“Go!” Valen yelled, “Tell the General that the Reaper has a regiment flanking the city!”

The two guards that had been on duty at the Garden Tower hesitated at leaving the distinguished nobleman alone.

“Duke Val-”

“I SAID GO!” He bellowed aggressively, drawing his sword as he went to meet the most murderous man in the Rovari kingdom’s military.

The Rovari military began attacking the city two days ago. The aggressive beginning had overwhelmed them at first, but they had rallied all the Maltishan forces to hold them off. Duke Valen Cael was one of Maltisha’s leading strategists and he had an ominous feeling about the situation. Rovari had attacked the most fortified area of the city and seemed to be intentionally stagnating. The unusual tactics made him suspicious and had led him to scout the city's outskirts for answers.

The Garden Pathway was a naturally fortified area in the mountain’s cliffs, the most unexpected place for an attack. Somehow the Reaper had led a whole regiment up the cliffs to waltz into the city to take it from the rear. Valen had to delay the enemy long enough for the guards to notify the general. Forces would need to be moved to protect the center of the city.

Valen stood in a defensive posture as a red-eyed man emerged from the trees. The Reaper was massive. He was a whole head taller than Valen and twice as wide in his shoulders. The red eyes held amusement in them as they looked at a solitary knight trying to bar his path, a predator admiring easy prey. He was so unthreatened by Valen’s presence that he playfully drummed his fingers on the hilt of his sword.

Valen remained still, eating up as much time as possible.

As if realizing that waiting was advantageous to his opponent, the Reaper suddenly struck out in a flash. He had drawn his sword and attacked so quickly that Valen barely had time to parry and counterattack. Their swords clanged and, while he was able to keep up, Valen’s arms were shaking from the power of the blows he was attempting to defend against. He would tire out long before the Reaper would. One mistake and the reach advantage his foe had would mean death for Duke Valen Cael.

Out of nowhere, Valen felt a boot to his chest, kicking him against a nearby tree. The contact knocked the wind out of him, and he barely got his sword up to block the massive overhead blow coming for his head. The Reaper’s red eyes burned, fiery with delight, as his prey began to fail. 

He put all his weight down onto the defending sword, forcing Valen’s arm to move further and further behind his head. Valen tried to resist the force, but he was outmatched. Pressing with all his might, Valen's right shoulder popped loudly as it gave out instantly.

His sword clanged to the ground, and he barely ducked out of the way of the Reaper’s attack. Valen’s arm hung limply, the bone no longer in the socket. He could no longer hold a weapon. The fight was over. 

The Reaper lunged to make a killing blow, but Valen swiftly dodged. Cradling his useless arm, he kept leading the Reaper up the river, away from the city, evading his attacks and pulling him off course. A small whistle sounded, and the Reaper turned to see his forces gathered at the riverbank, ready for him to lead them into the city. He turned to walk to them without hesitation, as if Valen was of no consequence.

Valen turned to run, making the Reaper believe he was fleeing, but he had a new plan. The mountains above the city had one of the most important things in the entire nation: Heaven’s Bounty. A dam had been built to create a pristine mountain reservoir where the floating gardens grew the entirety of the city’s food, with enough to generously export to the rest of the country of Maltisha.

The Garden Tower was the gate control for the dam. After planting season, this post would have many guards protecting the area, but it was still early spring. Nothing would be planted for a few more weeks, so the patrol had been limited to the two guards that left to warn the general.

Rushing through the door, Valen went in the tower and up the stairs to the control lever. This mechanism was meant to be operated by two large men, not a solitary man with only one functioning arm. The switch had to be pulled all the way down to unlock and then released back up to open the doors of the dam.

Valen grabbed a rope and tied it around the lever, using only knots he was certain his left hand could do correctly. He fumbled but eventually secured the line, then he walked to the edge of the second-floor balcony. He did not have the strength to pull it alone, but if he dropped off the ledge his body weight and armor might be enough to pull it down.

Giving himself a good amount of slack in the line, he tied the rope around his chest. The knot would cinch as he landed and he hoped his plate would protect his ribs, but he would need to cut himself free. He turned to look out the watchtower window and saw the enemy marching through the wide, shallow river. Now was the time.

Valen jumped off the balcony ledge and his body jolted as the rope tightened. The force was more than he expected, but the lever came down successfully. Dangling in the air, Valen took a few sharp breaths, even with the armor his ribs hurt.

He pulled out his dagger with his left hand and sawed through the rope. As his weight released from the line, his body fell to the floor with a thud, and the lever shot up to release the massive counterweights.

The building rumbled as the gates inside the dam opened and the water began to flood down the river. Pulling himself to his feet, he limped over to the door and watched the water come crashing into the Rovari military.

The knights were washed away, and Heaven’s Bounty was destroyed. He had saved the city from slaughter today, but possibly starved his whole country in the process. Maltisha would need to take immediate action to avoid a famine this year.

Valen sank to the ground in relief. Breathing hurt. His arm was limp. He needed a doctor but needed to rest a bit. Sweat and dirt covered his face, but thankfully no blood.

A beautiful red-haired woman with striking blue eyes came into his mind. He missed Gwen terribly. She had participated in the Warrior’s Last Embrace with him before he brought his troops to the war front months ago. 

He promised her that he would avenge her father’s death by killing the Reaper. He hoped that if he succeeded, he could ask for her hand in marriage. She was a fiery ray of hope, and he had loved her dearly his whole life.

Looking down the river, he saw a silver haired man standing on the opposite side of the riverbank. He could not see his eyes, but he knew that the demon’s red stare was directed towards him. The dream of avenging Gwen’s father evaporated; he had barely survived this encounter.

Valen was one of the best swordsmen in Maltisha and he paled in comparison to the Reaper. In fact, the only reason he had survived was because the Reaper deemed him too weak to be a threat. Nothing was going according to Valen’s plan, and he felt like his dreams were slipping away.

He stayed sitting on the ground, immobilized by the weight of his failures.

Authors Note:  

I know, I know... 7 episodes in and we are BARELY meeting any potential male leads?
This is a slow burn and we are gathering wood, my friends.

So, what's your type? 

Sweet greens or fiery reds?