Their heads turn to look towards the night sky.

Their eyes are open wide, and mouths shut.

There was no more shouting or screaming.

Their cries fell silent.

The front gate was freed from their assault.

Its beauty was beyond comprehension.

Even though it burned, they were unwilling to look away.

No one cursed the King’s name.

They are at peace.

Unaware of the wave that quickly approaches them.

…

Behind the protection of the front gate the knights prepare themselves.

Their armor fixed snug to their bodies. Swords and shields gripped tight in their hands.

They felt the rumbling grow as the evil descended upon the castle.

None dare speak because they all knew it would only be words of fear.

Time and time again they had risked their lives for the kingdom. Giving all they could. Suffering through the pain to prolong peace and happiness.  

The suffering was bearable only because the reward was great.

But now as they stand ready to fight, there is no reward to be seen.

They know only death is waiting for them, but they remain loyal.

The rumbling grows louder.

All eyes are on the gate, watching for the evil to seep through.

They wait.

The ground starts to shake.

And wait.

Their armor begins to rattle.

And wait.

Their loyalty begins to fade.

Boom!

The massive front gate erupts inward. The force of the explosion rips through the densely packed crowd of knights, flinging their bodies through the air as if they were hollow.

Those closest to the gate are gone in an instant, taken away by the hellish flames. Their fleshy bodies become ash. Their heavy armor lumps of melted metal on the ground.  

The weight of the explosion is heavy. It slams against their chests taking the screams right from their mouths.

The knights who remain conscious can no longer hear as a loud roar fills their ears.

The explosion had taken the sight of many, while making it blurry at best for those who could still see.  

The most mighty and fearsome in the Kingdom of Purple & Gold have been rendered helpless, unable to perceive the world around them.

As they stagger about, a wave of bodies comes crashing into them. The knights wildly swing their swords and thrust their shields hoping to find a connection. Wishing to make their lives valuable to the Kingdom one last time.  

But their assailants are no threat. Even with being cut down, they do not attack the knights.

They just run.

As sight returns to those not blinded, they finally see their enemy. 

But no enemy is in sight. Only the lifeless bodies of the King’s citizens lay at their feet.

Shocked and trying to understand, a second wave hits the knights.

This one is their enemy.

…

Gregory is elated as he watches the hordes of stained bodies race into the castle.

The stretched smile on his face becoming painful.

“Oh, what a lovely sight.” Gregory says.

As Gregory enjoys himself, his followers are feverishly looking through the hundreds of faces rushing by. Their eyes darting and examining the black stain patterns on their skin.

“Lord Agares is present, Sir Gregory!” Shouts Syvis, a tall, lanky silver-haired female elf. She has her long spear pointing upward so not to disrupt the flow.

“I see Duke Valefar!” Yells Almon, a short, bearded man who resembles a dwarf but has no dwarven blood in his veins. His large broadsword resting against his right shoulder.

“I got Lady Sytry over here!” Calls out Eroan, a fiery red-haired man with a mighty build that rivals Iris’s. The two long bows strung over his shoulder are identical to the one held tight in his hand.

“Uh, yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s Lord Gusion’s pattern!” Says Dirue, a bald-headed woman with bright green eyes. In each hand she holds identical battle axes.  

“Madam Beleth is also in attendance, my lord.” Iris says.

“Hmmm.” Gregory vocalizes as he scans through the crowd.

“And what of Grand Princess Focalor?” Gregory asks.

“She has not been identified, my lord.” Iris responds.

“…That is very unsettling… Everyone keep looking to make sure she is not out there!” Gregory yells to his followers.

“What is she playing at now?” Gregory says in a hushed tone.

Gregory turns to look at the city and notices the number of stained bodies starting to thin out.

“It is about time we make our escape.”

…

“I knew I should have killed that bastard!” King Aurum screams as he rushes down a tight spiral stairwell.

His body covered in the thick white powder from the magic circle. A cloud forms behind him, filling the stairwell as he frantically moves his body down the steps.

“My gut and mind were screaming at me to kill him! Why did I listen to you?!”

“I’m sorry my lord!” Douglas says in a panic. His quick feet trailing the Kings.

With each step the cloud of dust grows, making it more difficult for them to breathe.

“I was only thinking of our kingdom, my lord! You must believe me!”

“Save your apologies and just-” The King’s booming voice cuts flat as his tongue goes numb.

The deep breaths of air needed to keep his body moving had forced large amounts of white powder into his lungs. As it quickly spreads throughout his body the King unknowingly falls victim to Gregory’s final trick.   

The King’s pace slows, his feet unsure as they land on steps opposite of his intentions. His arms have gone limp and his body sways, bumping into the walls of the stairwell. His large size squeezed into the small space is the only thing keeping him from falling down the stairs.  

“My lord! Are you-“ Douglas’s mind goes blank. His face numbs and body weakens.

His vision blurs as the light from the lanterns fades. His feet attack each other, the right foot surprising the left from behind, sending him tumbling forward into the King’s broad back.

The force from Douglas’s fall does not affect the King’s wobble down the steps. 

King Aurum trudges out from the stairwell doorway and into a long hall. His heavy feet slapping the stone floor while carrying Douglas’s body as he lightly tiptoes along. They both fight to remain standing as they make their way down the empty hallway towards the front gate.

They enter the front courtyard to see the knights of Purple & Gold overrun by hundreds of stained bodies, as hundreds more are flooding in through the gaping hole.

The knight’s feeble attacks are easily dodged and countered by swarms of teeth and jagged nails.

The King makes his way into the crowd, swinging his limp arms into a frenzy. His massive hands knocking away dozens of stained bodies with each pass.

Douglas plays a more supportive role, acting as a shield as he remains unable to do anything more than lean.

With the Kingdom’s top warriors completely useless, the battle is unlikely to see a turn.   

As the pair makes their way deeper into the crowd, the King feels the weight of Douglas’s body removed from his own. He turns to see Douglas helpless on the ground with stained bodies piled on top of him.

The King starts desperately swinging his limp arms, trying to free Douglas from his horrific fate. His frustration manifesting itself as large tears that stream down his face.

As the King watches Douglas’s armor being forcefully removed, he sees what looks to be a familiar face deep in the pile.

“…S-Sana?...” The King thinks to himself as he slows the swing of his arms.

On top of Douglas is a woman with dark brown skin who is wrenching on the edge of his chest plate. The bottom half of the woman’s face is stained black, and her long black hair is tossing about as her body violently jerks back and forth.

“…My little love… Is that you?... Why are you here?…” The King’s mumbles. His blurry sight is not fully recognizing the woman’s face or seeing the crazed look in her eyes.

The woman manages to pull the chest plate off Douglas’s body, which painfully twists both of his arms.

With his soft body free, her teeth begin ripping into his flesh like a wild beast.

“Stop that! Do you not see that you are hurting Sir Douglas?!” King Aurum shouts internally which comes out as more mumbles.

“… Sana… please… my dear… stop…”

As King Aurum watches, he is swarmed by dozens of stained bodies. He is unphased by their presence as he silently pleads with the stained woman, but their weight becomes too much, and he collapses to the ground.

…

With the last few stained bodies straggling into the castle, Gregory quickly makes his way off the promenade and into the city.

The uneasiness in his movements coupled with a tinge of fear on his face alarms his followers. They keep up with their own quick steps, weapons out, ready to fight whatever comes their way.

Getting Gregory out of the city is the only thing that is important to them.

“All eyes forward, if you please.” Gregory says with a stern tone.

As the group makes their way deep into the city, they pass by all sorts of horrible scenes left behind by the stained bodies.

They become cautious with their steps while crossing stones covered in blood, knowing a slip or slide could potentially bring about a painful death.

“Sir… up ahead.” Eroan says, his voice low as he gives tension to the knocked arrow on his bow string.

In front of the group stand two stained bodies in the middle of the street. Their bloodshot eyes the only thing moving as they watch the group come towards them.

“I see them.” Gregory says as he keeps his eyes on the pair without slowing his pace.

“They both have the markings of Princess Focalor, Sir Gregory.” Iris says.

“…wonderful…” Gregory says. The tinge of fear on his face drops into absolute terror.

From his brisk pace Gregory bursts into a full run. His light, quick feet unfitting for his plump, round size. As he gets closer to the two stained bodies, he starts chanting a magic incantation. From under his cloak a yellow glow grows into a blinding light.

Iris leads the followers as they try to keep up with their leader. Her eyes locked on Gregory’s every movement. She counts the rhythm of his feet. Measuring the span of his gate. Waiting for his cue.

“Now!” Iris shouts, seeing what no one else could.

Eroan and a second male archer stop running. They each shoot an arrow towards the stained bodies. In unison they knock and release a second set of arrows as the first sails past Gregory’s head.

As soon as the feathered ends of the first set enter his line of sight, Gregory releases a burst of bright light to hide the second.

The stained bodies manage to dodge the first arrows but are surprised when the second set pierces deep into their chests. They stumble backwards anticipating a third attack.

Gregory uses the blinding light to close the distance. He grabs one of the embedded arrows, sending a burst of yellow energy down its shaft. Before the energy enters the stained’s body their companion breaks the arrow, allowing the burst to ignite in his hand.

Gregory jumps back but sees the jagged nails of the first stained coming straight towards his eyes. Before he can react, Iris’s fist appears in front of his face, smashing into the attacking stained’s cheek. The impact sends the stained body bouncing down the stone street.

The pair gives chase not wanting to let the stained get back on its feet.

While Gregory and Iris break off, Syvis thrusts her spear towards the second stained who easily dodges the attack. A strike from Almon’s sword surprises the stained. The force of the attack would have cut a normal enemy in two, but the stained skin dulls the edge of his blade.

As Almon pulls his blade back for another strike, Dirue rushes into the mix with a barrage of swings from her axes. Her only goal is to spill as much blood as possible, but her opponent deflects each of her attacks.

Syvis joins back in with a series of rapid thrusts of her spear. The stained unable to defend against both attacks becomes overwhelmed. As it slowly backs away it is hit by a second swing of Almon’s sword coming down from above. The heavy sword lands directly in the center of the stained’s head, dropping it to the ground.

The stained scrambles to get up but is forced back to the ground by the weight of Almon’s sword piercing through its chest. Almon holds tight to the handle of his sword as the stained thrashes violently.

Syvis and Dirue keep up with their attacks, striking both the stone street and stained body as it flails its limbs. The street chips and stained flesh cracks with every blow until there is no more movement.

Exhausted, the three force their tired bodies to start running again as they chase after the rest of their group. 

Down the street Gregory and Iris catch up to the first stained, who has ended its bounce and regained its footing.

Gregory releases the rest of the bright yellow light which violently illuminates the area. Before the stained can open its eyes, it is tackled to the ground by Iris.

Iris uses her tremendous strength to keep the stained pinned to the ground as it tries to fight back. It takes everything she has to remain in control, as she waits for Gregory to attack.

But no attack comes.

Iris looks up to see the chubby Magician running past her and down the street.

She is confused and momentarily eases off her grip.

The stained manages to get its left hand free and takes a swipe at Iris.

Its jagged nails cut deep into the side of Iris’s face, leaving four large gashes in her skin.

This infuriates Iris who squeezes the stained’s right arm and breaks it.

The stained screams in pain as it tries to swipe at Iris again. It is only able to make two attempts before the large head of a halberd comes slamming down, pinning it back to the street.

“GAAHHH!” Screams Riniya, a petite brown-haired woman, who is gripping the staff of her halberd with every bit of her strength. Her nimble body shakes as she fights to keep the stained’s hand from moving.

…

Three blocks down and around the corner Gregory is running as fast as he can. His eyes are moving quickly from building top to side street, searching for more stained bodies. His heart beats fast with fear of an unwelcome surprise.

Silent feet approach Gregory from behind as strong hands grab his cloak. His world turns for a moment before his back slams against the stone street.

Before a single magic syllable can leave his mouth, the raven-haired woman is standing over him, her jagged nails digging into his throat.

Gregory’s eyes are wide as he gasps for air.

“…Hello… Gregory…” a voice emanates through the raven-haired woman’s mouth, the words unfamiliar to her lips. It is deep, and gravelly, and filled with malice. It is distorted as if it is being spoken from worlds away.

“…How lovely it is… to finally meet…”