Maximus forced his steel boot down hard. The metal crushed against a skull seeming to gasp for breath on the ground. The crunch was solid and satisfying. He looked down at one of the many to fall before him for just a moment and continued forward.
He loved this assignment. His whole career he had been an alpha wolf in a cage. Now, here, with no command, no control and no end to enemies he could fight. He was a fighter and he would be one until death claimed him on the field. He had envisioned his campaign into the graveyard as the campaign that may finally claim him, but it was a fight he thirsted for. It was unwinnable just like how it was impossible to take land from Geneva. Ha he scoffed in his head, cowards spend time thinking about what can't be done, Heroes do it.
This campaign was almost giving him what he hoped for true hundreds of his men were dead and thousands of undead lay destroyed beside them. And it almost did not happen. The regent considered the graveyard unwinable. It got worse after the scouts never returned. But when the mist left and the some scouts did return he learned of armies of undead lined up for days. He learned of horrors and nightmares made real walking the land. Such evil would never rest in one place, or so Maximus convinced the regent, eventually they would come for Draconia. Draconia's only hope was in preemptive strike. So here he was basking in Aries glory.
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The Crimson prince only slowly looked back from staring out the hole in his wall. A long pause filled the air -- long enough Arianna thought the Crimson Prince may not have heard him. Just before he could speak the Crimson Prince answered but upon hearing it Arianna wished he would have never spoke. The Crimson Prince said, "Let them come. She filled us with Joy and when she returned all was whole and right again. She has left yet a second time. It is better to be destroyed than to live with her memory."
Arrianna wished he would not have spoke because his words were so true that robbed him of his desire to fight back.
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Meeting with his senior staff in a forward operating base of the camp, General Maximus Testostourus evaluates his men and enemies. A Colonel responded, "I believe we'll find more resistance toward the center of the valley. According to reports and confirmed by the one called scout, there is a tower southwest of here houses a spirit that is suppose to be a leader of somesort. A prince that once led these people."
"If that is where Resistance will be that is where we will crush it. Though I don't think we can rely on the goblins for more than bait, they get so scared of the dead they become even less organized than the rabble."
"I have an idea of how to effectively use them General. Though it assumes you don't need any of them to survive and requires you to authorize large purchases of Whale oil."
"Done."
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He marched the men hard and marched himself harder. Until just before nightfall he could see the rumored tower. 
As the sun set hordes of undead began clawing their way out of their shallow graves. 
The priests of Aries has concrated and cleansed the land behind them so Maximus would not be caught by surprise. "LET THEM COME!" He said as officers began the quick and effective work of forming the men into legion ranks and shield walls. "Protect the archers." And the battle began.
The fight was against massive odds. The undead outnumbered them 3 to 1. Though they had no command or control and Maximus's men killed them in a 10 to 1 ratio. Inch by bloodly inch they crawled to the tower over the bones of vanquished enemies. Despite the carnage around him the General began to grow bored. Atop his horse he rested next to the decaying statue of some maiden. The now familiar ancient elven ruins carved into it claiming devotion to some long gone goddess. "Where is your goddess now?" He called out into the night and with a powerful kick caused the statue to topple over and shatter. Laughing he turns, "Proceed lets wrap this up. Mage take me back, Colonel you have 30 minutes."
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The crimson prince watched out of his tower as the army struggled to reach him. He felt the relief of oblivion calling for him. Only nothingness could replace what Tatyana had left him with. He found himself wishing he men could die faster. perhaps I should present myself to this Dragonsworn. He would kill me quickly and I could forget. As he digested the thought and prepared to descend from the safety of his tower he thought it ironic that the Dragonsworn leader stood next to the statue of Black Velvet. One who destroyed his heart and body and the other who could finally destroy his soul. Then the man kicked her over.
A long cold hollow horn blared through the pitch night. To it answered a second horn then a third. The skeletons and ghosts began to form ranks of phalanx. Herald of skeletal warrior spoke in their deep cavern voices, "For the memory of Black Velvet, We will always love tatyana." The undead moaned their reply and responding to the orders took a hard stand. The legion pushed against the phalanx bone wall to no avail. Moving as one solid unit the skeletons pushed back creating holes in the formation.
The soldiers tried to fight back but their opponents moved with out fear and with out hesitation. As one the swarmed a fallen comrade served as a distraction to land a killing blow. A fear as thick as fog rose up among the steel skinned breathers until their leaders called for them to retreat.
They all did falling back in organized fashion with haste. All except large groups of goblins and orcs who seemed to be bloated and heavy. They could only slide along the ground though the fear on their faces said they wished they could flee. As the skelton's tore into them the goblins exploded as is their bodies had struggled to with hold a great pressure. They found little blood but instead some other liquid which sprang out and coated them. It did not matter only avenging Tatyana matterred so they pressed forward.
The arrows flew straight and true hitting their marks, the goblins bloated with injected whale oil. These goblins now scatterred by their attempts to flee into the skeleton ranks and man having been shredded by the attackers erupted into flame destroying the nearby skeletons and knocking back the rest. The pristine formations were broken and fire as it seemed reigned from the sky and devoured the ground.
A teleport gate opened up just beyond the west edge of the undead ranks and with full charge speed General Maximus and Calvary charged into the fire rain of death.
Upon his stead Maximus swung his sword with furry and anger. A blessed son of Aries he crushed his enemies beneath hoof and blade. When it was clear the enemy was broken and defeated. He stood at the foot of the tower and called out to his mages, "Take it down"
They began casting stone to mud at its base. He orderred a halt, "No, They have to remember it. Make it loud." The mages switched to fireballs and lighting bolts shredding the tower in a shower of stone and heat.
As the son rose General Maximus made his command tent on the same foundation stones where the tower once stood. As the men hoisted the large Gold Dragon banner of Draconia high into the air the wind caused it to ripple and wave a symbol to glory.
He was victorious, unchallenged, unbeatable!
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Watching from the south the Crimson Prince lamented that he had waited so long to confront this Dragonsworn. He still hoped this conflict would bring his own end, but he now also lived fueled once again by his love for Tatyana. The breathers would pay for their disrespect.
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