Cedric, the great Paladin of the Holy See, was one of the most trusted soldiers under the pope's flag, a loyal and zealous servant of God's will.

In his long life, he has fought through numerous crusades, some more successful than others, in seven crusades, he has seen both defeat and victory in his years of fighting in the name of God.

It always was hard striking down a fellow man, even if they were infidels. And yet, God's representative, The Pope has ordered for it to be so.

Each swing of his greatsword has ended the life of an Infidel.

Each word he spoke carried the weight of the king.

Each time he spoke, he shook the foundations of the Infidel kingdoms.

With each step he made Infidel's borders shrunk, he was a great warrior and a great leader.

His Zeal made even the most cowardly man fight to his last breath.

His Righteousness earned him the reputation of Kindness and Bravery all over the land.

And yet he did not care for any of that, after all in service of God no mortal achievement mattered, what needed to be done was to retake the Holy Land, It was a mission worth dying for.

And he would gladly lie down his life as would his men for a chance to chase the infidel forces from the most holy of cities.

This was a final crusade, a final frontier to retake what was lost. He would not lose here, his men would retake Jerusalem and reclaim it for one true faith.

Cedric took another swing, his silvery full plate armor glittering in the sun as blood stained it, his blade drenched in blood leaving a bloody trail in wide arcs he made as he cut another infidel in half.

As he pummeled another infidel he looked around, his men mowing down infidel forces as they always have.

A squad of men that was at his side was one of the most zealous and faithful men to God's will that he had ever known.

Cedric stomped onto a struggling infidel's head, ending his life in a gruesome crunch, splattering brain and blood over his sabatons.

It was almost over, Crusader army was about to breach Infidel's defenses and finally retake Jerusalem.

With a roar, he shouted "Men, Gates are open! Charge and take what belongs to Christianity!"

With an approving shout, his squad charged into now defenseless Infidels, cutting them down with great ease.

Their armor was painted red by the blood of infidels as they cut them down, their blades glistering in the sun, their holy purpose reinforced as they were finally within reach of what their life's purpose was.

The army that followed Cedric's vanguard made their way inside, their blades cutting down anyone stupid enough to stand in their way.

Infidel blood flowed through the streets of Jerusalem, and Crusaders scoured each house, and each alley, leaving no stone unturned.

Cedric alone entered one of the more inaccessible buildings, his agility making it easy for him to navigate cramped spaces despite his heavy armor.

He heard noises inside one of the rooms. With a strong kick, he rushed through the door, his trusty Holy Blade, Equilibrium, ready in hand.

With a shout, he exclaimed "Deus Vult!" his sword piercing an unfortunate man who was ready to attack him with what looked like a curved sword.

With a twist man's torso was eviscerated, the guts and blood splattering over the room.

It took him a moment to pull his blade from the corpse as he buried it deep within Infidel's body.

With a wet slide blade made its way out, leaving a trail of blood in its path.

Cedric looked around, nothing was suspicious in this building but there was a path towards a second floor "I will need to investigate the second floor too..."

With a stride and clinking of his armor, he climbed the stairs, slowly making his way up, his hand ready at the hilt of Equilibrium.

It took him a moment to make his way up the stairs but after some walking, he reached another door, he drew his bloodied blade as he carefully entered the room.

His helmet's visor making it difficult to see within enclosed space, he lifted up his visor as he investigated the place.

In all manners of speaking the room was ordinary, a bed, large wooden wardrobe, and bedside table with a half-burned candle, and rug decorating the floor underneath it all.

Cedric approached a boarded-up window, with a slash of his blade he shattered the wooden boards, allowing light to seep through, a window that overlooked the city.

Cedric removed his helmet as he allowed himself a moment of respite, after all, he fought for a week straight, to reclaim the most holy city.

After all, it was done, Jerusalem was in the hands of Christians once again, and he could rest now.

As he closed his eyes, in the corner of his eye he saw the wardrobe opening his instincts told him to lunge at the man, and with immense speed he pierced the man, ending his life.

And yet the crossbow bolt fired, piercing Cedric's neck.

As the assassin collapsed so did Cedric, Equilibrium stuck inside the infidel's body as Cedric's life expired.

The last thought Cedric had before finally departing for God's kingdom was 'Ah, so this is how it ends. My service is complete, Lord I am coming to your embrace!'

Cedric did not feel sadness nor anger for his death, after all his life mission was complete, and now he would be welcome inside God's kingdom.

His life was in God's hands, it was only a matter of how he would reach His kingdom, in his mind he recited one final prayer.

As the prayer finished he heard a weird voice coming from all directions.

<>

Cedric closed his eyes his mind not registering the strange voice, death claiming him as he heard rushed footsteps coming from the floor below.