BBYW Vol. 4 Chapter 2 (WN)
Chapter 2 – The Desert’s Black Lion
“Terror Armies”.
The abhorrent hordes of undead creatures this moniker referred to, first appeared one hundred years ago.
There were barely any records in history regarding the circumstances behind their existence. The reason was simple: where the dreadful horde appeared, the surrounding civilizations were soon brought to ruin. It was thus difficult to not only discover their origins, but also leave any records behind.
One known fact was that they appeared from the river flowing in the middle of the desert.
At the time, a massive country existed along the river. The country, which controlled the city-states built around the oasis of the area, was thought to be an empire that would last for millennia.
Its demise, however, came all of a sudden. The hordes of living dead creatures appeared, as if the gates of the underworld had opened, and brought the kingdom to ruin.
The momentum of the “Terror Armies” did not stop there, though: they proceeded to every oasis in the area, devastating the city-states in their wake.
Like the progenitors of House Sphinx, few survivors managed to escape, but most of the desert’s inhabitants were either swallowed by the hordes or perished during the harsh desert crossing.
The “Terror Armies” decimated the people of the desert, but did not seem to be appeased at all: they started chasing the escaping survivors, proceeding more and more toward the east.
Eventually, they reached the then small “Lamperouge Alliance”, which was forced to confront this new menace, as dangerous as the Baal Empire.
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““HAAAAAHH!!!””
Valon’s shamshir raged. It was a blow meant to kill, but the undead creature before him parried it with the sword it held in its right hand.
“FoOlIsh hUmAn!! AcCEpt YOUr pUNisHMEnt!!!”
“Silence, filth of the desert!! Return to the dust whence you came from!!”
The wilting undead swung its right arm, and Valon countered. Their swords clashed violently, sending sparks flying on the fortress walls.
The creature Valon was fighting was called a “Lord class” undead.
Most of the “Terror Armies” creatures did not seem to possess any intelligence or personality, and simply chased after the living, following their instincts. However, one in every few thousand appeared to retain part of their memories and personality from when they were alive. Many such exceptions had performed great deeds in their former life, as masters of their craft or heroes, making them all the more dangerous to humanity.
The Lord class undead before Valon was about 2 meters tall, wore a robe resembling an ancient priest and light armor, much like a templar knight.
“Why do you loathe people so much? Why hate the living? What have we ever done to you!?”
“SiLEnce, SiLEncE, SIIILEEENCEEE!!! CloSE YOUr mOuTh and PERish!! UnLEsS alL LiFe eNDs, oUr MaSTer’S FuRy sHAlL nEVer dIMINISH!! We sHAlL nEveR bE FrEe!!”
The templar-like undead raised its sword high, as if to interrupt Valon’s words. Its twig-like arms creaked, as it swung down and unleashed a powerful slash.
“HEaH!!”
The strike could have cleaved a boulder in two. However, Valon deflected it with the side of his shamshir, with ease.
Curved blades were normally specialized in slashing, so they were not well suited for defense. Valon’s exceptional visual acuity, however, allowed him to see through his opponent’s attack and parry such a lethal strike.
“GuWAh!?”
“It’s over.”
The templar was wide open: Valon stepped to the side of the creature, cutting through its body with the shamshir. The undead’s torso was separated from its abdomen, and it crumbled to the ground.
“ImPReSsIve…”
Exhaling words of praise, the creature soon turned to dust.