Blade(Part 1): Dawn

Chapter 20: Atreus

Faceless.

Soulless.

No two words could have better described the nature of the Undying. They stood at a height to rival even the draconians. They marched with perfect unison for maximum intimidation, carrying Skaola's black banner that bared the golden eagle snatching a serpent in its talons. The Undying were faceless, emotionless drones that have served the dark will of Skaolan Kings as their elite fighters and personal guard for thousands of years. Whatever humanity they had in them was gone, stripped away by dark Skaolan magic. They carried black blades in their hands, each one a sharply curved khopesh. Their armor was sloped and light, with a red color to match that of blood, and masks that resembled dead, hollow faces. They were immortal. They serve the interests of King Aziz, marching to the breach in the outer wall of Elatiri in an army of ten thousand strong. It wasn't a breach, anymore. It was midnight, and hours before, Aziz sent a force of both Skaolans and ocean-scaled draconians to storm through the breach. They failed. The breach in the wall was filled with a wall rubble from the original impact that collapsed the section of the wall. The leader of the Undying and the rest of the soulless soldiers drew their dark swords. As formidable as the Undying probably were, Aziz has made the fatal mistake of underestimating the strength of his enemy's army. It was arrogance. King Atreus would test the name, "Undying".

"Charge!" the King roared. Atreus, Anorae, Thesean, Cytheris, and the other draconians of Acran pushed on the wall of rocks and bricks. They crushed the Undying commander, then they rushed forward with their shields in front of them and their spears forward. The first line of Undying rushed forward with their cursed swords, and the draconians formed a phalanx with their round shields, deflecting their strikes before impaling them on their glass spears. Their spearheads stabbed through their armor clean, but came out their backs covered in black blood, tainted by what turned the Undying into monsters. The Undying behind them then lept straight over their fallen comrades, bringing down their blades on the draconian soldiers. Atreus raised his shield above his head, deflecting one's attack before bashing him with his shield as he landed on his feet. The King then pulled his spear from the body of the first one he killed and stabbed it through the chest of the second one. The Undying then charged all at once, and the draconians charged back. Atreus clashed the shaft of his spear with two Undying before swinging it at their chests and cutting them open. Atreus then looked around to see a few of the draconians cut down by the Skaolans' black blades. They had to surround each soldier of Acran that was killed, though, and none of them died without slaying at least a dozen Undying.

"Father!" Anorae suddenly screamed. Atreus was terrified that his daughter needed help, but she suddenly jumped in front of the King with her shield raised. A khopesh from an Undying soldier bounced off of it, then both Atreus and Anorae sank their spears into his chest. Atreus nudged Anorae with his elbow to say "thanks", then thrust his spear through the head of another Undying. Anorae hurled her own spear through one that was sneaking up behind Cytheris, then drew the Blade of Posidas. Atreus saw his daughter slash across the chest of an enemy soldier, and when a second one charged at her, she bashed him with her shield as he raised his blade. The Undying was knocked to the ground, and Anorae stabbed her makhaira through his chest before he could stand. She then ran to fight with Cytheris. A familiar roar suddenly echoed across the night. A huge minotaur came stomping through the ranks of the Undying. It had a club in its hand, and shackles on its wrists. Did the Skaolans capture it and bring it here? It didn't matter. As soon as the minotaur spotted Atreus, it stomped towards him, shaking the ground with every step it took. Atreus hurled his spear at the monster, and it caught the weapon by its shaft and snapped it in half. The King of Acran then drew his mithril xiphos as the minotaur stepped even closer. It raised its metal club to bring it down on Atreus. There was no way that even a mithril shield could block the huge monster's weapon. The King rolled sideways as the minotaur brought the club down, then made a thrust with his short sword. Atreus sank his xiphos into the monster's chest, but the minotaur wasn't dead. Atreus still felt a hot breath from its bull-like snout, and he quickly pulled his sword from its chest. Aziz must have twisted and corrupted the monster with Skaolan magic that made it as unkillable as the Undying were. The minotaur kicked Atreus right for the chest. The King raised his shield before its hoof could land, but he was sent stumbling to the ground. Atreus quickly pulled himself to his feet as the minotaur charged again, lowering its horns to face forward. The King charged at the minotaur in return. Atreus reached his xiphos right between the monster's horns, stabbing the blade straight through the top of its head. Suddenly, Atreus was grabbed by both sides of his chest, and he found himself being thrown across the battlefield. The ancient King landed flat on his back, his shield knocked out of his hand. He rose to his feet to see his xiphos still stuck in the top of the minotaur's head, and the monster pulling it out. In its hands, it seemed like nothing more than a large dagger, and it was thrown to the ground. When Atreus took a step forward, he heard the loud "crack" of wood under his foot. It was the teal head of his glass spear. He then had an idea. There had to be a way to kill the minotaur, even if it was immortal. The head. It had to be the head he had to take off. Atreus picked his round shield back off the ground, then rushed at the minotaur with all his strength. Right as the monster raised its club, Atreus threw the broken spear at its head. The glass malakyte blade sank into its eye, and it dropped its club behind its back. Atreus then rushed forward, behind the blinded minotaur. He picked up his xiphos and swung at one of its legs, completely severing it. As soon as the huge monster crashed into the ground, Atreus raised his sword above its neck and cut its head clean off. It didn't move after it lost its head. That had to be the secret. The only way to kill the Undying was by taking their heads off. Atreus looked around. There were still a few hundred of the Undying left, and even the draconians' numbers were dwindling. Just hours before the battle at Elatiri, though, King Atreus had received an offer of aid from an unexpected ally, and he gladly accepted his help.

"Now, Guardian!" Atreus roared. Suddenly, lightning bolts began to pierce down through the night sky, striking the Undying, and leaving the draconians untouched. Atreus then looked up to the top of the wall of Elatiri, to the young Guardian Knight Captain of the Sorcerer class. His name was Zabaia, from the colony, Weshiola. His skin was dark and his hair was barely an inch long on his head, and he wore blue robes that matched the dark color of the night sky. Lightning bolts pierced the sky endlessly, striking more of the Undying, and turning their bodies to ash. Atreus then looked behind him. There was half of the ten thousand Undying left for the draconians to fight. King Atreus put his shield in front of himself, then the rest of his soldiers followed, forming a phalanx of mithril shields, and whatever glass spears that had shafts that weren't broken. Anorae was beside Atreus, while Cytheris was beside her, and Thesean stood at the King's other side. The remaining Undying charged forward, all at once, and the draconians held their shields even tighter. The black blades clashed against their shields, and the draconians threw them back before swinging their swords forward, taking their heads off. Atreus and his soldiers then advanced, stepping over the enemy soldiers' decapitated bodies. The Undying still threw themselves against the phalanx, only to die and fall like water on rocks.

Undying.

King Aziz's so-called "elite fighters" failed the draconians' test.