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Endless War (Spyke LionxKayLove)

Jade's lips drew back exposing her teeth at Vorkus, "I'll show you eye-candy with your head rolling down the-" she growled but wasn't able to finish as Elegra placed a hand on her shoulder in a tight vice while Daphne held her ground with a hand on her blade behind Elegra. But her own face was brewing with dark ferocity and fierce rage surfacing ever so slowly like to molten lava just below the surface. If her eyes could kill Vorkus would be on the ground with a hole through his head.

When Ortega said her name she whipped her attention back to the commander and slammed a fist on the table as he finished. "My people," her voice was dark and her hair seemed to burn with the lights, "My women," she glared at Vorkus before returning her attention to Ortega, "Will not only take the front lines tomorrow but we will win this battle," with one strong bound of her legs she jumped onto the table, stepping on the map with her boots and headed towards the door, not wanting to pass through the men around the table so she simply went over seeing as it was the easiest way to get through, "All your men will need to do is clean the blood from the cobblestones." she said as she landed on the other side and headed to the tent door, her two officers doing the same as their leader.

"Pigs.." mumbled Daphne, and at the moment Elegra couldn't agree more.

"And you," she said as Elegra neared the black knight at the door, she placed her hand on his chest for one brief moment and shoved, only hard enough to maybe nudge him maybe not even that, "Don't get in my way." she said looking up at his blue eyes with her own gold ones before storming out of the tent and towards her own campsite to inform her women of what they were going to be doing tomorrow and to make sure they all knew that it was a day to prove themselves to these beasts.
 
"Congratulations, Vorkus..." Ortega remarked distastefully, shooting a glance at the officer. "You pissed off the amazons. Are you happy now?" The officers all looked at one another, giving a very slight shrug in response. Their doubts were still high, and each of them were still unsure of the amazon warriors. Vorkus may have been a little rough, but he was still their voice. Vorkus may not be the perfect man, and he was rude above all us. But Ortega couldn't ignore his prowess in battle, and his hands-on tactics were nearly invaluable to win this war.

"I just said what we're all thinking, sir." Vorkus replied, shifting his eyes over towards the black knight. He quickly scowled, keeping his arms crossed. "So what about this battle-hungry mongrel?" He asked angrily, raising an eyebrow. "What part shall this battle-crazy idiot play tomorrow?" Haine shot Vorkus a look that Elegra had given him not too long ago, and Vorkus found himself taking a slight step back like before.

"Haine." Ortega stated, looking up at the large knight at the entrance of the tent. "Like always, I'll have you in the front lines tomorrow, but you'll be fighting alongside them."

"...Of course." Haine snarled quietly, gripping his hands into fists at his sides. "I don't need help to do this, old man."

"Although I believe in their skills, I still want to win this battle." Ortega remarked with a sigh. "If anything, I know that if you're deep in the battle, we have a higher chance of coming out the victors. That, and we can't have the battle be won by the women alone. If I didn't have at least one of my warriors fight with them, we would all look bad." The officers all shook their head knowingly, and even Vorkus didn't complain.

"Fine." Haine stated roughly, spinning on his heel. "I'm only doing this for the battle, old man." With that, he shoved open the flap of the tent, walking out into the camp. Like before, the soldiers gathered around shifted each of their glances over towards him, and he found himself being greeted with fearful eyes and angry scowls. Normally, Haine would ignore them and keep on, but he was particularly irritated this night. Angrily, he reached out, grabbing the breastplate of one of the soldiers and brought him in close, lifting him off of his feet and into the air.

"You got a problem?!" Haine growled. "Huh?!" The soldier whimpered in fear before the black knight tossed him back, the soldier landing in a small puddle of mud. With that, Haine tossed his cloak to his back and pressed on, marching down the middle of the camp.
 
Elegra was fuming, but she had to admit her exit was a bit over dramatic even for her tastes, Jade and Daphne's words went in one ear and out the other, she acknowledged them but she was focused on how to make sure they won this battle. Her thoughts going through all of her training and different scenarios in her head all coming out with a similar outcome. They would win. They had to.

"We have to ready the arrows, make sure we have enough to cover out women." said Jade

"We will have them, make sure they are out of the fire of the others, make sure they have blades with them to follow after all arial men are taken out." replied Daphne, "We won't give them a chance to retaliate and storm them as soon as the arrows are flying."

"Exactly." Elegra said with a nod to both the women, "We can climb the wooden defensive easily, no need to even make them open the gates but I want them open as soon as we are over. The less energy we have to exert the better." she said just as they entered the small woman's campsite.

With a sharp whistle Elegra exerted it was a key signal for everyone to gather. And she spoke with her women. "We are to go into battle tomorrow at mid day," she spoke in their language, pacing before her people, with her officers helping explain.

"Archers are needed. The multi-arrowed women are to be protected from projectiles until all enemy archers are taken out." said Jade, already picking up her own long bow and inspecting it

Daphne spoke next, "We will need to get the gate down, or make sure we keep it down, however the wall is made of wood so we will most likely be able to climb it with our equipment and take out any resistance quickly before their main forces even know we are there."

"We start out as stealth and end with brute force battle." Elegra said with a rise of her fist, "Get rest my warriors for tomorrow we prove ourselves to these heathens called men." she said and got a responding small but strong cheer back at her.

"Help prepare the women," Said Elegra, "I am going to meditate and make sure I'm not forgetting anything. Make sure we have shifts on duty tonight, I don't want any unwelcome guests to wander into the campsite tonight." she told the officers with knowing looks before they headed off shouting commands and making sure everyone was doing as they should.

Elegra paced outside her tent for a couple more minutes, every so often a warrior coming up to her to ask her a simple question. Even though she knew she should sit an calm her nerves but couldn't help but feel like there were ants under her skin, she hated to think about the fact that these men did not believe in her skills, even worse they were going to have to prove themselves or die trying. Raking a hand through her wild red hair she picked up her swords and started to swing them in her methodical routine, a blur of steel before her and around her every so often clanging against one another in a block.
 
Haine continued to stomp his way down through the camp, his mind swimming with multiple thoughts. He wasn't particularly worried about the battle tomorrow- he never was. The nervousness that soldiers would get on the night of a great battle was unknown to him, and he only recognized the thrill of the fight that raced up his spine. Once again he would prove his existence by giving his all and surviving, striking down his lesser enemies without blinking. Like before, he would charge head on into the battle, swinging his massive weapon. Like always, he would spill the blood and lives of all those who opposed him.

And that was all he lived for.

Haine absentmindedly walked by the amazon's camp, giving them a glance every so often. It appeared that the redhead had barked her orders, her troops scurrying to prepare for the fight to come. The officers were preparing the troops in an orderly fashion, and he spotted numerous soldiers sharpening their arrows or checking their bows. It had been a while since there had been such fire in this unit, and it was a disgusting thought that it had to come from the female warriors.

Towards the back of the camp rested a certain, black curtained tent. It was slightly larger than the rest, with dirt stains and such staining its exterior. With a sigh, Haine shoved back the small entryway and stepped into his temporary abode. It was exactly like he had left it, his bedroll sprawled out on the side with a few barrels of supplies and a chair near the front of the tent. With a sigh, Haine took his seat, dropping his heavy sword onto the ground beside him. There he could watch the camp in total darkness, observing the soldiers going about and preparing. He wasn't a leader- he was just a single soldier. He didn't need to check them to make sure they were ready... that job belonged to their officers.

Leaning back, he snagged a small knife from his belt and reached over to grab a strange wooden shape resting on top of the barrel. Holding them together he whittled, his eyes closely watching his work.

"Soon." He said to himself in his deep voice.

With that, he waited until the next day arrived.
 
The night wore on as Elegra slowly but surely calmed herself and made one more round to check on everyone, as well as assigning an hourly change of watches to make sure that no one got less than 7 hours of sleep but still had a good nights sleep. And now it would be her turn as she ducked into her small tent and unrolled her bed, before she unclipped her armor, it fell to the ground to reveal her simple short black dress that she slept in. Every time she was on a mission she felt exposed when taking off her armor but for tonight she wanted to wait until the battle started to keep her armor on at all times.

Elegra laid in the small bed and fell asleep quickly, as always when she was waiting to fight. She usually had dreams through and tonight was no different. Her dreams started immediately and suddenly she was in the middle of battle. There were women around her, fighting, bloodied, and war cries ringing in her ear. She stood in the middle of it all, her hair knotted and dripping with blood, swiping her hand across her face she either smeared blood across her cheek or applied more, she didn't know which.

Suddenly there was a dark beast in her view, it moved with deadly accuracy and always seemed to hit its mark. As she walked closer the battle raged on in slow motion around her, she leaped over dead bodies and ducked under swinging swords. She reached the dark knight and walked up to him, close enough to see the white of his eyes as she stood in between his great sword and carefully watched him, he moved with a feral grace that she knew no one could tame... But why was he that way? She saw such skill in his every move but it was only used for destruction. Everything she was against being he was.

Suddenly the dream became real time and his great sword swung back straight at her midsection. But before the blade could break the skin she woke with a ragged breath and sat straight up in her bed, her hair sticking to the back of her neck and her green eyes wildly glancing around her tent to make sure she was alone before standing and grabbing the dagger under her pillow and heading out of her tent without putting any shoes or armor on.

She didn't know what she was doing, nor did she have time to think about it. She simply wanted something answered. She stuck to the shadows of the pre-dawn night, she knew the sun would be up in no time so she wanted to hurry. She finally found what she was looking for, a tent off to the side of the others, black, dirtied, and slightly larger than the others.

She headed straight towards it, blade in hand and she quietly stepped up to the entrance and slipped into the tent through the smallest opening as to not make noise or have light shine through. She stood at the entrance for what seemed like a few minutes but could have been seconds as she let her eyes adjust and looked quickly at the surroundings. A chair, to her right as well as the huge blade lying on the ground. She then looked at the figure lying on the bedroll before her on the other side.

Taking a deep breath she moved into a defensive stance as she crept forward towards the large blanket covered figure.
 
Haine had worked on the small wooden object for a few more hours, littering the floor of the tent with it's small shavings. Finally, he decided that it was time to get some rest. Although his stamina was infamous, it didn't mean that he didn't require any rest. Glancing about, making sure that no one was creeping about, he closed the flaps to his tent and stood in its center, moving his gauntlets to grab at the clasps of his armor. Piece by piece it thumped to the ground, creating indents in the dirt where they had landed. The armor was indeed heavy, but it wasn't anything the large man couldn't handle. When all the metal had been removed, Haine tossed his cloak onto the pile, clad only in a pair of black trousers.

Cracking his neck from side to side, Haine laid down onto the bedroll, hooking his arms behind his head. Hearing nothing but chirping crickets and the rushing river close by, Haine closed his icy blue eyes, his vision being coated in complete darkness. Sleeping wasn't something that came easily to him, and with the thrill of the battle approaching him quickly it was hard to keep his blood from boiling.

"Not too much longer..." He said to himself quietly before letting the grasp of sleep overtake him.

----

Years of fighting experience taught Haine and his body many things... and one of them was being a very light sleeper. He heard the sound of a foot stepping down lightly onto the woodshavings, and his eyes immediately opened wide. Without his armor, Haine moved significantly faster, whipping the small blanket into the air, darting over to where his large sword lay on the ground. His hand quickly grasped its heavy hilt, bringing it up into the air to prepare it to meet his assailant. He was ready, his eyes focusing-

It was the amazon.

Haine frowned, quickly relaxing, straightening his body up into the tent with his head almost touching the ceiling. Still, he kept his grip tight on his large sword, refusing to release his beloved weapon. What was she thinking, walking in on his tent like this?! He never had any night visitors, and he was just a moment away from engaging into another battle with the amazon. Not that he minded, but this was hardly the place or time for that.

"You." Haine glared coldly. "What do you want?"
 
Elegra swore under her breath but she stood still as the knight swiftly moved to grab his sword and raised her hands, but not dropping the small but deadly blade in her hand as she watched him straighten and ask why she was here.

"I'll drop mine if you drop yours Knight." She said softly, " I'm not here to fight you, good to know that even a warrior like you sleeps once and a while." She told him as she waited to see if he dropped his blade before she got rid of her own. She noted the state that he was in, no armor, just a very battle toned warrior stood before her. Now that she saw what was under the armor she could see exactly why he was so capable to swing that huge blade as well as why men were so scared of him.

Her eyes came back to the cold eyes looking upon her, no doubt he had seen her looking at him but she hadn't been very subtle either. "Why are your men so frightened of you?" She asked, "do you live such a closed life that you do not make any connections with the men that you go into battle with?" She asked as her hands lowered and she flicked her blade to the side and into the grassed ground at the foot of his bed.

She crossed her arms in front of her, "If I am to go into battle with you Knight..." Her words drifted off and she decided not to finish as she sighed before him, her eyes praising him still wondering if she really had come here for no reason.
 
Haine hesitated for a brief moment, staring into her golden eyes. Again, this was not the most ideal place to fight, and he doubted that the amazon would pull something on him. Although she was a woman she was indeed an honorable warrior, and wouldn't use her weapon on someone unarmed... not that he was afraid. He stood, continuing to scowl at her before he lifted his sword, quickly releasing his grip. His sword hit the ground hard, making the earth below them tremble, shaking the cloth flaps of his tent around them.

He wished not to, but he listened to her, continuing to frown through her words. "My men?" He questioned, tiling his head to the side to feel a crack pop at the top of his spine. "They aren't my men, and they're hardly my comrades. We may go into battle as one, but they're nothing but burdens. They slow the swing of my sword, and if they aren't careful they'll get caught in the blade." Haine didn't smile, nor laugh at his statement. He was serious.

"When one is given the position of 'Black Knight' it isn't an honorable title, nor does it command respect. It's given to one who is feared by both allies and enemies alike, and those who wear the armor are destined to take lives and fall in the midst of combat." He whipped out his chair, taking a seat right in front of her. Even sitting down, his height was rather comparable to her. He grabbed at the small wooden object he was whittling on earlier, carefully grabbing the small knife he used to work on it.

"I don't need to build connection with any of them." Haine stated coldly, scraping the knife against the wood. "Relationships will only make you weaker. Having to worry about the man surviving next to you is a weakness, something that I don't have. I have no desire to protect the weak, or shield my allies. All I need is to kill and survive. That is the purpose of my existence."

He continued to flick off shavings, his icy blue eyes drifting up to glance at Elegra. "Ortega asked me to fight alongside you on the front lines, and I will. Don't expect me to watch anyone's back, and I don't expect anybody to watch mine. Just leave me alone, and let me fight."
 
"I find that very hard to believe Haine." she told him her eyes never leaving him, even if he did not look back at her she made sure he could feel her eyes on him as she stood, "No man can simply live to fight. Even though us Amazons boast that is what we live for it is not possible." she told him watching as his knife dug into the piece of widdled wood in his hands. "I don't see why you should think such bleak things, to have the name of 'Black Knight' should come with the fear of your enemies even if that fear is from the people you fight for but the respect from the knowledge that you could end them in a moments notice." she said not really knowing where she was going with that but said it anyways, this world was not her own, she had no voice, no power over how things worked and she could only offer her thoughts on the matter.

"I don't expect you to watch out for anyone's back, mine the least, that is my job to watch over my people and make sure that if anyone gets cut down that their lives are not spent in vain," she scoffed but her expression again returned to one of seriousness, "But I will have you know that I will be there, I will be the one watching you, fighting along side you on those lines. And I will not leave you alone Haine, Black Knight, whatever you want me to call you, I will be the one you go into battle with, fight along side for the rest of this miserable war. This is not a game I play," as she spoke she stepped closer cocking her head to the side, like a cat does when examining pray and she placed her hands on either side of the barrel behind his chair which was barely visible over his wide shoulders but she did it anyways, "I play this game to win and I expect to have the best damn knight on my side, and that just so happens to be you in this damned situation," she said and leaned down until she was nose to nose with him, forcing him to look at her. Elegra's red hair fell over her shoulder and draped down just barely grazing his exposed chest. "Is that alright with you knight?" she asked the t at the end pronounced sharply.
 
Haine whittled away, but listened to Elegra closely. It was clear that they both didn't understand each other in a way. Elegra probably couldn't understand how Haine could live the life the way he did, moving from battle to battle without a reason or purpose to fight and using that as an excuse for his existence... and Haine couldn't understand how Elegra could fight with such obstacles at her side, how her care for her comrades managed to push her. There were a million thoughts scrambling in Haine's head, hundreds of different arguments blazing about in his mind... but what would be the use? They were different, more opposite than anything.

The Black Knight frowned like he always did, and when she finished he prepared his remarks. Haine slowly glanced up, feeling the amazon spread her presence around him, closely moving her body over towards him. Although she was a warrior, her feminine scent drew into his nostrils, letting him know just how close she was. Then suddenly, the next thing he knew was that he was face to face her with, their noses just a hair's breath away. Whether she noticed it or not, he tensed up slightly, suppressing the memory of an old emotion that had scarred his body deeper than any flesh wound. There was a slight tightening in his throat but he ignored it, gritting his teeth to attempt to shove that memory back as far as he could.

For some reason, he got the feeling that she wasn't going to leave him alone so easily.

"Victory... means nothing to me..." He stated, glaring back into her eyes. "Whether this battle is won or not, I will endure and survive. If it means I have to stand on a mountain of corpses, so be it. This is the kingdom's war, not mine. I live only for the battlefield, and I don't care which side will win. Either way, I'll leave to find another war to prove myself in." Suppressing the trembling emotion within, Haine pressed forward, his forehead lightly bumping itself into Elegra's, their two heads together as he looked her straight in the eyes.

"I know full well that we'll have to fight beside one another, and neither of us want it. Just stay out of my way, leave me alone, and let me do what I do best." With that being said he jerked his head back, quickly rejecting the feeling of being touched.

Angrily, Haine had to note how... enticing this amazon was. Although his body refused almost any physical contact of any kind, the beauty of this woman wasn't something to be underestimated, and that itself was a danger. He took a deep breath, making one last attempt to block that memory and to relax his body and nerves.

"Now answer my question." Haine scowled, furrowing his eyebrows. "Why did you approach me now? I'm sure that there are better times to discuss this... it's nearly dawn."
 
Elegra listened intently to his words but couldn't help but feel the slight shock that coursed through her when their foreheads touched. Her eyes flashed a deadly gold as his words hit her, he would perpetually be fighting? Was that all he wanted in life? She had to admit it didn't sound horrible to be on ones own simply wishing to fight as well as win a losing fight.

Taking a deep breath she leaned back away from him, still standing close with her hands on her hips. She slowly let out her breath as she thought of if any lesser man had been the one for her to do that too.. Well she knew men for how they generally were. And his reaction wasn't one that she was used to. This frustrated her for some reason, although the man in front of her caused every nerve in her body to want to fight him she could help but acknowledge the challenge and mentally store it away for now.

The amazon crossed her arms over her chest as she thought about his question for a moment before answering, "I came to assess your loyalties as well as if I could trust you." she couldn't help herself, she ran her index finger down the side of his arm as she spoke, "I had a dream. It seems to have become less clear in the past few minutes but there will come a time when you have to chose something other than war for your life Haine... As for the time, well, you still have some time before we meet in the battle field." she said this in a soft voice, her eyes watching her slowly trailing finger, seeing possible futures was not something she practiced, only her mother did. But the goddess had sent her a message, although she didn't quite know what it meant yet she could for certain say that this war might change the whole being of the lands as they knew it.
 
"A dream?" Haine questioned, peering at her strangely in the darkness of the tent. So it appeared she had a dream that concerned him on the battlefield... to him, it was skeptical. The legends say that the amazon goddess Floria would often speak to her warriors through visions and dreams, though it wasn't something Haine would waste his time with. The only dreams that were existed to him were nightmares and of him in battle. Still, what the amazon had was only just a dream, and he shouldn't bother dwelling on it.

"There is nothing for me to choose, amazon." Haine furrowed his brow, gritting his teeth visibly. "You're just like Ortega... he always has to intrude on my way of life, always trying to preach his 'protection of the weak', and how there is always something else to live for. For me, there is nothing, and I prefer it that way." Haine took the small wooden object and blew on it, the dust and scraps fluttering away into the air.

Haine flinched, feeling her finger trace down his bare arm. Her touch was tender soft and tender, not as aggressive as he would think it would be. He simply ignored it for the time being, staring back up into her eyes. "I'll fight alongside you for as long as I have to, amazon. For now, we share the same enemies, we'll shed the same blood and fight with the same armies. But if there comes a time when I find you on the other side, I won't hesitate to continue our fight." He lightly bright his hand up to touch his still healing wound, wincing at the light throbbing.
 
"Nothing..." she let a sarcastic chuckle escape her lips as her fingertip fell from his skin, "That can be a cruel sentence Knight. Especially when you are the one inflicting your own sentence upon yourself." she told him as she backed away and towards the door, her hand pulled at the opening flap but not before she saw his hand move to the healing wound on his cheek. She closed her eyes tightly once before opening them again and looking at the shaving scattered ground instead of him, "I would never kill a great fighter such as you Haine. It would be far too much of a waste... And that seems to be your goal isn't it? Death?... No, I would never give you the pleasure of dying by my blade."

And with that the fire haired amazon slipped out of the room and left the black knight to his thoughts just as the sun peeked over the horizon casting faint gold beams into her face. She hadn't wanted to say those words to him but she had anyways, her own will once again defying her mind. She headed swiftly back to the women's campsite, heading straight for her self appointed tent, noting that women were already stirring from within their tents but she blocked out the noise and laid wit her golden eyes closed. She tried to block out what was to come in the next hours but she couldn't get the coldest blue eyes she had ever seen out of her mind.
 
Haine watched her leave with silence, his hand remaining on his cheek. Whatever the case, she said what she wanted to say. He was still surprised that she approached him- most officers would completely leave him alone, throwing him onto the front lines where he belonged. Some, like Vorkus, would intentionally send him into the thick of it, tossing him into the most dangerous zones of the battle. Still, for her to approach him on her own and to walk into his tent even... that was something new. Shaking his head, the Black Knight sighed quietly, the light of the coming dawn shining through the small gaps in his tent.

He slowly stood up, lifting the small wooden object to his face. The first half of the flute was finished, the holes scraped out perfectly. Now, he just needed to finish the other side and tie them together. With that, he set it and his knife on top of the barrel behind him.

He wondered why he even kept such a hobby.

Haine then took the time to assemble his armor, piecing the heavy metal plates on one-by-one. With the excitement of the new battle taking place there was no way he would fall asleep, and he felt the need to report to Ortega anyway. After a long few minutes, his armor was finally clasped onto his body, his black cloak hanging down from his back. Reaching down, he grabbed the hilt of his sword, swinging it over to slide into the metal clip that kept it steady underneath his cloak on his back. With that, Haine lifted the flap and left his tent.

Some of the soldiers were already awake, doing last minute preparations for combat. The camp wasn't quite bustling, but more and more soldiers were emerging from their tents as time passed. Haine made his way through the camp, the soldiers too busy to even glance or scowl at him.
 
Elegra spent as much time as she could afford in her tent starring up at the faded green fabric as she hummed to herself, it was only a simple song that her mother used to sing to her but it always seemed to help her focus on the problems at hand. She even started to sing softly as the sun casts lazy shadows across her tent and she began to get dressed. She could already hear the words of her women around the campsite preparing everything for battle. She slipped on her armor with ease, tightening them to fit securely against her frame, it felt so right to be protected by the metal that she had watched being made for years upon years.

As she braided her hair down her back she stepped from her tent to make sure everything was going as planned. "Have you eaten?" she would often ask when coming upon a woman sharpening their weapons and if not she would get them something to eat quickly. Or coming upon one of the younger warriors who seemed nervous she would stop them in their tracts and force them to take a breath with her, "The goddess will watch, protect, and strengthen you. As will I." she would say, gripping their upper arms, and it seemed to calm them. While most seasoned veterans would come up to Elegra and clasp her on the shoulder and be so excited for a battle ahead, "Die with honor!" they would say to one another, with a laugh, knowing, well more like hoping, that that would not come to be. But either way she thought that her women were ready.

The day wore on and noon arrived quickly and with her officers preparing the lines she headed to the men's camp to find Ortega to notify him that they were ready. She passed by many men who moved out of her way as she walked by while some seemed to stare with no remorse. At the moment though she couldn't blame them, her blades strapped to her back as well as several small throwing daggers hidden but easy to access, her armor gleamed from head to toe simply asking to be tarnished, her hair was as red as the blood she was about to shed, one of her women had painted a green line under her eyes as well as around her arms and any exposed skin, this made her eyes look far more green than should be natural. She was pleased with the effect that she was having.
 
Haine spotted Ortega's tent coming up quickly, and his armor clinked together as he made his way over. "Good morning, Black Knight." A disgusted, sarcastic voice called over his shoulder. Haine stopped in his tracks, moving his head to glance slightly back. There stood Vorkus, covered in his ceremonial office garb with his two guards posted by his side, their helmets hiding their faces. Ortega looked rather clean for a battle, his black hair combed at the top of his head. Vorkus's rudeness and arrogance was only matched by his on the fly ability to lead, and his fighting ability was also something to take note of. For Ortega, he was in-expendable.

"What do you want, Vorkus?" Haine frowned, his clear distaste for the officer visible on his face. "I have no time for your pointless mockings."

"Don't talk down to me, brute." Vorkus glared in response. "Unlike you, I fight for the kingdom. I fight for the greater good, and I fight for Ortega. You simply swung around that hunk of metal, and that thing hardly classifies as a sword. For the sake of our army, I hope that an enemy arrow just happens to find your forehead, Black Knight. And if it doesn't, I may be inclined to do it myself."

"You talk big, Vorkus." Haine stated coldly. "You've seen me... in one swing, I can kill you and your little guards at your sides before you could even bark out an order. Would you want a display from me?" The two guards that clung to Vorkus both gave each other nerves glances, placing their hands on their swords and taking a step back.

"Enough!" Ortega shouted, throwing open the flaps to his tent. "I don't need one of my best officers and my best warrior killing each other before a battle. Vorkus, get your men in formation and make sure they're prepared. Haine, grab your horse and make your way to the amazon camp. You'll be taking point in the charge, and I need you to save that bloodlust for the fight."
 
She found Ortega just in time to hear him breaking up a fight like a parent would with children, but in this case he was sending them off to a battle instead of the corner. She stayed back and observed for a moment, the tension between Vorkus and Haine, more so Vorkus, was palpable. It still escaped her mind why someone would want to poke a sleeping bear but then again it might give you an excuse to kill said bear.

"Ortega!" she called over as she approached the commander her eyes meeting his, "My women are ready whenever your men are through bickering like a couple of old hens." she said giving a disapproving look towards Vorkus, "And just because I am allowing him to take point does not mean I need your men to interfere with my women. Make them pick off stranglers or something." she waved her hand at the men , "Either way, we are ready to leave when you are." she told him, waiting for acknowledgement before she headed back to her camp pushing two men, who were dumbfounded by her looks, out of her way as she did so.

Her officers already had every woman in formation, from their weapons to war paint, they were ready for battle. She gave a loud whistle before holding her closed fist up in the air and she was rewarded with a responding cheer as well as hands in the air. Oh she did love the sound of ready warriors.
 
Ortega greeted Elegra with a smile, bowing his when she approached him. Ortega was dressed in the armor he had worn ever since he joined, and it was covered with small nicks and dents. The commander wasn't much of a front line fighter as he used to be, but he made sure that he would fight alongside his men as he always did. However, Elegra was taking point in this operation, and he may not shed as much blood himself that day. Still, he couldn't allow the amazons to fight on their own, and he already had a few other strategies in mind for that.

"Agreed. Don't worry, Elegra. My men shall be far from your force, but we'll be doing our duty. Rest assured, you and your amazons won't be fighting alone. I'll finish preparing the men, and I'll give out the remaining orders." With that, Ortega turned, running off to finish his morning errands.

The previous night, the men didn't really think much of the amazons. But seeing them in their war paint, armor, and taking their formations was taking them back. They were organized, their weapons clean and ready for combat. If they didn't look intimidating the night before, they sure were now. Even Vorkus had nothing to say, passing by their camp with a frown on his face. His own warriors weren't nearly as disciplined as the amazonian force.

Haine approached the main formation on his horse, his giant sword hanging off the side on his back, his black cloak swinging about. He caught sight of Elegra, who's fist raised a loud, bellowing cheer from her warriors. Whatever the case, he trotted his large black horse over to her side, pulling on the reins to cease its movement.

"This will be an easy fight." Haine said to himself, looking over at her warriors. He had almost wished he was on the enemy side, facing down this well-disciplined, highly trained army. That, and he would be able to draw his blade against the redhead herself, taking her on in that thrilling battle that had yet to be concluded. He shot her a glare before turning his horse, the sound of horns blaring throughout the camp.

"The army is ready to move." Haine stated, his eyebrows furrowing. "The battle is to the east." They horns echoed in the air once more, and Haine could spot the large formation of Ortega's army on the move, marching straight down the middle of the camp. Ortega stood at the front with his horse, his gleaming helmet fitted atop his head.
 
Elegra barely glanced as the sound of hooves approached her side but she did look up to see the beast of a horse beside her with its rider atop, nothing short of the permanent scowl on his features when he spoke. "I know it will be," she said, her words full of strength as she too got on her horse and began to move out just as the horns were blared.

Her officers rode on each side of the battalion of women while Elegra and Haine rode in front. She couldn't help the knots in her stomach that always accompanied her when she rode into battle. Maybe it was the idea of killing, or more likely it was the idea of one of her people being killed, she didn't know. All she knew that she didn't fear death, rather she feared failing her people. Failure was not an option of the amazons at least not in this battle.

She glanced to her side at the Knight, she never thought she would be saying this but she was ever so slightly glad to have a warrior such as him at her side. He was a force to be reckoned with, she knew that first hand, and she was sure that the devil himself would have to come take his life if he even wanted it.

"Do you feel the excitement of battle?" she asked returning her eyes forward as they rode at a steady pace.
 
Haine followed Elegra sighed by side as they rode out, their army marching steadily behind them. There were few clouds in the sky, and the sun was continuing its climb. This was still considered early, and with luck they would still be able to catch the enemy by surprise. Not that it mattered to Haine, however. A fight was a fight, and nothing would change. Haine took a moment to take a deep breath, closing his eyes to ready his senses. He heard the sound of hooves trotting over the grass, the sound of hundreds of soldiers moving in their armor. He felt the chilly morning air through his armor, and the light warmth of his sun touching his face. He could smell oil and smoke in the air, and he could almost taste the morning dew.

It was a fine day for bloodshed.

Haine glanced over at Elegra, noting her small remark. "I do." He responded, shifting his gaze forwards. "But it has yet to thrill me. Until I draw this sword and strike down the first man, I won't be fazed." The blood in his body had yet to boil, and his muscles did not yet ache to hold his mighty weapon. He was calm for the moment, but soon it would leave him.

After a few moments of riding, the army formations split before them, cutting off left and right. "This must be Ortega's plan." Haine stated, watching the soldiers move around a series of rolling hills. "We'll be the force in the front to draw their attention while he sends his troops behind and to the sides." Haine watched carefully until the amazonian army was the only force that he saw in his view, climbing a particularly large hill in the center of the plains.

A rider coming from the distance caught Haine's attention, galloping over to the Black Knight and the amazon. He stopped before them, pulling on the horses reins to bring it to a stumbling stop. "The Commander's forces are getting in position." The messenger spoke, pointing a finger up the large hill they would begin to climb. "The town is just down the other side of the hill. The enemy camp is placed in front as we had thought, and it appears that none of the enemy archers are yet in position. The commander wants me to inform you that you'll take the lead, and he'll send in the rest of his troops when you've grabbed their full attention. In the meantime, he wants you to reach the top of the hill to await his signal."
 
Elegra watched in silence as the wind whipped her hair behind her and they climbed the large hill, she nodded at the plans Ortega made, they were wise ones. They would keep the attention while the enemy was being enclosed upon, no one would get away to warn the enemy of their attack.

All of her women seemed to look eagerly upon the rider that appeared from the distance, shifting from one foot to another and looking upon the hilly landscape that was so unlike their home. But Elegra didn't let that bother her and she hoped that by keeping her steal visage it wouldn't bother her amazons either. They were warriors and good ones, they would fight till their last breath.

The rider spoke quickly but clearly and she nodded, glancing back at her approaching officers who caught what the messenger was saying. "My women will be waiting." she replied and dismissed the messenger.

"Jade," she started to speak in her own language, "You will be the head for the archers to get into range, even though they are not readied yet, they will be." the blonde nodded with a wide smile and she went back to her position to where most of the archers stood with shields on their backs and bows at the ready, they were the best archers Elegra had ever seen.

"Daphne, Haine and I are taking point, bring up the rear and make sure none make it past you alive." she told her before turning back to face the hill before them.

"Yes, Priestess." replied Daphne in a soft yet audible voice as she took her place at the back of the women.

Elegra thought she misheard at first but no, she hadn't, Daphne just called her Priestess. And it was quite an honor, one didn't simply call the commander of a battalion of amazon women Priestess unless they truly believed she belonged in the place of power. Her heart gave a powerful thud and she took a deep breath before returning to the task at hand.

"Lets go, Knight." she told him, "First ten kills buys the other a drink." she said, in a half teasing voice before giving a signal with her hand in the air to move forward to reach the top and await his signal.
 
"Hmph." Haine grunted in response to Elegra, giving her something that wasn't quite close to a playful glance. Even now, he was able to contain himself for the moment. The fight was close, but he had to be patient for now. His anticipation built as they climbed higher and higher up the hill, hearing the footsteps of his horse and the amazons behind him. Haine took slow breaths, reaching one hand back to grip the hilt of his sword. Slowly, he slid it out the clasp that held it onto his back, gently swinging it out and holding it out solely with his left hand. Haine has always felt a certain presence when he held the large hunk of metal... it was not enchanted, nor was it cursed in a way, but he couldn't explain the exhilarating feeling.

When they finally reached the top of the hill, Haine caught full sight of the town below. It was still quite a distance away, but it was short ride on horseback. The walls surrounding the town weren't anything impressive, and they looked like they had been crudely made from stone and wood. Dozens of tents were camped in front of the gates, making it difficult for Haine to guess how many soldiers were exactly there. Still, that didn't matter to him... the more, the better.

On a opposing hill in the distance, Haine caught sight of Ortega's unit. Although they were far, Haine could point out Ortega's signal for them to wait. Perhaps Ortega's forces weren't fully in position yet? Or maybe he was just waiting for a specific time to rush in? Haine had no idea. The fight was right before him, waiting for him... calling for him. The Black Knight's blood finally began to boil, feeling like fire under his skin. His left hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, almost trembling with the strength.

"Damnit..." Haine growled to himself, his eyes glaring down at the enemy forces. They were unorganized, most likely grabbing breakfast at this time. He continuously glanced back and forth at Ortega and the town, growing more frustrated with every passing second.

And then the limit on his patience broke.

"Wait for his signal." Haine grinned devilishly. "I'm going to rough them up." And before anyone could call him back, he was gone, his horse storming down the hill with his sword being held out from his side. Ortega seemed to call out in the distance, but Haine couldn't hear him.

He had gone berserk.
 
Elegra sat upon her horse as still as a statue as they waited only barely glancing as the knight beside her unhooked his blade. She watched Ortega in the distance and kept her ears keen for the signal. Her women were silent as well, the calm before the storm she always assumed. She often wondered what went through her women's minds at this stage, she knew what went through hers, it was silent in her thoughts. She thought of nothing, it always seemed to make her forget about the fact that she was about to take so many lives.

Words beside her caused that nothing to crack, "What? Knight! Don't-!" she hissed at his back, even drawing one of her own blades, she almost raised her hand to signal for an archer to shoot him down but she doubted that would get past his armor so it would be a waste of a perfectly good arrow.

"Goddess damn him!" she said with blazing green eyes as his figure became smaller and smaller before her and she glanced back at Ortega and back at the dark clad knight. Their cover was blown, it was time to move, the bastard had done it.

With an ear breaking whistle Elegra signaled their advance and with that the battalion of women started down the hill after the knight, archers with arrows knocked, swords were being drawn and cries of war being sounded all behind the silent fire haired Amazon woman.
 
Haine's horse raced down the hill as fast as it could gallop, the Black Knight's cloak fluttering behind him with his massive sword held out to his side. He had spent too much time waiting, too much time visiting a foreign forest, opening negotiations, and dealing with Ortega and his officers. He hated standing around, he hated tactics, and he hated having to listen for others to give the go ahead. This wasn't the first time he had jumped into a battle, and it certainly wouldn't be his last. Haine had been kept under chains for too long, and it was finally time to let loose.

It was a given that he'd be seen, a lone soldier riding down the hill. At a glance, he looked insignificant... but up close, the enemy began to realize that he was the Black Knight. Soon, they caught a glimpse of the force charging behind him, raising their weapons to ready themselves for combat. The soldiers were still incredibly unorganized, and many of them had sprinted into their tents to try and get their armor as quickly as they could, clumsily strapping on the heavy plates. A few of the archers who had been paying attention impatiently fired off their arrows, aiming for the black-armored warrior. They easily missed, landing on the ground all around the horse, the sudden attack affecting their abilities.

And by then, Haine had reached the camp.

The first, unlucky soldier was standing by himself in the front of the camp, his hands shaking while holding a sword and shield. He let out a fierce cry, raising his shield as he charged at the horse. Haine's sword showed no mercy, the thick hunk of sharp metal swinging widely, breaking straight through the shield until it hit flesh. The blade easily cleaved through the soldier, and when his body hit the ground in two pieces Haine was already gone.

From horseback, Haine's large sword swung in a high, fast arc, and it didn't matter if his enemies were wearing armor or not. His heavy blade mercilessly slashed through their bodies like meat, splattering their blood over themselves and their comrades. Their disorganization kept them from perfectly surrounding the Black Knight, and loose arrows would do nothing but hit their comrades.

Finally, after plowing through numerous soldiers, Haine leaped off of his horse, finally landing on the ground on his own two feet. "I better have as much as I can before they get here..." He said to himself, devilishly grinning at the armed enemies that numbered around him, some wearing armor while most did not. "Just try and kill me!" Haine laughed loudly, the men rushing out at him.

This is what he had been waiting for.

Gripping the heavy sword with both hands Haine took in a deep breath, his muscles tightening while his blood boiled underneath his skin. With a loud roar, he swung his sword with his full strength, the massive blade sweeping in an arc in front of him. And, without any effort, the sword cleaved straight through three charging men, their swords and shields being shattered while their bodies were torn in half from the force. Their comrades could only gasp in horror from the sight, and the fear only increased when the rest of the force had joined the fight, the amazons soon to tear through them like paper.

This was what Haine lived for.
 
Elegra focused on the black clad figure before them, he was unstoppable his sheer strength causing him to smash and slash through their weak and ill prepared defenses. It was almost fascinating for Elegra, as this time she wasn't the one being swung at by that hunk of metal he called a sword.

Archers caught her eye as they closed in and she gave a command for the archers to fan out, they did, creating a semicircle around the front of the enemy campsite and started to fire arrows at anyone with a bow in hand. Their arrows were swift and true, but if you looked closely one would notice that they were holding their bows diagonally instead of traditionally. This allowed them to shoot usually two arrows at opposing angles, while the more talented, like Jade could shoot three. She was the best archer that Elegra knew. The archers fell back as the rest advanced, she swore she could feel the brush of an arrow against her cheek but she ignored it, last thing she wanted to do was turn her head and get impaled.

And then the amazons arrrived with the blood haired leader. Their faces were the first thing that Elegra noted, if they weren't too busy with the brute ahead of them, they looked upon her women with awe. But that soon faded to terror or a stone cold face of war. Elegra Jumped off of her horse drawing her blades swiftly and with both going in opposing directions she slit the neck of a gawking man, his blood spattered on her her cheek before she turned to slash another man across the chest. Her blades met flesh and sought it out with ease and they soon began to fall around her.

Her women let out a battle cry before they joined the battle, unlike Elegra, and soon the bodies of bested men were falling, some even running. But there was no escape.

The amazon caught sight of the dark night and threw three of her throwing daggers into the necks of the men that opposed him, they fell like flies, chocking on the metal of her people. The side her her mouth tilted up with the slight happy acknowledgment that she had killed men that were to be the knights.

And the war raged on, her blades were covered in dark blood, men quickly came to find that no matter how strong they were they wouldn't outmaneuver her, she twisted elegantly in battles such as these, keeping her eyes around her and on her people. None of her women had fallen yet. But she never truly took her eyes off of the knight, she continued to watch out of the corner of her eye.

Everything seemed to be going as planned, until she spotted a fettle moment in the corner of her eye, one of her amazons wielding a battle ax, younger, blood splattered on her arms, and wild brown hair was being backed up by a large man with a broad sword. At first she paid no mind, until she was being backed up into the range of the Knights sword.

Her breath caught as her thoughts raced, this might have been what her dream was warning about. She stabbed her current victim in the lower abdomen before ripping her blade free and sprinting in the direction of the knight and warrior, it seemed to take her forever to get there. With every back step of her amazon Elegra took two forward, leaping over dead bodies left behind by Haine.

In her own language she yelled to her amazon, "Hit the ground!" her voice was like ice, powerful and strong, the warrior glanced and without question did as she was told just as one of Elegra's throwing daggers flew from her hand and met its mark on the temple of the enemy warrior, he fell with a loud thud but she institutionally turned her boy and crossed her blades in front of herself and prepared for the blow from the Black Knight
 
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