Altan's heart sank as a man clad in black armour rode from the fog atop a horrific deer-like creature. It's blackened skin was stretched taught over its bony skull, with gaping vertical rips in the flesh replacing eyes. Four slits in its snout revealed the four twitching flaps forming its deformed mouth. It's antlers, neck, front legs, and the bottom half of its back legs were nothing more than blackened, charred bone and sinew holding it together. Red hot embers glowed angrily in its hooves and the tips of its antlers. What little flesh and fur remained on its bony body was black with soot and grime, and looked to be nearly sloughing off in the heat. The man was soon flanked by two more Black Guard riders atop identical monstrosities. Soon a few more of the monsters plodded forward from the steam. Knax had her hackles completely raised, fire ablaze as she snarled and barked viscously at the soldiers.
         The man's helmeted head tilted towards her. "A fennecainx? Now that is impressive! I wonder how much of a bonus we'll get for it, eh boys?" He laughed an ugly, gruff laugh. His companions snickered, all arrogance and sleaze.
         As the fog shifted and Altan spun, he realized they were surrounded by dozens of the monsters on all sides. He drew his sword, gripping the hilt tightly with both hands, placing the blade between him and the mass.
"What are those?" Altan whispered to The Prince, eyes darting wildly from shape to shape as the fog shifted over the creatures.
"I do not know. I have not encountered such beasts before."
"You know, whispering is rude..." The soldier drawled, dismounting the horror. "But, that's okay, it won't matter in but a moment. Prince Teaberry, surrender now and come with us silently, or my army of Skel will blast you apart and we will carry you back in pieces." He continued with an unmistakable smirk stamping his voice. As he took a step forward, the mass of Skel began to close in. Knax barked viciously.
The Princes eyes flashed and a ball of energy formed in his free hand, which he raised menacingly as the front guard. The other two guards quickly unsheathed their swords but the lead man stood there easily, facing him. "Stand down." The Prince demanded. "This is your only warning."
"Stand down?" The man repeated incredulously, arm sweeping wide. "I think you are mistaken. Look around, you are completely surrounded! Now be a good boy and come along before-"
The ball of energy streaked towards the man, a clear shot at his head. And then the Skel behind him ducked forward, it's clover leafed mouth splitting open to reveal rows and rows of sigils inscribed in the flesh that alighted in a bright red glow. Inches from his face, the ball of energy was suddenly sucked into the creatures gaping mouth, vanishing in a flash of sigils. A pinprick of bright light hovered between its blackened antlers momentarily before a beam of energy shot forward, exploding the ground at The Prince's feet in a spray of rock and dust.
The guard grinned. "Hard way it is, then."
Chaos erupted.
         The Skel swarmed forward in a clattering of charred hooves, glowing hot horns lowered and posed to skewer. Knax leapt into the fray, a blaze of teeth and claws, tearing scorched flesh from bone. Two of the Black Guard charged at The Prince, swords flashing, flanked by several more unmounted Skel. Gritting his teeth The Prince shouted "Anima Ignis!" and a stream of golden flames spread from his palm... and were immediately siphoned into the glyph lined maws of the Skel. Concentrated points of energy buzzed to life between their antlers before several beams of power came blasting in his direction. The Prince shouted another spell and the ground before him began to erupt into plates of earthy shield but as they rose the rock crumbled and streams of energy swirled back towards the Skel. The Prince was hit with the full force of the initial blasts and again by a second round in quick succession, sending him skidding across the ground.
Altan was too fixed on watching The Prince struggle to pick himself off the ground to notice the third Black Guard had circled around him. Two hooves jabbed sharply into his back, and Altan screamed as the embers branded his skin, being knocked bluntly to his knees. Squeezing the hilt of his sword, he swung the blade with as much force as he could muster behind him, catching the Skel by the throat just as red-hot antlers came piercing towards his chest. It's bones were brittle and the blade met little resistance before with a ghastly screech the Skel's head snapped off, hanging limply by a few threads of sinew from a stump neck. As it stumbled and crumpled to the ground beside him, the red ember glow in its hooves and horns faded, and it's rider cursed as he was dumped unceremoniously on the dirt.
Without hesitation Altan sprung forward, his sword hissing through the air as he swung it in a powerful arc towards the Black Guard. The soldier, true to their reputation, skillfully blocked Altan's attack with the flat of his blade and pushed, sending Altan stumbling back a few paces.
Jumping to his feet, the soldier extended a hand and said, "Movi lapis". Spears of stone and obsidian glass generated from the Skel's attacks suddenly shot into the air and sped towards Altan. With no armour and no magic abilities to protect himself, the projectiles easily pierced his skin and he cried out in agony. The Black Guard advanced upon him, sword poised to strike, and Altan's blade was nearly knocked from his grasp as he sloppily parried the incoming blow. Blood and sweat ran slick down his fingers and Altan gasped for breath as their blades clashed over and over and over. But Altan was on the defence, and clearly outmatched. It was all he could do to just try to keep evading and blocking, hoping, praying the soldiers form would slip and he could find an opening to strike.
But what's even the point.
CLASH.
He's so much better than me.
CLASH.
He's so much stronger than me.
CLASH.
I don't want to do this any more!
CLASH.
I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!
I want...
I want to...
Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the dwindling strength in his arms. But as that silvered sword came whistling down towards him, time slowed. Altan's own blade seemed to falter, seemed to rise just a second too slow to block the fatal swing. And fatal it would have been if a shot from a nearby Skel hadn't gone wide, whizzing inches past the soldiers head and forcing him to duck out of the way, his sword missing its mark and glancing raggedly off Altan's blade.
"HEY!" The soldier snarled, "WATCH IT!"
Snapping back into a sane mind, Altan cast his sword to the side, and with a hearty cry, tackled the armoured man to the ground. Altan tore the sword from his hands and pair rolled and scrambled on the ground, scratching, grabbing, pulling, trying to get the upper hand. His armour was thick and heavy, and it hurt when Altan struck his torn knuckles across it. When the soldier managed to clamber on top of Altan and wrap his gauntleted hands around his neck, Altan braced his feet under his chest and placed his hands behind him to prepare to kick his assailant off. And he screamed.
Altan's scream ripped so violently through the air that for a moment, in the midst of battle, all eyes flickered to him. Pain tore through his skull as he jerked his blackened pinky out from the lava pool behind him, one so easily overlooked in the scuffle. A surge of adrenaline clouded his vision, his mind, and he lashed out, digging his fingers into the face guard of the soldier.
Twisting his body and reefing on the man above him, Altan shoved his head into the lava.