CHAOS

I ducked low in the bushes, attempting to stay out of sight. A tall man dressed in a black cloak walked slowly down the path in the forest. The sound of his heavy footsteps echoed through the night. A short gust of wind blew, knocking his hood back, and revealing his bald head. Black veins that contrasted with his pale skin, which seemed to glow in the moonlight, webbed across his scalp.

He stopped to adjust his hood, but then froze in place. I heard him sniff the air. A wide grin spread across his face, revealing sharp fang-like teeth. His black eyes darted around, he knew I was here. My scent was in the air, and that gust of wind carried it right to him. It was only a matter of time before he found me. I had to choose my moment to attack wisely. One wrong move, and he'd finish me.

“I smell you, Chosen one, step out now and I'll kill you swiftly,” The Horde spoke in a raspy voice.

He looked right at where I was hiding. I didn't move, nor breathe. A moment passed, and he turned around. He hadn't seen me, I let out a sigh of relief.

Silently, I drew my dagger from its sheath. Ordinary weapons wouldn't work on the Horde. Their human souls are corrupted so much, they become a demon in a flesh body. To truly kill the Horde, you needed a blessed weapon. The Chosen are the only ones to wield blessed blades, everyone else uses the bible, or a cross. Those do work, but only to repel a few Horde. The stronger ones remain unaffected.

“You only prolong the inevitable, you are weak, you have no chance,” The Horde spoke again, still turning around, searching for me.

I waited until he faced the complete opposite direction, before leaping from the bush and charging at him. He spun around with remarkable speed, and extended his arm towards me. In his hand was a curved dagger. He knew I was there. He wanted to draw me out, and catch me by surprise. Just before I impaled myself, I stepped off to the side, grabbed his hand, spun, and flung him over my back. He sailed through the air, hit the ground and rolled to his feat.

He let out an angry roar. I took a defensive stance, and waited for him to make the first move. What he did next was unexpected. He raised his hand above his head, and a dark mist lifted up from the ground. It swirled around his hand. As this happened a sword slowly formed. It was five feet long, and had symbols carved along the blade. Just above the handle was a black skull with fang-like teeth. A loud screaming noise came from the black mist, and it evaporated, leaving him a very lethal looking weapon.

The Horde let out a sinister laughter, and tossed the sword from hand to hand, taunting me. I knew I needed to wait for him to make the first move, so I watched him closely. Moments passed, the only sound was the wind blowing, and the occasional shuffling of feet as we adjusted our stance, waiting for the right moment.

“Whats wrong? Do I frighten you?” He was trying to taunt me, and make me make the first move. I did that once before, and nearly died. I wouldn't give him a second chance.

He must have seen a weak point, because suddenly he charged, sword first. I evaded the attack easily, but it was a fake. He spun the same way I had earlier, and I was about to run right into his blade. One blow, and that would be the end of me.

Time seemed to slow down. I was able to think clearer. I focused on his stance, and the distance he was from me. I saw his weak point. I threw myself flat on the ground, and spun, kicking his left leg from under him. The momentum of his sword sent him spiraling to the ground.

I didn't give him another second to realize what happened. I rolled over, put my left hand over his throat, and drove the dagger deep into his chest. He gasped. His veins started to return to normal, and his eyes turned from shiny black, to dark green. His eyes widened, and he had finished the transformation into a human.

He laid there, staring blankly up at the sky. Blood ran down his cheeks. He was still alive, but he would eventually bleed to death. As I removed the dagger from his chest, he gave no reaction. In spite of his human appearance, he wasn't fully human. His soul was gone forever, making him nothing more than just a human body.

He turned his head to face me, blinked, and that was it. I watched as his eyes unfocused, and his chest stopped rising and falling. I reached over to close his eyes, and cross his arms over his chest. Eventually someone would find him, and bury him.

“I am sorry,”

I stood up, and scanned the area. I didn't see anymore Horde. Only trees, bushes, and a wide assortment of small plants. There were no animals. For all I knew, they were all dead. The chaos that corrupted the humans also did the same to a few animals. Often dogs, and birds. Most plant eating animals remained normal.

The way people hunted now is very different than how it used to be. When they catch an animal, they bind it to a pole, and submerge it in holy water. After that, the priests would bless the animal, and take their share first. Whatever was left went to the hunter. This was one of their many ways of using the chaos to their advantage. The people, however, were ignorant of priests' deceitful dealings.

Anyone who objected to the ways of the church were accused of blasphemy, and executed. To make a long story short, the church was just as much of an enemy to the people as the Horde. From what it seems, the church and Horde may be working together to control the world. If this is true, we may not have a chance after all. The church has numbers, and the Horde have power. We, the Chosen, are the only ones in their way.

I continued down the path. Before I detected the Horde, I was heading for a small village named Teigen. There I would stay until the church once again located me. I chose Teigen because I heard rumors that there was a Chosen one in hiding there. If he or she was dead, or alive, I did not know, but I decided it would be wise to at least check. The more of us that are together, the stronger we are. The church, and Horde know that. As soon as they learn the position of a Chosen one, they send legions to seek and kill. Many times they burned entire villages, leaving no one alive. Not even the children are spared.

I walked through the night, silently, and calmly. I listened for any noise, but besides the wind, there was a dead silence. I wondered if everyone was dead, and I was the last one alive. Under these circumstances, that was possible. The Horde is spreading faster day by day. For all I knew, this village I was heading to was nothing more than a heap of burning debris. I hoped it wasn't. I prayed it wasn't.

When the church finds me again, what would be next? Would I run away again, only for the cycle to repeat? It seemed that our quest was futile. Run... hide... repeat. As this happens, the situation grows worse. When will the turning point begin? Or has it already happened, and I missed it? Was I fighting a battle that was already lost?

Many more questions shot through my head, but I couldn't give in to the doubt. I had a job, to fight the Horde to the end, to save as many souls as possible. Where I stop, another will continue. I wondered if I would see the day that this all ended, the day that peace will once again rule the land. It will come, this I know, but would I be able to see the day? How much will I have to sacrifice?

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