Far from the lush expanse of the capital lies Castle Qurin, a stark fortress bordering the southern land, a realm where the sun beats down mercilessly, and vast stretches of sand stretch endlessly under a relentless sky. Vultures circle high above, their silhouettes dark against the blazing sun, waiting patiently for a hint of life to falter. In this unforgiving place, one might wonder who or what could endure such conditions. Yet, hidden among the shifting sands are those who have grown accustomed to this harsh reality, creatures and wanderers shaped by the very heat that seeks to consume them.
*castle walls*
A soldier ran toward a man leaning against the castle wall, his hawk-like eyes fixed on the shifting sands. Built like a warrior, he exuded the air of royalty—for this was Prince Osferth, second heir of the Kingdom of Valence, commander of Castle Qurin and guardian of the south. "My lord, enemies have been sighted to the eastern gate!" said the panicked soldier, As the prince ponders briefly, he then spoke in a stern voice "Call the Captain. ready the knights. we shall meet these foes on the Field, let it be their last breath". as his laugh echoes throughout the courtyard, the soldiers can only sigh in silence, for they know how their prince can be a bit stubborn and craves for battle, they can do nothing but follow orders from the prince. As they have a deep loyalty towards the prince, the Iron Gate opens a hundred Mounted Knights rode out, with their prince leading the vanguard.
*In the hills*
As the trembling of the earth can be heard and a hundred men rode out along with prince Osferth, Not far from the castle are the Sand Orks, hiding near the Mountain with brown skins they can easily blend with the sands and with the orks easily towering over the knights, their massive frames casting long shadows in the afternoon sun
these are the Sand Orks, one of the many inhabitants of the south lands, and one who constantly attacks castle Qurin. The ork cackled his, sharp teeth gleaming in the sun "the humans, so easy to taunt, we should kill them now Gurka!", Gurka the chieftain of the Sand Orks, being chieftain isn't just for title for it means to be the strongest among the tribe. "Quiet down, if they hear us they will be suspicious, we wait until they are far from the castle, only then do we kill them" Said Gurka, as he turns around with over a thousand orks are gathered here, "Today our tribe will feast on human flesh!, for today we will take that castle and we will kill!" roars and the warcry of the Sand orks are the only thing that can be heard in these mountains.
*Back to Prince Osferth"
As the hundred mounted men kept riding, they have reached an opening, where two mountains are and a narrow valley between them, the captain of the Knights matched the prince on the front.
"My prince, we have rode out for quite a while now and the enemies haven't shown themselves, perhaps they have retreated? and perhaps so should we my prince." said the captain of the Knights, "Nonsense, I can feel them, They're here alright, Hiding somewhere, we'll keep looking, once we've passed this valley and still no sign of them, we return". Said Prince Osferth. As the Captain nodded he returned at the back. As they kept riding out further, deep into the valley, the valley was deathly quiet, save for the clatter of hooves on dry ground. Sweat trickled down the soldiers' faces, mixing with the dust. Then, without warning, the silence was shattered by the warcry of the Sand Orks heard echoing through the valley, "Orks spotted up ahead!" said the captain. "Show them no mercy!" said the prince, As they galloped through the valley, a shrieking sound can be heard from multiple direction, and the next second dozens of knights were knocked down by arrows, The charge halted as knights fell. Fear spread through the ranks as the dust cleared, revealing spears raining down from above, piercing their armor. Screams of agony echoed through the valley as the orks leapt from the cliffs, crashing down upon the knights, they were outnumbered. Outmatched. The knights looked up in terror—many of them seeing their last glimpse of the sky before the orks descended. with some knights squished, the orks revel in their blood, causing the knights to charge at the orks senselessly only to be pierced by spears as long as their body, other knights were stuck with arrows in their necks, as blood leaks from them, they fall in the field drowning in their own blood. Chaos ensued, blood soaks the sands, as knights fell one after the other, overwhelmed by the unending orks. half their forces were laid scattered across sand, broken and bleeding , on the vanguard was the prince, Fighting the orks along with the captain and about a dozen men, as the prince with his sword slashed through the ork, he looked around only to see his men fighting, as his soldiers are getting slaughtered he is filled with guilt, as it was him who rode them to their deaths, with the orks that never seems to dwindle, only his own men seems to lessen by the second, surrounded by his men, Osferth watched as the rest of his knights were slaughtered like lambs, he did what he could only do, "Soldiers!, retreat!, retreat!, regroup at the castle!, fall back!, fall back!". With the command of the prince, the knights began the retreat, but as they turn to retreat, hundreds of orks came rushing towards them, blocked from the front and rear, the knights had nowhere to run. The orks closed in, their bloodlust filling the air. Hope was gone.escape was impossible, all hope seemed lost- except for the prince, as the captain looked at his soldiers, he says "Soldiers!, I will not lie to you, We will not make it through, But, our lord....Our prince, he has never abandoned us, not once!, let us with our dying breaths, Be the Path for the prince to get out of here!, Soldiers form a line for the prince, Give your lives, Give your hearts, Give glory to Valence!"
*Castle Qurin*
As dusk fell over Castle Qurin, the bellowing horn announced the return of their prince. Troops gathered at the gate, but as it opened, fear and confusion gripped their hearts...They saw their prince—unconscious, his armor shattered, blood dripping from his head. Quickly, they pulled him from his horse and laid him on the ground. The Vice Captain rushed to the prince's side. His voice strained with concern, 'What happened here?' The troops stared at him, their faces pale with disbelief. 'Only the prince returned,' one finally whispered. A stunned silence fell over the gathered men, as the weight of those words sank in...