned inside his brain, a permanent scar of this day. The glowing, magical red eyes which burned like eternal flames. Long offset yellow fangs jutting from black mouths, dark as the night sky. The hissing, screaming sounds of their horrid, piercing battle cries. Matted white coats, covering muscular frames in which even the largest of men could not compare. Wielding weapons in the like of none that mankind had ever seen. Glowing blades which also cast light that could sever a man’s torso from a distant range.
These creatures moved like no other. Speed of an unforeseen measure, only matched by their raging fury. Cutting one down, only seemed to enrage the others further. Watching the clans be cut down in a three to one ratio, the battle had seemed hopeless. Once men began to realize that avoiding the cast light was of utmost importance, cutting them down became a fairer game. The ratio closed, favoring the clans, and their numbers slowly dwindled.
Battle raged on, men fell at an alarming rate. The snow was blanketed in red blood, along with the deep black of the creatures blood. His clan fought hard, harder than they ever had. Swords cut through the air in an unimaginable pace. Fatigue began to blanket the warriors, but their will stayed strong. The warrior screamed his battle cry, making sure to be heard by his clan, and others around him. He charged, alone, bringing a new found burning flame inside them all. They all followed.
An enormous flame burned inside the warrior. Seeing his comrades follow him to probable death, filled him with even more desire to strike out the creatures. Dodging the casts of light, he hurled himself into the hordes of creatures, cutting down all in which he could see. His eyes burned from the light omitting from the creatures weapons. The warrior and his clans battled like never before.
. Light cascaded, blood squirted, spilled, and puddled. The battle cries of the warriors echoed amongst the screams emanating from the creatures. The battle ensued for what seemed like an eternity. The warrior looked over in time to see, the last of his clan, and all the clans, standing, battling with the final living creature. His sword locked with the beasts, the light from the creatures weapon shining a bright glow on their faces.
The warrior watched as they fought to free their weapons from one another. He charged towards them, he pulled his sword up over his head. The two competitors did not even acknowledge his charge. He brought his sword down and guided it through the creature’s neck, severing it’s head. Black blood squirted from the wound, as the head toppled to the frozen snow. The creature’s body fell limply to the ground, still twitching and writhing, until suddenly it all stopped.
The warrior looked around at the carnage. Everything was quiet and still, the only sounds of him and his clansman breathing. Steam from their breaths swirled in the frigid air. The warrior reached out to shake, and acknowledge victory. He grabbed his arm in an honor embrace, and stared into his eyes with a proud stare.
Suddenly, a flash of light of a blinding shine. The eyes he was just staring into opened wide with horror. His face wrinkled to a horrific stare, a sudden lifeless glare glazed his eyes. The warrior did not know what to make of this sudden flash, until his clan brother suddenly became limp. The warrior’s face turned to stone as he watched the torso slide from his lower half. The sound was part liquid and part suction, he released the arm as the torso fell limply to the frozen ground.
The warrior’s brain snapped back to reality like a flipped light switch. He turned to see one of the creatures still clinging to a small thread of life. He saw it attempting to raise it’s weapon again, and it’s dimly glowing red eyes staring directly at him. The warrior launched in it’s direction, raising his sword above his head.
The creature continued with the struggle to aim his weapon. It’s arm raised, and quickly light shot from the tip, and cut through the air straight towards the warrior’s chest. Instinct took over before the warrior’s brain could even register the move, he dropped to the frozen snow in a tucked roll. The light arced over his shoulder in a sizzling blaze, just as it began to descend towards the ground. Back to his feet in a single roll, the warrior continued his charge, almost seamlessly.
The creature’s eyes seemed to burn a shade brighter as he attempted to rise again. This time, it was able to rise to a sitting position, and raise it’s weapon, as it screeched and whined. The glowing hue around it’s weapon brightened, and a sector of light began to bend as it was about to free itself into mid air. The warrior lunged at the beast, and swung down with all his might. An impossibly bright light suddenly blinded him. Without breaking stride he followed through with his swing.
The blade connected with something solid. Because of the light, he was blinded, and did not know what he hit. The screech from the creature ceased, and the light faded. The warrior’s vision returned to him just in time to see the beast’s revolting head topple from it’s neck and land face down on the frozen crust. Black blood streamed in waterfalls from the neck, as the body slumped over and after a few convulsions, laid lifeless.
The warrior looked around, and found absolutely no life, except for his own. The carnage was immeasurable, unfortunately, on both sides. He stood alone, the only combatant to escape with his life. After a final salute to the fallen, he sheathed his sword, and headed away from the battlefield.
The frigid, blustery wind cut through his body like a blade of ice. A true warrior, spent from battle, covered in his, but, mostly his enemy’s blood. He was the lone survivor of his clan, the only to make it out alive, but not before claiming victory. The frozen top of the snow covered ground crunched under his feet with each pained step. Nothing would stop him now, he would make it back to his home, his family.
Pain radiated throughout his entire body, not only from his wounds, but the bitter cold as well. For years he had fought battles against many enemies, but none as strong as this had proved to be. Never had his clan suffered so much loss of life. This enemy had far differed from any other, not human.
The warrior’s fatigue was so great, that each step was a battle in itself. His home, his family, the only thing keeping him going, as he dragged himself through the frozen forest. His mind would not rest, the visions of the creatures, and the blood soaked battle flipped through his brain at warp speed. Where did they come from? What were they? Why did they choose to battle against his clans? He knew fair well that these questions may never be answered.
The warrior closed in on his village. He could smell the fires, hear chatter, and see life. He was extremely relieved to see the village untouched. He limped up to the main entrance gate. Guards quickly opened the gate and let him inside. People in the immediate area saw him, and froze. One of the guards spoke. “ Why are you alone my lord?”
The warrior replied. “ All were lost, all but myself. The battle was like no other. The enemy was like no other.”
He collapsed to the ground, briefly, he heard muffled voices, and then, blackness.
The warrior awoke to the soft voice of his queen. His eyes came into focus on her face, tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face. He looked around, he was in his home, in his own bed, in front of his own warm fire. The queen handed him water, he drank, already feeling it’s wetness soothe his throat.
“My dear, what happened?” The queen asked.
“It was horrific, a thing of nightmares, I was the only one to escape with his life.” He replied.
He sat up. “We must gather everyone in the great hall, now. I will inform the village of the battle, and prepare a plan to rebuild our forces. We must triple the protection of the village.”
The queen fetched the messenger, and told him to gather the village in the great hall, without haste. She returned to the room to find him already standing. “I must go to the hall, now, there is no time to waste. This enemy is stronger than any other, I must prepare the village folk incase any remain.”
Seated upon his throne in the head of the great hall, the village people filed in quickly. Once he was satisfied that his entire village was present, he raised his hands to silence the crowd. Silence over took the hall, at the command of their warrior king.
“My loyal clan, we have a new enemy. This is not an enemy like any other in which we have ever faced. They are not human, they are foul creatures derived from the bowels of evil. We must rebuild our army, we must………
“Crash! Crash! Crash!”
Loud, thundering banging on the main doors.
“Crash! Crash! Bang!”
The huge door flew open. A giant white creature with red glowing eyes forced it’s way in to the great hall. It wielded it’s weapon, bright glowing hue around it. Light shot from it, cutting down people throughout the hall. Blood sprayed, pooled, and splattered. The creature screeched and howled as it decapitated, stabbed, and sliced anything in it’s path, trying to get to the warrior.
The ground began to shake, uncontrollably.

Everything was quaking, the warrior heard a voice in his head.

The shaking would not cease, the beast was approaching, ready to kill. The shaking became unbearable.

The beast was right on him now, screeching, screaming. It raised it’s weapon and swung. The shaking became unruly.
“Bobby, wake up, your having a nightmare, you are so loud.”
Bobby came to, his mother standing over him. He was sweating profusely, and breathing hard. His heart was thumping in his chest like someone was inside his chest cavity with a wrecking ball.
“Sweetie, it’s all okay now, you are fine. It was all a dream.” His mother said as she hugged and comforted him.
“I’m okay mom, I’ll be fine.”
“Okay Bobby, I’ll go back to bed if you are okay. You scared me half to death. Love you, I’ll see you in the morning.”
His mother stepped out of his room, and headed back to bed. Bobby laid back down, and started to laugh to himself. “Wow, I would be a great warrior king.” Followed by a few good chuckles.
Bobby closed his eyes, and drifted back to sleep. Who knows what the next adventure may bring.

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