Riding at a great speed across the boundless plains was a lone messenger. It was clear by his haste that the message he carried was important. He looked panicked and scared. 

"Faster!" He urged the horse as he cracked the reins. He needed to make it to Carmek as soon as possible. Disaster would soon fall upon the peaceful land. 

They were no longer on the defensive. They had already lost.

***

Standing atop Brinton Castle Lucas looked out toward the valley just beyond the walls. Filling the land of Carmek were so many houses, filled with many people, all unaware just how long they'd even be alive. Lucas looked up to the sky. He could clearly see the gray smoke that lingered in the air. There was a fire nearby, and a big one at that. The closest city was Yerva. If they fell, Carmek would certainly be next and Lucas feared the worst.

He could not help but curl his fist in anger . He knew something was wrong. He could feel it. But he was trapped here, just waiting to be attacked. How many would die before then? How long would humanity even be able to hold out? Doubt plagued Lucas's mind. Just then he heard someone call from behind him.

"Lucas" He turned, having been broken from his state of worry. It was Mathias, the gatekeeper. Standing next to him was an unwell looking man. His skin was papery and he looked emaciated. He had a scared look on his face. Lucas almost didn't recognize him as Perun, a member of the envoy team sent to Yerva. 

"What is it?"  Lucas asked

"There is news for Lord Brinton." Matthias said in a grave tone. Lucas looked at Perun and then Back to Mathias. He could see it was urgent.

As the group opened the door to the lord's quarters they saw him at his desk handling a stack of documents. Although his focus was still on the paper he spoke to the trio.

"Who is it?" He said with a commanding tenor. Perun chose this moment to step forward from behind the two knights.

"Perun Tinos my lord, I bring news of Yerva." The lord froze, and then looked up from the paper he was holding. Just as Matthias and Lucas surmised, the lord too realized that young Perun's presence could only mean something bad had happened at Yerva.

"Speak," The lord ordered. Perun paused for a moment, calming himself before he delivered the news.

"A new rift has opened near Yerva." This earned reactions from all three present. Both Mathias and Lucas were shocked. The lord only clutched his paper tight, only barely holding onto his composure. Perun hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Y-Yerva has fallen, my lord. An army of monsters numbering in the thousands is marching this way as we speak." At this the paper in the lord's hand was spontaneously engulfed in flame, almost immediately turning to cinders.

"GODDAMNIT!" The lord yelled as he slammed his fist onto the desk. Perun jumped back slightly. The lord took a deep breath trying to regain his poise. He stood up. "Lucas."

"Yes my lord."

"Have everyone meet in the war room, now."

"Right away my lord." Lucas quickly left to gather everyone. With Matthias and Perun still present, the Lord quietly seethed as he contemplated his situation.

Soon everyone met in the war room. They all sat around a large rectangular table with a map laid out across the surface. All the knights were present at the table as well as Perun and a few others. They all talked amongst themselves unsure of what the meeting was for. And of course at the head of the table was the lord of Carmek, Lord Riok Brinton. 

The lord started the discussion by standing upright. The chatter immediately hushed and all turned to look.

"It appears that a rift has opened near our neighboring city of Yerva." Much like Lucas and Matthias were, everyone was shocked by this news. Some took to speaking out. 

"My lord, it's only a matter of time before the demons come after Carmek." One of the advisors near the lord warned.  A flurry of other voices spoke out.

"We have to prepare!"

"We should march out and fight them!"

"How long do we have!"

"QUIET!" The lord shouted. Everyone suddenly stopped. He could see just how worried everyone was. The one who proposed they fight was Riagan Brinton, his son. Immature and hot-headed. It was clear that fighting the demons would end in their defeat. The lord knew this. In just one month the otherworldly monsters had conquered nearly half of the Pallan continent. There was really only one course of action. 

"We will evacuate Carmek and retreat to the neighboring city of Lienstone" It was clear the what lords intent was, but it seemed it still seemed like he was giving up before they had even put up a fight.

"What if the lord of Lienstone does not accept us?" One knight questioned.

"Then we will have to force our way in." The lord responded as he held a demonstrative ball of flame in his hand. Although now was probably not the time for humans to fight amongst themselves, in such a perilous situation, personal safety would end up winning out.

"Now." The lord said. "I need people to round up every citizen of Carmek. We shall leave as soon as possible." No one argued with the lord. The plan was set. Soon everyone left to round up the people and the only ones left were Lucas and Lord Brinton.

"What is it Lucas?" The lord asked, realizing that he had stayed behind. Lucas pointed to a spot on the map. 

"My lord, between Carmek and Yerva there is a small river town just west of here, is there not?" Although nothing was marked except the river, lord Brinton was aware of such a settlement.

"There is." he responded.

"Then, my lord, should we not send a messenger to warn them of the army coming their way." The lord let out a tense sigh.

"We can't." The lord said sternly. "We have neither the men nor horses to spare sending a warning to a worthless river town. We should focus on evacuating Carmek

"My lord." Lucas said somewhat aghast. "There are people there that can be saved. We have to at least try."

"I said we can't!" The lord repeated. "We don't even know where the demon's army is right now. It's not worth the risk." At that moment Lucas stopped. He realized he wouldn't be able to change the lord's mind. His orders were absolute after all and Lucas was no scholar. Still he knew what he had to do.

"I understand my lord. If we have no messengers or horses spare then I shall go to warn them myself." Lucas said firmly.

"What, no!" The lord said surprisedly. "You are a knight of Brinton. You can't leave."

"I'm sorry my lord." Lucas said as he stood up to Leaves. The lord merely stayed where he was, holding back his rage.

And just like that, Lucas was off. He took his personal steed from the stables and took off. He rode across the grassy plains and hills to warn the people of the incoming army. 

He felt assured of what he was doing. He was there when messengers from all over arrived in Carmek, one by one, each there to deliver the news on which city had fallen. Meanwhile Lucas could only stay in his post, in a position to nothing. He remained idle as monsters ravaged the world he called home. As the people he called his kinsmen were killed. He was done doing nothing. 

In the span of a few hours Lucas saw the settlement as he reached the top of a hill. Wasting no time he rode into town. The people seemed bewildered by his presence. It seemed they recognized his armor and wondered what he was doing there.

"You all need to evacuate! There is an army of monsters coming this way!" Lucas shouted as he rode through the town. Some people were still confused but most of them received the warning clearly. 

"I'm the mayor of this town, what's happening?" A balding man in a nice suit came out and asked Lucas

Lucas explained the situation to the man and he understood. Soon enough the whole town was evacuated as quickly as possible. All of them headed to Carmek with what they could carry. As the sun was setting people moved by the droves to leave the town. But just as last people were making out of the town Lucas heard a loud war horn behind him

The sound reverberated across the hills. Lucas turned to look. Just across the river and over the hill Lucas saw a horde of four-legged monsters approaching. Lucas turned back to the evacuating people who stood frozen in fear.

"RUN!" He yelled at them. "I'll try to stop them!" The people quickly sprinted as fast they could away from the river. Lucas turned and walked forward instead. There was only one bridge across the river. That was where he would fend off the horde. 

As he walked he put on his helmet. He drew his sword from his waist and brought out the large shield on his back. He was the Shield of Brinton after all, a title he'd live up to.

As he reached the bridge he could see the monsters fast approaching. This was his first time encountering demons. They were disgusting things it seemed. Vile in every sense of the word. And unfortunately, it seemed like they'd be the last thing he'd see.

Though he was sure of what he was doing he could not help but shake. It was suicide. He knew that. Part of him wanted to run, but still he stayed his ground. Something inside pushed him to do it. What was it? Why did he do it?

Lucas took a deep breath. As he exhaled mana flowed out from his breath, coiling around his sword, his shield, and his body. Basic mana strengthening, the best weapon of any knight. 

He looked dead ahead. This was it.

He breathed in.

Then out.

Then in.

He held his shield close and braced himself.

...

Why did he do it?

-CLANG!-

The first beast mindlessly slammed into the shield. Lucas took a slight step back to gain footing but more and more of the creatures piled into his shield. With a burst of strength he pushed forward sending the monster flying off but more only swarmed him. He swung his sword in a wide arc slicing through the heads and limbs of those in range but even more came charging from the backline.  Lucas tried to hold them off with his shield but they just kept clawing and slipping through. They were like mangy rabid dogs, only with less fur and sharper claws. Soon one that slipped through took a bite into his leg. Although his heavy armor had held up against the claws and slashes this time it gave in and the fang sank deep into his calf.

"AAHHHHHH!!" Lucas screamed out in a mix between a scream of pain and a warcry.

Lucas lifted his leg and crushed the beast underfoot. He pushed forward with his shield once more and once more the sword came out swinging. This time his slashes were wild, slicing up anything it came into contact with. His calf burned but he did not falter. He could not say where his energy was coming from. Usually he'd run out of mana in a minute or so but now, in the heat of the moment he felt even more empowered. He simply swung and swung like a madman. But as he killed 5 monsters in front of him, 10 more seemed to appear. Still he killed any that appeared in sight like a frenzied madman. He began bashing those closest with his shield like a bludgeoning weapon. He marched forward crushing the injured monsters under his steel greaves. The monsters were relentless however and soon Lucas's armor wore out. He felt as each claw raked across his body. Every monster that got through would stab and cut him up. Still he kept fighting, slaughtering the beasts in droves. They could not stop him. He would keep going. His wounds burned and he felt like they were steaming, but still kept going. The creatures had surrounded him and began coming from all directions. Where he was once like a wall, Lucas became a cyclone, tearing up any that got close. His mana flowed like a river across his body and weapons. The supply seemed endless. He kept going, swinging sword and shield in tandem as he eviscerated the horde. Each wound only hasted his rampage. A quick monster jumped on Lucas's face, raking its claws across his cheek but just as quickly the pommel of his sword pounded the creature into dust. He killed every monster in sight until finally he killed the last beast. 

Lucas scanned around for anything else, his eyes moving wildly. He was surrounded by corpses and nothing seemed to be moving. He felt like was in a daze. The air felt clouded by the scent of blood and the energy that seemed radiating heavily from him.

"Did I do it? Are we safe." Lucas said deliriously.  He couldn't seem to think straight. Everything hurt but he was still alert. It was then that he saw movement

A strange bipedal monster stood at the start of the bridge with a scared expression. It was clearly a different species from the other and even had a belt with a horn on it. But Lucas didn't care about any of this. As soon as the creature saw Lucas's gaze it turned the other way and began to run. 

Lucas moved insanely quickly, appearing behind the fleeing creature and slamming it in the back with his shield. The creature fell to the ground and as it turned to face its pursuer, the blade came down ending its life.