Start Of War

The other army charged towards Jonas like angry bulls, sprinting towards them with blood thirsty eyes. They could smell it, the intent to kill slowly blanketing the land.

Jonas gazed with agitation and anxiety, this was the moment he was going to die. He pondered about his journey, his struggles, his victories that all lead him to this inevitable day.

When he was 16, he had accomplished a great victory. He was appointed the right-hand man of the king. In this moment, the wind was gentle, the sun shredding through the blue sky, its golden rays being scattered by the clouds. Not too sunny, not too cold, the perfect day.

His family blessed him with a basket of fruits that contained golden bananas, tangerines that sweated water droplets and scrumptious red apples. His mouth was a sea of saliva, his eyes lost in the basket of fruits.

Now he was 40, and had lived through many upheavals and wars. Having gained the knowledge of battle, he was ready, albeit anxious.

Maximus took out one of his metal spears from his back, its sharp blade pointing directly towards the sleepwalkers. The black spear was crowded by drawings and logos, depicting magical creatures and warriors. On the front of the spear, was the blood-red eye of the serpent Dracoli, the symbol for the dawnfire house. He quietly waited for Jonas's approval.

As the other army sprinted forward, the violent trotting noises of the horses assaulted Jonas's ears as he prepared to lead his army.

Jonas looked towards the army standing nervously, his previous words had a significant impact on them minutes ago, but now they faded away like leaves scattered by the wind. Nonetheless, they had to perform their duty, the duty of a warrior.

" Archers stand tall!" Yelled Jonas with a clenched fist raised in the air.

The archers got ready, as chills started to escalate through every muscle in their body.

" Nock!"

The archers drew their arrows out from their quiver and with shaking hands, they troublesomely nocked the arrow.

" Draw!"

The other army started sprinting faster each second, still chanting war cries like blood-thirsty animals. Grey luminated swords were raised towards the sunny, cloudless sky, the edge urging to spread blood onto the hot sand.

With one last breath, Jonas screamed,

"Fire!!!"

In a heartbeat, thousands of arrows were projected towards the sky, casting small fragmented shadows onto the soldiers, blocking out the sun's rays. The arrows ascended towards the heavens, until finally plummeted down towards the heads of the other army. The lord of the sleepwalkers held a vast, golden shield over his head, it's vibrancy enchanted by the sun.

Jonas and the other army held immense hope in their hearts, that the arrows would cause some damage, some injury to other army, so they could live life a bit longer. But this hope was pointless, they all knew the outcome, but sometimes imagining an alternative reality calms the nerves.

The arrows made striking sounds, as they collided with the white skeleton of the sleepwalkers and the golden shield of the lord, and then they ricocheted off, like a ball bouncing on a wall.

Mummers erupted in Jonas's army, voices of worry and tension. Jonas heaved a deep signing, closing his eyes, his mind concentrating only on the song of the desert.

In there he found the beautiful orchestra of insects, a stark contrast to the heaviness in his heart. He found some short lasting peace.

This was expected of course, the sleepwalkers were 3rd grade awakeners and beyond, how would they fall prey to a bunch of flimsy wood? Their skeleton was as strong as gold, enhanced through their affinity, and they were already dead, so how can you murder something that has died? You can't, the sleepwalkers were immortals, dead creatures risen from their graves to exact revenge.

However, no matter how dire the situation seems, there are always doors left to be unlocked. Jonas and his army had one advantage over them, the sleepwalkers were incredibly stupid, one step away from being considered unconscious animals. Hence, their structure was chaotic, and it will only gain disorder throughout the fight.

Jonas inhaled rigorously, putting his clenched fist onto the air once again, making the crowd go deadly quiet.

" Archers, use your enchantment. Draw!!" Yelled Jonas, not averting his gaze from the impending conflict, his muscles tensed.

Again with hesitancy, the archers took an arrow out of their quivers and nocked it to their bows.

"Fire!!"

" Enchantment art, verdant vail!"

" Enchantment art, essence Erosion!"

" Enchantment art, chasmforge!"

The arrows of the archers were shrouded by a grey energy, surrounding the weapon like a shield of armour as the arrows launched towards the sky.

As they descended towards the ground, there was a pin drop silence in Jonas's army. No one moved, no one breathed, just silence amongst the crowd as they attentively observed the situation.

This was their best attack, if the sleepwalkers and the lord were unharmed, then Jonas and his army would be better off killing themselves.

The arrows once again made striking noises, bouncing off the rough skeleton of the sleepwalkers and the golden shield of the lord.

However, as one arrow landed onto the sand, a magnificent, lush green aura started to manifest. Through it, gigantic, spiked vines sprouted out the arrow, seemingly from thin air. The vines had a mind of their own, shuffling around as they viscously tangled themselves around 3 sleepwalkers. Soon, the battlefield was surrounded by spiked vines.

The poisonous spikes of the vine cut through their hard bones, shattering their skeleton.

Another arrow started illuminating a fascia aura. The aura surrounded a large portion of the land, making the other army seem as purple figures in paintings. Then, slowly one by one, the sleepwalkers started dropping to the hot sand from their horses.

Alongside these arrows, the crackling of sandstone, combined with the screaming of sleepwalkers created a cacophony as enormous chasms that stretched leagues beneath the desert, formed around the battlefield. They were gateways to hell, their final location unknown and hidden by darkness. The sleepwalkers fell into the deep holes dug into the land, their bones shattering on impact.

Seeing this, the heart of the army lifted slowly, but to not a great extent. Jonas had discussed his battle plan with them extensively, he told them what was expected and what to aim for, this outcome just confirmed their assumptions.

Even through all this destruction, injury and torture, their lord remained unharmed. His face still held a blank expression, as if he was unmoved by their attack. His blonde hair swayed with the rustling wind of the desert, his eyes staring into Jonas's soul.

The archers set out large gasps of air, as they sweated profoundly under their chain armour. Struggling to stay awake, they swayed left and right on their horses.

By casting the rank 3 awakening spells, they had used up a large portion of their energies. They were only good for one more round of arrows, more consumption of energy could result in death.

After another round of arrows, the archers dropped towards the ground, drained of energy and stamina. They struggled to walk, as they breathed in the dry air rigorously.

Now the sleepwalkers were halfway from reaching Jonas. Despite the archers efforts, there was still a horde of skeletons remaining, rivaling the numbers of Jonas's army.

Maximus gazed at Jonas, awaiting his approval to launch the attack. Jonas affirmatively replied by a nod of encouragement, his heart racing against his chest.

He once again raised his first towards the sky and with a massive gulp of air, he screamed.

"Charge!!!"

As a unit, the army charged against the sleepwalkers with immense determination in their hearts. They say when a group of warriors come together, they inspire an atmosphere of growth, courage and strength. This was certainly true, as even though Jonas's army charged towards the sleepwalkers, awaiting death, they were courageous enough to go down with a fight, brave enough to be named warriors.