<div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://i61.tinypic.com/2lk329e.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://www.creativefreedomrpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&amp;t=45000">[OOC]</a></div><br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">No matter what happens to us tonight, remember this men; we looked death in the face and we showed no fear.</span>”</span>Spoke Knight-Commander Lord Bali as he paced in front of his soldiers.  Behind him the gate strained with the impact of the massive siege engine that had walked itself up to the gateway.   “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Death threw it's best at us and we just laughed</span></span>” A loud cheer erupted from the men in front of him as he continued his pace.  “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">We do not fear death!</span></span>”  He shouted, again returned with the cheer of the crowd.  “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">What ever makes it way through that gate must contend with us before it can reach our bridge!</span></span>”  The soldiers cheered once more, yet the sound of wood cracking from the gate quickly overpowered their bellowing voices.  Small slivers of the gate chipped, and fell from the frame while the metal supports bent and groaned with the stress.<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Don't you worry men.</span></span>”  Lord Bali continued “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">We have a friend here to-</span></span>”  His sentence was cut off by the sound of the gate behind him starting to fail, as the siege engine broke a hole through the center of the gate sending splinters flying inwards.  The small hole was filled by the sight of a massive, monstrous skull used as the head of the siege engine.  Most eyes were fixated on the sight of this skull, even though it stayed in the hole for a second before being retracted out, breaking off more of the gate with it.<br/><br/>Another figure walked out next to Lord Bali from the front-line ranks, his armor easily identified himself as Guardian Fenris Laski, last known member of the Guardians of the Light.  The Knight-Commander gave him a weak smile and placed his hand on the Guardians shoulder.  “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">It is good that you stayed with us</span></span>.” Lord Bali spoke in a soft voice.  The Guardian returned his smile before walking out a little more, eyes fixated on the massive hole in the gate, which any second would be forced open by the ram.<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">And he who finds himself corned by darkness need fear no evil; for the Goddess has charged you to face the devil.”</span></span>Fenris spoke as he turned around, facing the thousand strong force.  “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Soldiers!  Rejoice in the fact that the Goddess herself is here with us right now in our Darkest hour; pray for her strength for you will need it.</span></span>”  His voice began to rise in strength as he continued “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">The Goddess blessed us when we drove the enemy from the battlements</span></span>.”  His voice began to boom as he continued “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">We were blessed when the Goddess guided our strikes against their siege monster that tried to go through the wall</span></span>.”  He drew his sword, and as he turned he spoke in the loudest voice yet as he thrust his sword at the massive hole in the gate.  “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">With the Goddess at our side we shall resist the Darkness here and drive their dark souls back to the hell they crawled out of!</span></span>”  The crowd of soldiers cheered even louder this time, banging their weapons against their shields; so loud a noise did they make that it overpowered the noise of the siege engine breaking through the gate, sending it flying open.  The soldiers quickly quieted their voices and readied their weapons.<br/><br/>As the noise from the soldiers died down, and as a fog began to roll in through the broken gate, Lord Bali spoke to Fenris “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">And so it begins, our final stand against Darkness</span></span>” He said as a wide smile broke his face “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">It is good to finally stand side by side with a Guardian, especially in our final hour</span></span>!”  He said as he drew his own weapon.  Fenris looked at him, his face filled with a determined look as he spoke “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Fear not Knight-commander, for as long as we stand our men will resist.</span></span>”<br/><br/>Many seconds passed in silence, every soldier had their hands gripped tightly around their weapons and their shields brought close to their bodies.  All eyes were on the gap, waiting with an anxious look as to what would come through the gate first.   Fenris's trained eyes scanned for any movement beyond the gate yet that heavy fog obscured any sign of movement.  “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Where are they?</span></span>” Asked a slighty confused Lord Bali “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">They have broken the gate yet they have-</span></span>” A quick look by Fenris let the Lord know that he saw something.  A look of unrest had fallen upon the Guardians face as he quickly spoke “<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">[b]Line-Breakers</span></span>[/b].”  Through the fog the forms of massive beasts came into view.  Each towered in at several feet tall and showed no sign of fatigue under their heavy and strong armor.  Their great stone hammers, modified by magic and glowing an eerie purple color, brought with them a sense of fear within the soldiers.  The soldiers knew all too well that their shields were a moot point agianst such fearsome weapons.<br/><br/>Fenris quickly turned around, as the Lord mouthed a silent “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Oh shit</span></span>” as his eyes took full view of the creatures that had started to enter the gateway.  Fenris looked at the soldiers and shouted with another booming voice “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Archers, ready!</span></span>”  The archers, surrounding the gate on elevated terrain and on top of the nearby buildings, raised their bows.  “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Notch</span>!</span>”  On his command, the archers readied an arrow and pulled back on the string.  Turning around he saw the first Line-Breakers were already past the gate, they were spreading out forming a loose line that matched their own in width, and were moving fast towards their position.  With a loud command, Fenris shouted “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Loose</span>!</span>”  and the sound of a few hundred bows releasing their projectile then filled the air.<br/><br/>All across their lines the Line-breaker's were fell upon by a thick cloud of arrows.  Their armor became a pincushion, with each Line-breaker now sprouting ten or more arrow shafts from the front of their chest plate, allowing their darknend blood to drip from their armor..  Their blackened eyes screamed with rage, and each one hit let out a might roar that drove fear through the ranks of soldiers ahead of them.  As Fenris now noticed they were nearly halfway to their lines, he bellowed one more order to his archers “<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Free fire!</span></span>”  He readied his sword as the archers now let loose another volley of arrows.  This time, however, the experienced marksmen placed their shots.  The exposed part of their enemy were now in clearer view,  and instead of their shots landing in the armored sections of the chest and arms they now found their home in the unarmored neck above the chest plate and through the eye holes and through the mouth.<br/><br/>One Line-breaker making his way toward Fenris found a broadhead arrow lodged in his neck, causing him to momentary stumble.  Another, aided by the beasts slower speed found home through the eye socket.  Torrents of blood began to pour out of both wounds, saturating the ground with it's dark color.  The creature fell from his feet and rolled on the ground as he let loose another fear inducing scream.  From behind an unscathed Line-breaker, with a bone crunching hit, ran through the wounded monster and charged toward Fenris and Lord Bali.   As the Line-breakers neared the lines, some soldiers tried to rush out and engage the line breakers by themselves.  A lone spear-man braced his spear, with the bottom end planted in the dirt and the tip aimed for the chest part of the beast.  The soldier closed his eyes as the beast impacted the spear, causing the wood around the tip to burst into a cloud of wooden splinters and sending a fracture deep down the length of the spear.  The beast brushed off the broken weapon and took one quick swing at the soldier, colliding his weapon with the shoulder of the man sending him flying as the bone crunching sound of the impact filled the nearby area.  Other line breakers used their mass to break the lines of the soldiers, while others swung their great weapons around their body.  The impacts of these strikes easily broke both shield and bone behind it, sending soldiers flying into each other or pounding them deep into the ground below.<br/><br/>One Line-breaker charged straight for Fenris and Lord Bali, and with a great roar raised it's massive weapon above his head and began to bring it down on the pair.  Then duo quickly dodged the strike, which slammed into the ground sending a small shock wave  coursing around.  The strength of the beast combined with the magical properties of the maul allowed the beast to quickly ready another strike, this time swinging it from it's left side across it's body at Fenris's head.  He quickly ducked and rolled between the massive beasts legs, slashing out with his sword at an unarmored part of it's back leg near the foot with his sword, easily cutting through the flesh causing a quick flowing torrent of dark blood to pour out and a deep roar from the beast that bellowed over the sound of combat elsewhere.  With a powerful, well aimed kick, the Line-breaker sent Fenris flying back.  Lord Bali took the opportunity and stabbed his sword through the unarmored opening just below the waist and above the hips.  Lord Bali twisted his sword and pulled it our, letting loose another even quicker flowing torrent of blood.  The beast screamed again, this time freeing one hand and brushed Lord Bali aside into nearby soldiers.  The Beast Began to move towards Lord Bali, it's weapon clenched and clearly unimpeded from the wounds it had sustained, but a sword protruding from the front of his throat stopped him.  Fenris, with his arms reached up high had driven his sword through the unarmored part of it's neck.  Quickly pulling the blade from the beasts neck, Fenris watched as the beast tried to turn and bellow one last roar, but the sound never escaped his lip.  Instead it's blood bubbled our from the front as it fell to it's knee, and found home on the ground as it's last breaths escaped it's lips.<br/><br/>Elsewhere, soldiers were still contending with the beasts strength.  Though the beasts boasted massive power and durable armor, the soldiers knew their weak spots and how to combat these beasts.  And surely enough, each began to fall one by one to a myriad of different weapon strikes.  Until at last only one line-breaker remained, surrounded by many soldiers and already wounded from an arrow strike to the upper chest.  Fenris was quick to tell the archers to cease their firing.<br/><br/>It tried to swing at a soldier playing decoy, but as it attempted to swing a large spear quickly forced itself through the unarmored section of the lower back, and through the front.  The beast quickly turned around and smashed the soldier aside with a powerful back hand strike.  The beast moved towards the soldier and readied an over head strike but a rouge quickly latched onto it's back, striking it's neck repeatedly with his daggers.  The beast groaned in pain as he spun around, trying to free it self from the rouge, dropping his weapon in the process.  A second passed before the beast grabbed the rouge by his clothes and pulled him from his body and threw him in the dirt in front of him, dropping his weapon in the process.  As the beast tried to close the gap, a sword erupted from the creatures throat, and the Templar responsible quickly pulled it back out and watched as the beast fell to the ground dead.<br/><br/>The soldiers cheered out in excitement, Line-breakers were a formidable foe and they had slain them all.  But hundred of their fellow soldiers lay dead and a few hundred more were injured or dying while only forty line breakers had charged.  Fenris, Lord Bali and the other Capitan's were quick to quiet the soldiers and get the lines reformed.  A great horn bellowing outside the gate alerted them that more was on the way.  A look of pure shock and confusion fell upon Fenris and many other soldier's face as the numerous neatly lined rows of creatures unknown to them began to file out of the gateway and form battle lines in front of their own.  Fenris eyed up these new monsters, most fitted with a large round shield and a massive spear.  Few among them wore any armor or clothes, with just a little bit located on the lower groin area.  The few things uniform among them is their fang like teeth, blood red capes and their helmets that blocked any sight of their eyes.<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">What are these creatures?</span></span>”  Asked a confused Lord Bali.  His grip tightened on his sword's grip.  Both eyed them as they filled in a great distance from their lines.  They were neat, and unlike any dark creature they had faced they were also organized. Their lines were clean, with each creature standing a precise distance away from each other and each holding their weapons the same way.    Fenris shook his head, “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">I do not know, but i hope their lack of armor means they should be easier to kill than those Line-breakers</span>.</span>”   He grinned as he raised his sword far above his head and shouted again “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Archers,</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold">fire at will</span>!</span>”  On command the area again filled with a cloud of arrows.<br/><br/>Much to his suprise, however, the beasts reached much like his own soldiers would; they formed a shield wall.  Their shields easily caught most of the arrows thrown their way, with a stray few finding home in whatever exposed body part they could.   “<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Cease fire, cease fire</span></span>!” Fenris shouted up, the archers needed to conserve their arrows.  Yet to his surprise once again, as soon as the last arrow impacted a shield the shield wall fell down and their enemy, with their shields facing them and their spears hovering just above, began to make a quick pace to their lines.<br/><br/>“<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Their reflexes are fast!</span></span>” Shouted Fenris to the soldiers “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Don't take their bait, wait for your chance to strike!</span></span>”  He paused<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">“Archers, mages, pick your shots!”</span></span>He grabbed a dead mans shield and readied it for the fight. To himself he muttered “<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Goddess protect us.</span></span>”   Moments later they were upon them, and fighting resumed once more.  Their soldiers tried to fight like normal but these creatures reflexes were faster than even Fenris could have expected.  Spears flew at blistering speeds, striking through the chest armor of their soldiers yet most could only manage a strike on the shield.<br/><br/>If they were to survive this, it would be on their skill and the blessing of the Goddess.