Falling to oportunity

The stench of battle was in the air blood melted into the snow, the echoes of those soon to be departed and the cries of agony mixed together into a slow symphony of loss. The weapons and shields thrown or dropped across the battlefield a testament of the gruesome bravery shown here today.

'What a beautiful night' thought Hector as he gasped for air.

General Hector Herod, a distinguished man of the Empire and a man with many prospects to look forward to charged into enemy lines with his personal cavalry to save a friend. He and his thousand strong household guard dies for one man that ultimately decided to stay and fight with his friend. This man was now lying next to Hector with a speak through his forehead and a sword in his gut.

Hector didn't care, he knew his friend wouldn't leave him to die and save himself and he would die. No one could survive charging at a force five times your number and expect to survive.

'Guess i screwed up...' Hector began to cough up blood as he spoke to himself.

'If i close my eyes now ill die for sure, cant believe they just stabbed me and ran'. Hectors eyes were getting heavier as his blood flowed from his open wounds. He tried to move but his armor was to heavy. He had forgotten how unbelievably heavy this armor was.

'Guess ill just go then, instead of fighting it i should just let go for now. Even if i somehow end up getting saved whats the point? My wife doesn't love me, my daughter resents me, my friends are all here with me dead or dying, and i can finally rest for the first time in as long as i can recall.' Hector felt himself letting go. There was no flash of light in this night sky no long flashback of his life nothing.

"Hello...."

Hector could hear a voice, a child?

"Young man wake up or ill make you wake up."

That doesn't sound very threatening with the tone of a child.

The next thing Hector could hear was a heavy thud sound and then a pounding pain on his abdomen.

Hector quickly opened his eyes and stood up to look around. Just as he thought it was a child, wearing what looked like a dark blue cloak and a golden belt loosely tied around his waist.

Hector ignored the child and quickly took stock of his current location.

"By the Emperor, where is this place?" Hector was shocked, where was he? He was nowhere. Literally no where form the looks of it there was nothing but an infinite white all around him.

"Welcome to Limbo Hector Herod" The child looked at Hector with a devilish grin.

"Limbo? Is that the name of the afterlife? Where are all my comrades?" Hector spoke to the child in a polite tone. Hector had a feeling that this was no ordinary child. The church of the Emperor had taught him how the gods could take any form and the military had taught him to never underestimate anyone.

"Ohhh, that's a very good attitude you got there. To answer your question they aren't here, where they are i don't know. Why don't i know? Because i don't care for any mortal but you at the moment."

Hector stayed quiet, after looking at the boy and his actions he could tell he was right.

"Hector you can call me Iquillus, and i am here to choose you as my champion." Iquillus spoke while walked around Hector.

"Champion?" Hector wondered why a god would make him a champion.

"If you're wondering why, I have my reasons and they are my own, so don't ask."

"Alright, but can i decline?" Hector didn't want to be a champion for a god. Who knew what that would entail, more fighting, dying....again, or worse.

"No choice, but don't worry as my champion you will rise high above those fools who dared to take whats mine..!" Iquillus stopped walking around Hector and made a face that no child should or could make. Hector saw rage, true rage that you only find on adults who truly know what rage is.

Hector opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off again by Iquillus.

"Don't worry, you're weak now but with my blessing you will grow strong." Iquillus was confident, as any god should be thought Hector.

"What blessing?" If he had to choice he might as well learn what it is. Hector doubted he could go against a gods will.

"Curious? I will tell you it is the blessing of my demesne, the blessing of undeath!" Iquillus was now in front of Hector. And Hector just stared at him as he sat on who knows what.

........... Silence, Hector had now realized that he was no breathing, ' Undeath? Oh by the High Heavens, NO!' Hector was now even more distraught, was he sure he couldn't turn down a god? He was dead, might as well give it a try."Lord Iquillus"

"Yes?" Iquillus was quite curious about this quiet mortal before him that the fates had dictated would be his champion.

"I would rather not be your champion. I'm sure there are far better candidates out there than I. If the clause is that they need to die then even better the Empire sends soldiers to their deaths ona daily basis." Hector quickly tried to plea his case.

"Hmmm, why don't you want to be my champion, is it because i am the god of undeath? If you lie i will know...." Iquillus smiled ruefully as he stared deep into Hectors eyes.

"Lord Iquillus i am a man of my faith, i server the Holy God Emperor and his Council. Undeath although i have never seen it would go against my faith. Hector continued to plead his case. He didn't care about his faith, or his Emperor. They were all clearly wrong anyway, no one ever told him about of god of undead called Iquillus, or any god of undeath for that matter. Its possible he was a minor god that just wasn't worth mentioning and maybe it was real, but even though so what? Where was his Emperor now, his God, his savior? Not here that's where!

"You know undeath isn't evil, its not good either. It just is. Join me and you will finally have that which you crave so much.....Freedom and the ability to make things what you want them to be. change the world! Change yourself! That's what undeath is all about!" Iquillus was very passionate about his demesne, and he showed it with his words and exaggerated movements as he spoke.

Hector was silent again, maybe this was an opportunity for him? He was considering it.

"Wonderful you have agreed then!" Iquillus laughed clapped and waved goodbye to Hector.

"What no I...." Before Hector could finish his sentence the perfectly white floor that wasn't there vanished and Hector fell. As he fell all he saw was more white as far as he could see it was the same until something happened, he blacked out.