Screams and roars of wounded men echoed all around them, swords clashed, javelins flew, and bleeding bodies littered the once rich, brown dirt but Achilles paid no attention. "Now!" The warrior slapped his horse's reins, and with a burst of immortal force Xanthus leapt and flew over awed warriors, and his eyes locked onto his target. Achilles launched his first javelin. Propelled by the tremendous force of the throw it drove into the enemy's armor, slashing through the skin and piercing straight into the heart. With one last, horrified glance at Achilles, the man gave an agonized cry and collapsed onto the ground, blood pouring from his chest. Achilles sprung forward at a phalanx of 8, swinging his majestic sword, slashing clean through spears, sending weapons and armor flying, and scything through the vulnerable skin. Bodies fell all around him wherever he went, and not one warrior could match his skill, precision and brute force. Javelins were knocked out of the sky by his gleaming blade, powerful attacks were parried and countered. His army fought on, and now they were gaining on their opponents. The Spartans were down to a thousand warriors left, against hundreds of ruthless and deadly Myrmidons.
"Fight! Push them back!" Achilles roared. The small but infinitely dangerous group of Myrmidons ran faster, and fought harder than ever before. They ran over corpses, raising their swords and clenching their javelins. Soon the Spartans were forced back into their area, and the rich dirt was immediately replaced by cold, hard stone. Scanning his surroundings, he found that there was little natural cover here, save for a few, rustling semi-dead bushes, and he was going to have to use the towering, magnificent bronze statues of the gods to protect him. Achilles made a mental note to pray to the gods after this. The whizzing of a nearby arrow brought him back to the battle. Enough thinking.
"FOR ACHILLES!" The resonant cry of the Myrmidons burst out from the ruthless soldiers and spread into the battlefield, striking fear into the hearts of the Spartans. But the fight wasn't over yet. The Legends of Sparta, their best warriors, charged them head on and attacked relentlessly. Anything that became their target might as well jump off a cliff, there was little that anyone could do against all four of them together.
"Achilles, this isn't good!" His best general's eyes were wide with fear, and within moments a javelin shot through the air and crashed straight through his body. He collapsed, tears rolling down his face. "Avenge me..." Achilles bellowed in anger and grief, and there he swore that he would destroy the Spartans and win the war. With the roar of a wild lion, he dived forward and launched himself at the gaining troops, his eyes now burning with the heat of the forge of Hephaestus. His sword flashed, and three soldiers collapsed into each other, moving no more. A javelin thrown from the next warrior struck his knee, and through the hole it punctured, fresh blood flowed. Achilles gave a cry of anger, and pulled out his spear, smashing it into the dreading heart of a retreating man. It would take more than a few warriors to defeat the Myrmidons. Achilles fought his way through, bringing death with him wherever he went. Within minutes the strongest line of defense the Spartans possessed were retreating. He had given them hope.
More spears and javelins pierced through soldiers, swords cut through bodies, and more and more horses and humans collapsed into the rough, hard dirt. Achilles pushed them further back out of their territory, into the dense green forest. Before the battle, Achilles had noticed the trenches in the ground, with foliage covering the top of them. It would be a perfect place to hide. The Myrmidons specialized in forest battlegrounds. Vines hung limply in the air, snakes slithered around, leaves fell from trees as warriors attacked. The air was humid with clouds of mosquitoes and many warriors began to grow tired. Except Achilles. He let out a battle cry and sprung out from behind the undergrowth, swinging his sword and bringing death upon more people.
Without their best warriors, the Spartans were losing men rapidly. Now thousands of unfortunate bodies of the retreating Spartan soldiers littered the ground, and the battlefield was crimson with their blood. Less than a hundred Spartan men remained.
"End them!" Achilles bellowed. And then a divine strength flowed into him and Achilles charged his last enemy, a Supreme Warrior himself, going by the name of Leonidas. He was a dangerous and merciless Spartan, and they both knew only one of them would leave this battlefield alive. Worse still, another warrior was sprinting towards him. Achilles drove his glowing blade into the first, killing him, and hurled his golden spear at the other, but he hesitated one moment too long and he felt his strength fading. Achilles' eyes went wide as he watched his spear fly towards the man. It missed. His eyes flaring with triumph, the Spartan brought his blade crashing down on the ultimate warrior. Achilles' roar erupted from his throat, echoing into the skies. And then it was over. A terrible, horrifying silence befell the battlefield as the faithful, stricken Myrmidons and the astounded Spartans watched the lifeless shape of the Achilles arc into the daffodil covered ground.
YOU ARE READING
Achilles: Reborn
ActionA Legendary Warrior has lost a battle, and his life, and it has cost him greatly in the Afterlife. He must redeem himself for his loss and his previous actions, and prove to the world that he is The Mighty Achilles. (Based on Greek Mythology)
