Chapter 4: Daniel's Last Stand

'My lord!' A soldier ran down from the battlements, stopping behind Daniel. 'The Night Wolves have resumed their attack!'

Daniel tore himself away from the corpse of Eric Hodenc and looked at the soldier who quivered at his stare. Despite his head spinning from what had just happened, Daniel forced himself to think rationally. The keep still had eight hundred men guarding it, so why would the Night Wolves continue their assault after their defeat and losing one of their generals? Sure they managed to ambush him and killed several of his men but it was barely significant…

Daniel looked around and spotted the four crusaders who had helped him carried Eric back to Wolf's Claw Keep. He gestured to them to come closer and when they did, Daniel spoke as gently as he could. 'My brothers, thank you for helping me bring back General Eric. I'm afraid I've one last request for you.'

'We're at your command Grand Crusader.' One of them answered.

'Bring Eric's… Body back to Davin's stronghold.' Daniel said, a lump in his throat. 'If Archmage Lia has returned from the Doves Haven, tell her Eric's last words… And asked for reinforcement from the others. Then returned him to Canaleodon and… Tell his parents he fought bravely and died with honour… Like his grandfather before him…'

'Yes milord.' The four crusaders bowed and gently as they can, they carried Eric's body onto a wagon and they slowly pushed it towards the other side of the keep: heading back to Canaleodon.

Once they were gone, Daniel quickly ran up the stairs of the battlements, followed by the soldier and by Captain John Allen. Daniel took two steps at a time and when he came closer to the battlements, he could hear the roaring and chanting just outside of the keep. He pushed himself pass the defenders and reached the battlements, not believing what he was seeing. Just outside of the castle were twice as many Night Wolves soldiers, bristling with massive swords and axes. Their banners were held high and their roars and war cries echoed loudly. Daniel made a rough estimate of four thousand men and maybe more behind them. In front of them was a giant who looks similar to Chargrine the Butcher but carried a spiked club instead of axes. It was Goregrine the Mauler, Chargrine's younger brother.

Daniel looked in disbelief at the Night Wolves army. How did Avencus managed to come out with so many men to attack all four passes that led into Tanelic? No matter how many recruits he managed to conscript or how many mercenaries or pirates he bribed, he still would not have enough men to launch attacks on four different locations. Let alone score a successful attack.

Then something slammed into Daniel's mind and when the realisation hit him, he slammed his fist on the parapets. 'Damn it!' he shouted. 'Avencus planned this and I fell right into it!'

'What do you mean, my lord?' Captain John asked in confusion.

Daniel turned to the captain. 'The other three attacks by the Night Wolves were either decoys or illusions cast by Avencus' warlocks! His intention was to launch a full-on attack on both Wolf's Claws Keep and Falcon Hover! Not only are the defences weaker here but also somehow he knew that I would personally lead the defences here! He mean to take me out so to remove a future thorn from his side!'

'But Grand Crusader.' Captain John asked. 'Didn't you had reliable reports concerning the attacks on the other three passes?'

Daniel stared at the captain and he began thinking furiously. White Crusaders Runners reported the attacks to him. Not magic users themselves, they may had been tricked by Avencus' spells… No, that was not possible. Daniel had made it a point to drill his men to spot anything out of the ordinary: men standing in solid objects, men that cannot be killed or men that stood completely still without moving or breathing. Daniel and his commander made sure that any messengers could tell the real thing from a fake. Even illusionary spells cannot last forever. So the only possibility was…

Daniel shook his head and turned back to the captain. 'The most important thing is that we must prevent Avencus and the Night Wolves from entering Tanelic. We don't have enough men to hold the keep. I'm afraid we must abandoned Wolf's Claw Keep and make our stand in Falcon's Hover.'

The eyes of the captain widened. 'Abandoned Wolf's Claw Keep? But sir… We have eight hundred men…'

'They have four times the men out there!' Daniel argued. 'They have the numbers to overtake the keep. We have another thousand men back in Falcon's Hover and maybe more if any reinforcement has arrived. If we can join up with them, our chances of keeping Avencus out of Tanelic will improve.'

The captain nodded while Daniel continued. 'However, that doesn't mean we're just giving them the keep freely. Is there another captain here?'

'Here Grand Crusader.' A woman with shoulder length brown hair saluted him. 'Captain Elizabeth Tarnath, sir.'

'Captain Elizabeth.' Daniel said. 'I'm leaving you with five hundred men on the battlements. Hold the Night Wolves as long as you can. If they're going to overwhelm the defences, retreat back to Falcon's Hover.'

'Yes sir!' Elizabeth saluted and started shouting orders to the defenders.

'Captain John.' Daniel turned to John. 'Order the remaining forces to retreat back to Falcon's Hover and get fifty men to gather as much flammable materials as they can. Straws, clothing, wood, anything flammable.'

'We have barrels of oil and boxes of explosive powder in the storage, sir.' Captain John added.

Daniel nodded. 'Good. Put a pile at each corner of the keep and make sure that there will be a trail of oil or the powder that will start in the middle of the keep and lead to all piles. Make sure they're invisible to the enemies as well. Once you're done with your orders, retreat back to Falcon's Hover.'

John saluted but before he ran off, he asked. 'What about you Grand Crusader?'

'I will be staying here to hold back the enemies while the rest of the men retreat back to Falcon's Hover.' Daniel answered grimly. 'Get moving captain!'

John saluted and ran down the stairs while Daniel looked at the battlements. The defenders were organising themselves per Elizabeth's orders just in time as waves of Night Wolves charged towards the keep. Like before, scaling ladders were slammed onto the walls while arrows flew towards the defenders: killing a number of them. White Crusaders pikemen tried to push the scaling ladders off the walls while archers fired volley of arrows at the enemies' ranks. Daniel knew that it would not be long for the Night Wolves warlocks to cast shields to protect their archers or even their warriors.

Knowing speed was to the essence, Daniel sped down the staircase until he was on the ground. He was just on time to see the doors that led to Falcon's Hover were opened and the last of the reserve had marched out of the keep. Daniel started helping the other fifty men to stack piles of flammable materials in different parts of the keep before grabbing a bucket. He pushed the bucket into a barrel of oil and splashed the keep's floor with the oil, careful to not to slip on it. He and his men were done with their preparations when a soldier approached him, panting and covered in blood.

'The Night Wolves had overcome our defences and had come on top of the battlements.' He reported. 'They have taken the keep's defences and Captain Elizabeth had lost her life.'

'What?' Daniel said. 'I told her to retreat when the defences are overcome!'

There were tears in the soldier's eyes. 'As soon as the Night Wolves overcame our defences, Captain Elizabeth drew her sword and charged in. She bought us time to flee while… While… While she held them off. She sacrifice herself for us!'

Daniel sadly nodded. 'Then we shall not let Captain Elizabeth's sacrifice be in vain. Get anyone you can and retreat.'

'Yes sir!' the soldiers left as he turned to the other men.

'The rest of you go. I will hold off the enemy as long as possible.'

One of them hesitated but nodded as they headed out of the keep and back to Falcon's Hover Keep. Daniel watched them go and turned to the keep's door that was buckling violently, no doubt the Night Wolves were ramming it down. Daniel pulled out Hope from its scabbard and prepared to fight for his life. He steadied himself and took in deep breaths, calming himself down for a fight he might die. Then to his surprise, he saw Captain John along with nine men in the corners of his eyes: with drawn swords and raised spears.

'I told you men to return back to Falcon's Hover!' Daniel told them impatiently.

'Grand Crusader.' Captain John said firmly. 'We ten men have fought for the White Crusaders for ten years, serving your late grandfather and you. Please allow us the honour to fight alongside you to our dying breaths.'

Daniel looked at the determined men with hardened eyes and fierce looks on their faces. Daniel, touched by their loyalty, nodded and tightened his grasp on Hope as the gate shook violently. Finally, the gate burst opened and Night Wolves ran through it; screaming bloody murder and running towards Daniel and the ten soldiers like a tidal wave.

'For Canaleodon!' Daniel shouted and swung Hope sideway, decapitating a Night Wolf soldier while the other ten fought off any Night Wolves that got close to them. The Night Wolves continued pouring into the keep as Daniel swung, thrust and slammed his blade down any Night Wolves who came in contact with him. In the corners of his eyes, he can see Captain John and the other nine soldiers fighting fiercely. Despite their bravery and fighting skills, there will always be more Night Wolves to replace the ones that have fallen. One by one, the defenders were cut down and the remainder were forced to back away.

Daniel grimaced and yelled, swinging Hope left and right, cutting down Night Wolves and receiving injuries in return. He was about to continue fighting when all of the sudden, the flow of Night Wolves stopped. Daniel frowned and as he breathed heavily, he stood up and surveyed the keep. All that was seen were dead bodies of their enemies. Puzzling at the enemy's cease in their assault, he turned to the six remaining men, including Captain John.

'Captain, take your men back to Falcon's Hover. I will remain here to buy you as much time as you can.'

Captain John frowned, panting heavily. 'But sir, what…?'

Before Daniel's surprised face, something metallic flew and pierced Captain John in the chest. The confused captain looked down at what look like a metal whipped that was stuck in his body and when it was pulled out, the captain fell face-first into the ground: dead. The other men yelped in confusion as they prepared to defend their commander but the very same metal whip shot out from nowhere and struck the other soldiers, giving them the same fate as the captain.

Daniel raised up Hope to prepare to defend himself or to be struck down himself. He waited and waited but was puzzled as to why he was not dead yet. Then something approaching him and Daniel braced himself, Hope raised up high. To his surprise, the figure that approached him was a young woman about his age. She wore a black gown that reached until her feet and was sleeveless. Her feet were covered in black exotic sandals and her hands were covered in black gloves. Her long blonde hair reached to the bottom of her spine and gold earrings pierced the bottom lobe of her ears. In her hands was a black sword with a hilt shaped like a snake and extremely long for her height.

She smiled seductively. 'So you're the great Grand Crusader Daniel Cavelier. I've heard so much about you.'

'Do I know you?' Daniel asked, lowering Hope but gripping it tightly.

She laughed. 'You're supposed to but I guess it's not your fault. I was, after all, been locked up in a castle for twenty years.' She flashed a smile again. 'I'm Aria Tendenhaul, daughter to Avencus Tendenhaul and rightful heir of Canaleodon. By right, I'm your princess.'

'Then you're in the wrong country.' Daniel snarled. 'For Arald Tendenhaul is the king I serve and Princess Charlotte is the rightful heir to Canaleodon. You and your father are nothing more than traitors!'

The smile on Aria's face changed into a snarl. 'Insolent fool! Then you shall die for defying me! Your head will be my trophy for my first victory!'

She raised her sword and to Daniel's surprise, the blade extended like a whip when she brought it down. The sword flew towards Daniel who now knew how his men died. Daniel stepped aside as the sword plunged into the ground and brought Hope down on it, hoping to break it or trap it under his weight. To his surprise, the sword was unbreakable. Aria smirked and pulled her sword back, whipping Hope out of Daniel's hand. The giant sword fell and was stuck into the ground, between Daniel and Aria.

Aria wasted no time lashing her sword at Daniel who dodged every attack but could not find a way to get close to her. Daniel came across a giant shield and grabbed it, using it to protect himself from Aria's attacks. Aria sword continued to slam onto the shield, making Daniel grunt at each impact.

'The great Grand Crusader hiding behind a shield like a coward!' Aria taunted as she continued to batter the shield. 'Can't you fight a woman?'

Aria raised her sword and brought it down on the shield was just when it made contact, Daniel pushed the sword aside and threw a spear towards Aria. With her sword extended, Aria was defenceless as she stepped aside: yelping as the spear flew passed her. As Aria turned back to pull her sword-whip back, she was astonished that Daniel was running towards her and had already pulled out Hope from the ground. With a cry, Daniel slammed Hope onto Aria's sword-whip hilt, breaking the weapon. Aria cried out and took a step back, looking down at the hilt with no blade on it.

She glared at Daniel. 'You bastard! That sword-whip was expensive and difficult to make!'

Daniel grinned and readied his blade. 'Tell that to the demons in hell.'

He swung Hope over his head but before he could strike Aria down, he noticed something charging towards them and quickly jumped back. He was just in time and something slammed between him and Aria. Daniel covered his eyes and when the dust settled, he saw a spiked club stuck in the ground and a half-man and half-ogre being was holding it.

Goregrine the Mauler glared at Daniel as he pulled his club from the ground. 'You! The murderer of my brother! I can still smell the blood on you!'

Daniel quickly back away as more Night Wolves surrounded him. They formed a semi-circle facing him, pointing swords and spears towards him. On the ramparts were archers and warlocks who had bows drawn or their hands aflame with black magic. More Night Wolves came and stood ready behind Goregrine and Aria.

Despite the hopeless situation he was in, he continued on casually. 'Oh, you mean Chargrine the Butcher? That fellow? Mean, big, ugly and not so bright. I can see the resemblance now.'

Goregrine growled and hefted his club onto his shoulders. 'I will smash you into a pulp and I will enjoy feasting on your flesh!'

'You're quite the humorous man.' Aria commented, back to her usual self. 'But humour won't save you now. You're surrounded, bound to die a horrible death!' She grinned. 'Any last words?'

Daniel, in an act of surrendering, sheathed back Hope into its scabbard and pulled out a torch that was hanging onto the walls of the keep. 'Yes: burn in Hell!'

He flung the torch into one of the pile of flammable materials and ran towards the opened door of the keep. He can hear shouts of alarms and orders to attack from Aria, even footsteps that the Night Wolves were going after him. As he was near to the door, Daniel made a leap towards it.

Then behind him was a loud explosion and he was sent flying forward out of the keep, landing face-first into the ground. He laid there, trying to get his breath back, before pushing himself up onto his feet. He looked behind him and saw that Wolf's Claw Keep was engulfed in flames, burning like a giant bonfire. Along with the crackling of fire, he could hear screams of dying Night Wolves. The loudest among them must be Goregrine who must be roaring in agony as the fire burnt off his flesh. Daniel shuddered as he stood there, still watching figures inside the flames dancing before falling to their deaths.

Daniel knew the fire was nothing more than a distraction. Avencus, being a warlock, would have no problem dousing the flames and resuming his attack on Tanelic. Daniel needed to get back to Falcon's Hover.

Grimacing, Daniel forced himself forward but now that the fighting was over and the adrenaline leaving his body, he was starting to feel the exhaustion and small injuries that was now taking over. He had not gone far when he collapsed and fell onto her knees, panting heavily and groaning in pain. Even though he cannot see himself, he knew his face was covered in blood and burnt marks. Some parts of his armour had dents and covered in gore of Chargrine the Butcher. Even his hair and cape were singed from the flames just now.

Is this my end? He thought dimly, trying to get up but to no avail. Am I going to die here?

'Grand Crusader!' A voice called out.

Daniel looked up tiredly and blurry saw six White Crusaders riding towards him. They stopped before him, holding back their horses.

'Sir William sent us to get you sir.' Their leader said. 'We're to take you back to Falcon's Hover immediately.' He turned to the men behind him. 'Someone, give the Grand Crusader a horse!'

One of the riders dismounted and helped Daniel onto his feet and onto the horse. Daniel could feel himself being pushed onto the animal's saddle. He struggled to sit up straight as he regarded the men who came to his rescue.

'Thank you…' Daniel whispered as he grasped the rein of his mount.

The White Crusaders then kneed their steads and leading the horse that carried Daniel, returned back to where they came from.

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Avencus, warlock and leader of the Night Wolves, arrived with another one thousand men and accompanying him was his senior warlock, Solomon Winterspring. Solomon was an old man of fifty-two with greyish hair and clean-shaven. His green eyes spoke of intelligence and his frail body still have some energy left in him. He wore black robes and carried a staff made out of ancient oak.

Avencus came just in time to see his daughter, Aria, stepping out from the burnt keep. 'What happened here?' He demanded.

'Cavelier, father.' Aria muttered. 'He lured us into the keep and tried to burn us alive in a fire attack. I managed to cast a shield dome before the fire could engulf me. All of our men died and Goregrine is badly burnt.'

As she was reporting to her father, eight Night Wolves were carrying a burnt Goregrine on a stretcher. His entire body was black and his skin were cracked. All of his hair and clothes were burnt. His menacing face was burnt off. Amazingly, he was still alive.

'DAMN YOU… CAVELIER!' he cursed loudly, screaming in pain. 'DAMN… YOU… TO… HELL… WHEN I'M WHOLE… I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN… AND EAT YOU ALIVE… YOU HEAR ME?'

Avencus sighed as he watched the screaming Goregrine being carried off. 'That's two generals I have lost. This Daniel Cavelier's reputation as the Grand Crusader are not just words. How many men did we lose?'

'Including the attack earlier.' Aria answered. 'Roughly two thousand men.'

Solomon frowned. 'That's nearly half of our forces. My lord, right now both armies are equally matched. The Tanelician Forces may even have more if reinforcement do come to their aid. I'm afraid if we attack Falcon's Hover with our current strength, we will suffer heavy casualties.'

Avencus pulled his black goatee, his eyes gleaming. Then he smiled. 'My dear faithful Solomon, if we can't win through warfare, there are other ways to achieve victory.'

_____________________________________________________________________________

The doors of Falcon's Hover opened as seven riders raced towards the keep, their horses galloping by the gate before closely firmly behind them. The seven riders slowly dismounted as the White Crusaders continued to reinforce the door with crates and other heavy objects. Daniel, who slightly recovered during the ride, dropped onto his feet and almost stumbled forward. Before he could fall onto the earth, he was caught by William Loreton and vice-commander Ian Vass of the 7th Company.

'My lord.' William said. 'I'm glad you're all right.'

'William…' Daniel said, thankful to see the veteran again. With a nod, William and Ian let him go and Daniel steadied himself. He took deep breaths before turning to Ian. 'Commander Silencio died defending Wolf's Claws Keep. You're now in command of the 7th Company Commander Ian. The Night Wolves will be here in an hour. I'll leave you in charge of the defences of Falcon's Hover.'

'Yes sir!' Ian saluted and headed up to the battlements, shouting orders to the defenders.

Daniel gestured to those who surrounded him. 'The rest of you, assist Commander Ian with the defence and prepare for Avencus' attack. I wish to discuss something with Sir William.'

'Yes Grand Crusader!' the remaining White Crusaders saluted and went off to their duties, leaving Daniel and William alone.

'Young master.' William asked. 'What's the matter?'

Finally, Daniel broke down and wept. 'William… All of them are dead! Commander Silencio, Captain Elizabeth Tarnath, Captain John Allen… General… Eric. As well as almost a thousand of our brothers and sisters! They're all dead… Because of me…' He turned to William, tears in his eyes. 'What can I tell the others?'

'Young master!' William said firmly but gently. 'It's not your fault! They all chose to fight for their king, for their commander and for their country. Young master, you will do them no good if you fall into self-pity. We must fight on to honour the sacrifice they had made and win this war!'

Daniel looked at William and nodded. 'You're right. I need to pull myself together. All is not lost.' He stood up and wiped his face with his hand. 'With three thousand men guarding this keep, we will prevail!'

William nodded. 'After destroying half of their forces, the Night Wolves should be demoralised and their fighting spirits broken. Even if they still dare to attack us, they will only suffer defeat. Falcon's Hover walls are taller than Wolf's Claw Keep and we're prepared to meet their exhausted troops with fresh men manning these walls.'

Daniel nodded. 'Thank you William. I'm glad you're here with me. You reminded me so much of my grandfather.'

'Young master.' William bowed. 'You honour me.'

Daniel smiled before turning serious. 'William, there's something I need to tell you. We may had been betrayed.'

Daniel told the surprised William about the decoy attacks in the other three passes and the White Crusader runners who may had given him false reports on the attacks. Once he was done explaining, William immediately objected to the notion.

'Never young master! All of the White Crusaders looked up to you and your grandfather! You always treated your men like your own kin just as the late Grand Crusader did. I'm sure that Avencus' spells are too strong for even our most experienced scouts to tell the real from the fake!'

Daniel looked at William and sighed. 'I hope you're right William…'

Before William could defend the White Crusader's loyalty to him, a soldier approached them.

'Grand Crusader.' He reported. 'Captain Larson Barrington of the 2nd Company had brought five hundred cavalry as reinforcement!'

Daniel and William looked up, surprised on their faces. Larson Barrington was a son of a nobleman and the former Commander of the 5th Company in the White Crusaders three years ago. When Elliot raped a young girl, Daniel wanted to execute him for breaking his vow as a White Crusader and to give justice to the girl's family. However, Argus pleaded Daniel to spare Larson's life since his father fought bravely for the White Crusaders for many years and Owen volunteered to purify the girl's womb to prevent any unwanted pregnancy caused by Larson. Finally, Daniel agreed to spare Larson life but confiscated all his lands and properties and to be given to the girl's family as compensation, had Larson demoted to foot soldier under Argus' command and to be given eighty lashes. By right, Larson should had bear a grudge against Daniel.

Hearing that Larson came to aid him, Daniel turned to William. 'I never thought Larson will come to our aid. Maybe I misjudge him.'

'I believe that Larson had repented and have come to reinforce us to redeem himself.' William smiled. 'You must reward him.'

'I will.' Daniel agreed. 'Hurry, we must go and meet him.'

Daniel and William headed to the end of the keep, just in time to see it open and five hundred horsemen ride into it. They stopped to a halt as their leader dismounted and saluted to Daniel. He was a young man with short blonde hair and blue eyes with freckles covering his face. He wore the standard White Crusader captain's uniform, gleaming and shining.

'Captain Larson Barrington of the 2nd Company at your service sir.' He greeted.

'Ah Larson.' Daniel smiled and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. 'Thank you for coming. With you here, we may have a chance of driving Avencus off Tanelic. Once this is all over, I will ask his majesty to make you the baron of Lancashire.'

'Thank you my lord.' Larson beamed. 'I will do my best to serve you and the crown.'

Daniel nodded as another soldier approached him. 'My lord, the Night Wolves have arrived and are attacking us!'

Daniel turned around and could hear the sounds of the battering of the gate and cries of death in the air. 'William, Larson, stay here and make sure that the gates hold! Do not let a single Night Wolves pass through that gate!' Both William and Larson nodded while Daniel sprinted up towards the battlements.

When he reached the top, he was greeted by fire arrows raining down on the defenders and screams of death coming from both the Night Wolves and the White Crusaders. He saw scaling ladders had already been fastened onto the battlements and Night Wolves in sight, either getting speared by the defenders or clashing their weapons against the defenders. Daniel saw Commander Ian Vass swinging an axe in circles, fending off the invaders, until he was shot in the head by an arrow: collapsing onto his back and staring lifelessly into the sky. As the battle continued, the defenders were being pushed back by the Night Wolves.

Daniel gritted his teeth and pulled out Hope, charging into the fray.

'Stand your ground White Crusaders!' he shouted as he killed two Night Wolves. 'Remember your families! Remember your kingdom! Fight on!'

The defenders' morale rose at their grand crusader's words and fought more fiercely than ever, not caring if arrows or magic spells were flying towards them. Daniel too fought alongside his men as they pushed the Night Wolves off the battlements. They were on the point of clearing the battlements from enemies when a giant fireball slammed into it, sending many of the defenders flying or burning. Daniel shielded his eyes and to his horror, saw more Night Wolves climbing back onto the battlements and continued slaughtering the defenders who were shaken by the fireball. Daniel was about to join them when suddenly, Larson came to his side.

'Grand Crusader!' He shouted. 'The Night Wolves had broken down the gate and are rushing in! They're too many of them!'

Daniel stared at him in disbelief. 'How is that possible?' he shouted. 'We have three thousand men defending this keep! We should be able to hold on for days! How did the enemy managed to get in so quickly?'

Larson shook his head and looked hopelessly at Daniel. 'My lord, the Night Wolves are too powerful! We must retreat or surrender my lord!'

Daniel looked at him as if he was a ghost. 'How can you even consider that? If we retreat, Avencus will bring war into Tanelic and the innocent will suffer for it! If we surrender, we will lose our honour as and evil will triumph!' Sensing someone approaching him, he turned his back on Larson and swung Hope sideway, cutting down two Night Wolves who were charging towards him with raised swords. 'We will continue defending this keep, to the very end if necessary.

Instead of a salute or a protest, Daniel was surprised to hear Larson's quiet words. 'So be it. Then let's see you die with honour.'

Before Daniel could turn around to face Larson, he gasped quietly as something sharp and cold entered his abdomen from the back and pushed out into the front. He slowly looked down, not comprehending completely what had just happened. He saw a sword sticking out of his abdomen, covered in blood. His blood. Daniel dropped Hope onto the battlements and his vision threatened to blur as blood flowed out from his mouth and the wound the sword caused. Despite gasping heavily, he could still feel Larson leaning closer to his ears and whispering.

'This is for taking everything from me you upstart!' He hissed with venom in his voice. 'Lord Avencus will reward me well for taking down the mighty Grand Crusader. I hope you will burn in hell!'

After he was done talking, Larson pulled out the blade from Daniel's stomach: allowing more blood to pour out. Daniel weakly tried to cover his wounds but the loss of blood made his mind hazy and his eyes were closing. He could dimly hear the cries of his men dying or still fighting. He fell onto his knees and then onto this stomach, facing the cold stones of the battlements. His breaths becoming rasped, he tried to roll onto his side but his body disobeyed him and he laid still.

I fought with honour… he thought. And died betrayed…

Then his world turned black and he knew no more.