The Death of Peasant

Sweat pours down each leg as the heat soaks into the leather vest  the man was wearing. The steel turning his simple cap and a fireplace, if it was not for the leather between his head and the steel. Each step felt as if his leg was going to snap as the nobles commanding the army had not their men at arms rest for about 3 quarters of the entire day. Looking up for his tired hunch he saw over 5,000 heads across the large open plain, some clad in full plate on a horse, with bright colors adorning their shield, with marks of lions and other such noble beasts. The baking sun of the late afternoon shining off their armor as if it was a star. While most are just like him wearing dull gray and brown coast, with a few assortments of random steel protection across their bodies. While the knights wielded swords of noble design, with beautiful markers upon their hilts, with golden dragons guard the hands of its wielder. The common men at arms only had pitchforks, spears, and random assortments of farm tools. The hot breeze slowly growing harsher, and colder as he approached the final destination, and for some the last.

Tension builds in the man’s mind, slowly twisting and straining it with fear. His mind races with thoughts such as, Why am I here, Why did my lord summon me, Why are we heading north towards them. They entered his mind, with their long twisting horns,eyes of blood, and fangs of iron. The twisted offspring of hate and rape itself. Terrified thoughts flooded his mind, the blood so much in his thought if real he would be drowning in the red crimson. He body almost froze in terror, yet he was brought back to the world by a shove to keep going forward. Shocked he looked back at the man who pushed him, his eyes sunken in, with terror filling them. Being brought back to reality, he realized the air was deathly cold, and the soft mush of snow. The sky was a bright red as an apple, the sun only peeking out of the mountains in the distance. Then he noticed the horrific smell, so putrid and rampant, coming from the men around him, and the smell told him, it was not just his small body, going mad from the horror they thought awaited them.

His legs fell to the ground in exhaustion after the long and horrible march, his face red from the march. He stumbled to newly put up tents and begins the short process, by popping up the supports, he went about this task as if there was no problem with the world. No thoughts passed through his mind as this mindless task was done. He stumbled through the tent flap, his numb fingers touching the cold grass, and tiny pieces of snow from the shovel which had only just been thrown out to make way for the makeshift fur bed. Slowly the man crawled into its warm embrace. The wind outside dying  down and slowly growing weaker. The cold abyss of the land was unchanged for a warm house and a sweet smell beside him. His eyes slowly opening to see a beautiful woman in a nighttime gown. His eyes slowly close back, to reveal him working outside in a field of wheat hacking it with a small sickle. A sound rings through the air and he moves towards it slight gripping his small tool. A man on horseback, with clothes made of an imperial red and a cap made lined with gold, started to read out a message from a long scroll.” By Imperial Decree I summon this town of Ashburn’s 50 Men At Arms to be of service to his new lord, on a holy crusade to the demon held lands of the north to prove himself worthy of the throne of Doggerland.” A bright flash leads to him, recently armored marching to join the forces, with him looking back one more time. He sees his wife standing her hand clenched in a fist saying his name in a worried moan,” Todd.” His face switches to that of terror as the countryside village fade to a flame , with a clawed hand gripping her shoulder with blood flowing from the pointed ends of its fingers.

Todd wakes up in a haze with sweat pouring out, with the cold making it feel as if it were ice. His vision blurred and he reached for his clothes, and hastily put them on as his hearing came back. He heard the voices outside of his tent, mumbling and footsteps pacing around his tent. Fully ready he stepped outside of the small green tent. A man in slightly better armor with one arm clad in heavy leather, threw him a small packet, slightly warm, but growing cold fast.

Opening it shows a small loaf of hard bread recently charred a little by the fires. Todd sits on the ground and slowly chews his meal, savoring every warm crumb entering his mouth. A trumpet roared over the campsite, as he was finishing his meal. He got up with the cold cloth vest stiff with frost. 

Once again he found himself marching, one among thousands. The wind slowly picked up as in the far distance, what looked to be a canyon carved out in the mountain as a road. The winds flow through the open ranks, almost whispering to them. Asking them to turn back. Each step now felt moist against his fur boots. Each a crunch, with his spear’s bottom drawing a line in the snow as he marched. The canyon slowly grew as he approached, and the winds only grew stronger with each passing step, not whispers but yelling for them leave. A claw rips through the air as ravens fly from a nearby tree, after being disturbed. He felt warm around his pants as he was so the canyon now stood before him like a monster, or more so like the gates of hell itself. Entering it gave an ungodly chill, it seemed that even the light was horrified to go there. Each sound felt as if it was a crashing roar to the men inside the canyon, as paranoia was shared by all the men. Stricken with fear Todd jumped at every shadow, or in this canyon an even darker shadow. His mind started to fill with things he did not see. Yellow eyes flickered in all shadows. Yet this hell of fear and terror was not eternal as the end of the canyon slowly grew ever closer, the light seemed almost like a welcoming mother to Todd. It flooded his vision, it's warmth felt so deep within him, even in this frozen place. He stopped to bask in the sun for only a few moments. 

The sound of thunder roared throughout the sky, ripping its terror into everyone of the poor souls. Opening his eyes revealed the horror of a great red mist rising to the head of the force. The sky clear as ever had only flickers of the light left in its blue void. Todd dropped to his knees, cocking his shield to face the left line of the army, his spear pointed ever outwards in a show of hopeless defiance. The horizon showed hundreds of pale, fur, or metal covered helms or faces. They were rising up from the hills almost like a tide of death, their armor and weapons shining in the midday sun. Screams came from the back of the formation. Looking back he saw tiny objects being flung into the air and red spraying everywhere. “Circle up!’ Without thinking Todd falls into a circle with the other Men At Arms around him. He watches as everyone groups up into little circles, or squares, while the demons in the distance advancing at a rate no man could ever do. Dust was kicked up into a mighty cloud as tall as a castle. Then without warning, A loud scream comes from within his formation. Blood drips on his face as he looks up to see a create with wings of a bat and talons like a hawk ripping and tearing into the men who was just beside him. A thick string of meat forms from the sky and lands beside him. A loud almost prideful laugh circled above. A roar that chilled the bones flew across the battlefield, with the clamor of metal only growing closer. A bright flash streaks the sky, landing into a circle likes his. The bodies flew from the area, with arms and legs fleeing from their owners who now just lay in the cold snow. Todd could make out the individual soldiers of the horde now, with some being the size of three men, with others as tall as him. Some of their armor sprouting horns, other with barely anything to cover wolf-like body. Only one feature united them all, where flaming yellow eyes, with pupils, so black that it seemed to eat all light. Each stomp of their feet felt like an earthquake. One lifts up an arms and hunks something. The man next to him is almost cheerful at the sight of the half-breeds.”Come here you sor..” The Man’s voice stopped almost instantly. Glancing to the side he found his head almost split open, like a log with its contents spilling out. He closes his eyes as he braces for the impact of the two sides. A force slams into him and caused Todd to be knocked back to the floor, bleeding from his lips, with his arm holding the simple shield seemingly shattered. He screams on the ground begging, crying. Opening his eyes reveals a ghastly scene of pure carnage. The half demons have broken their line in an instance, and now it showed the true face of what pure hatred. Their eyes gleamed burning yellow as they slaughtered, with men's arms being ripped off, and bones crunched loudly as steel clubs slammed into the body's. With some picking up the screaming men, crying for god and their mothers, then they took big long knives. They Pressed them across the throats and slowly sawed into the man's flesh. Blood pouring from the throats as they slowly clawed at the armored hands. Helplessly crying till the heads were completely off. 

Todd tried his best to try to claw away, using the arm still good to pull away towards the last formation, with a brightly colored man with a horse fighting. The steel gleamed in the sun, with crimson staining the armor. He cried in pain as the arm broken to shards dragged in freezing snow. He felt a furry paw grip around his leg. Screaming he was slowly picked up. His body now so filled utter terror he could not do anything but cry and scream. A chill shuttered down his spine. He didn't recognize this. His thoughts raced as his shell of flesh only cried. It dawned upon Todd it was the feeling of dread, the feeling of not being in control. He cried even faster, with snot running down his face. The beast slowly pulled him up , with the fur body standing out, as some parts shined in crimson shades, with steel armor covering its legs. Its skin was pink like a man's, but patches of fur broke through the skin. A massive adorned metal chest piece was strapped across its chest. He felt a warm rush of air upon his leg as it pulled him up. Each pull had the breath rush onto another area of the body, with blood rushing to his head. His face was that of a man. No looking closer he saw the deathly black and burning yellow eyes of the half-breed. His teeth were more like iron daggers, Each one jagged. 

He felt the cold steel of the knife slowly pushed against his neck, only saved by an another command, from one in a golden-lined armor with ram horns bulging out of the helm. He felt a terrible pain as he was flung across the beast shoulders. He screamed from the horrible agony and grabbed his arm. A strong pull made him stay onto the beast back. The other creature walked up to him as if a battle was raging and they were in the center of it. It reached for its leather pouch against its side and pulled out a small glass vial. It uncorked the bottle and forced it down the throat. The world around him faded to an utter abyss with the sounds of metal clanging being the last to fall to silence. 

Cold wrists are the first thing to greet him. The warmth of the air being the second. Walls

Surround the poor soul. Stone seemed to be the walking Todd's only champion in the cold abyss of the room. A smell of meat filled the room, as he looked down. To see a slab of slightly overcooked meat at his feet. He pulls his body down to the slab, not able to move his hands, with them being chained to the wall. He eats it rapidly as if he were a starving dog, who had just found a deer carcass. A door previously unnoticed by Todd opened, and neither did he care. His body was starved by the drug, which his enemy had inflicted upon him. He picked his head from the meal only when he had eaten every part he could get his mouth on. 

Todd flashback to his youth, where he finds himself in a small room barely 5 ft across, with most space being taken up by the bed. The only light coming from a candle upon a small table cheaply made, as its legs looked as if they were limbs of trees just nailed to the tiny wooden square. His mother just leaning over him, to place a small kiss on his forehead.,”Mommy.” Todd says in a tired voice.

“Yes, dear.” She said just standing above Todd, her face like a warm summer's day.

“Whats a Half..” Todd stopped by the eyes of his mother, her eyes as cold as a winter’s storm. Her face was no longer of the warm and caring mother who only moments before stood before him.” Mommy, I was just going to ask what's a Half-breed,” Her glare intensified to something of a terror filled stare,” Yes dear I know what those are, but where did learn that word.” His mother's voice was cold as ice. The young todd recoiled to the back of his bed post,”... I heard it, at,”.

“Where, did you learn that!”

“At Mr. Marek's house near the fields, I asked about the weird animal skull on his wall, when I went into his house to get the ball.” The glare weakens, and water started building up in the corners of her.”Mommy.” The door quickly shuts with his mother rushing out in tears, with the only the sound of his mother crying john echoes throughout the night.

A sharp pain in his face wakes him up. His face slammed onto the floor, with cuffs still on, but the chain off. Two armored figures grip his hands and began to drag him out of the cold room. They pulled him with him sometimes falling onto the ground, with only a second wait, for him to stumble to his feet. They drag him through a mile of cells, each one shouting in a different tongue, some laughing, and pointing their clawed hands at him.

They come to a wooden door, with iron bars. The sun coming through it, almost blinding him. The figures drag him through the doors, with a white flash blinding him, with only sounds of cheering coming to his senses. The white slowly clear up to reveal a blue sky, scraped by massive stone spires, with arches supporting the. With hundreds of people filling the streets. All curing them in their dark tongue. A small tomato found his cheek and it slowly dripped down the with the frozen sky chilling it to an almost icy chill. They eventually dragged him through the scores of yellowed people, to a mighty stage.

Forcing him to his knees, he looked to his sides to see another man, and the prince himself,”You dirty dogs, how dare you to touch me, I'm the prince of Doggerland.” He quitted as the crowd suddenly made a line of a single man. He walking slowly with sparks behind him, from his oversized cleaver. His coat black, as the abyss, with a mask made of gold showing only two holes. A city chill flowed, as the city itself went quietly with terror. Each step was the only thing echoing throughout the entire city, as if a giant. A single part of sweat slowly flowed down Todd's cheek. Todd was scared to even turn his head to face the man as he walked up the stage. The city went quiet for a single, long moment. The silence parted by the sound of his spear slicing into the wood of the platform. The crowd went up in pure joy, and rage, cheering with each step of the executioner's boots.,”Oh god, please no!” The sound stopped by the sound of the flesh parting.,” You, don't have to kill me, I'll never attack again. Please to god don't kill me.” The king said in a pleading voice, with his pulsating tone disappears along with the other man's life. The coward slowed with nothing but a single chant throughout the square. With each step of its boots the crowd's chant grew, it was now a roar of the beast of the north, begging of the blood of a child of the light.

Todd's flesh tensed, as he heard the blade slowly rise to heaven. It cut through the wind like a burning sword through butter. He heard it at the last moment. The voices of the crowd stopped in his mind. He played his last, and in a single stroke 24 years of sweat and blood, extinguished.