Battlefield of Madness

General Hawke descended the ladder, reaching the ground uncontested. 

The enemy had yet to see their plan, meaning they would have a little extra time to descend the ladders and draw their weapons. 

"Hurry down!" General Hawke ordered as he moved toward the front of the gate. 

There was a whistle from above and he watched as hundreds of arrows rained down on the battering ram and the soldiers around it. 

A couple of soldiers fell, but the convoy continued to move forward.

Elond stood by his side now, and General Hawke noticed that most of the soldiers had made it down from the wall. 

It's now or never. If we let that battering ram any closer, they'll have a chance to break down the gate.

He turned around, facing his men. 

Wordlessly, he drew his sword, raising it high in the air. 

Each of them followed his lead, drawing their swords and thrusting them upwards. This move would determine the fate of thousands of lives. 

They needed to be successful.

General Hawke turned back to the enemy and charged. His men screamed out, following behind him. 

They reached the convoy within moments, and General Hawke picked out his first opponent, a man whose face was concealed underneath his helm. That was for the best. 

This way his face won't haunt my dreams. 

Hawke made the first move, swinging to the soldier's left side. What the soldier didn't know was that it was a feint.

Letting go of the handle with his left hand, Hawke brought the sword over to his right side and swung. 

The soldier never saw it coming, leaving his neck open.

Hawke's sword slid through the gap in his armor, and he felt the sword connect. Now came the easy part.

Following through.

Using as much force as he could muster to cut through muscle, tendons, and bone in one clean slash.

Battle came easy to him now. 

It was his life, no matter how much he hated it. His duty.

Most days, Hawke felt pain throughout his body. The pain of growing old. But in the midst of a battle, the pain completely disappeared. He felt young again, just like forty years ago when he'd been in perfect shape. 

The sword in his hand felt natural, like an extension of his own arm. As he could control his fingers to move on command, he could move his sword just as well. 

He dodged another soldier's swing toward his face and quickly disarmed the man. 

Elond, Hawke thought frantically. 

He looked to the right, where his son was blocking multiple hits from an enemy.

He needs help, Hawke thought with a jolt of fear. Dammit all, he was supposed to stay by my side. 

He left the disarmed soldier behind and raced toward Elond. 

Multiple enemies cut at him, but he dodged each of them with ease. None of these untrained fools could get in his way.

Elond disappeared from his vision, a soldier stepping toward Hawke.

He wore golden armor that shimmered in the sun. His shoulder pads and chestplate were decorated with an assortment of glittering jewels of all different colors. A long maroon cape was strung from his shoulders, billowing in the wind.

In his golden gauntlets, the soldier held the largest sword Hawke had ever seen. At least six feet in length, the golden longsword somehow managed to look small. 

He's massive, Hawke realized. Not just in height, which seemed to be over seven feet, but his build as well. He had to weigh at least twenty-five stone without his armor.

"General Delnor Hawke," the man said with a smile, a perfect row of bright white teeth. 

Hawke took a step back. For the first time in his life, he felt unsure about his chances against an enemy. "Who are you?"

"Oh, right. Introductions. Of course you wouldn't know me. Someone of your…renown wouldn't. I'm Kallos. General Kallos Styte."

"You're Styte's son?" Hawke said with surprise. He'd been in House Styte a year ago when King Leandis had married off his daughter to Styte's son. This was not the same man.

"His bastard, truthfully," Kallos said. "But he treats me just as well as the rest of his children. He sees my potential. My strength."

Kallos took a step forward. 

Hawke took another step back.

"Why are you afraid, General Hawke?" Kallos asked. "It can't be me, can it? No…you are the greatest soldier in recent history. When you descend on a battlefield, you become a god amongst men. The stories I've heard of your strength are both fascinating and terrifying at the same time. In all honesty, you're the only reason I'm here. Your stories made me want to perfect my own strength and power."

He took another step forward. "So here I am, General Hawke. Ready to prove myself."

Hawke saw movement flash behind Kallos.

Elond, springing at him with a raised sword.

Kallos must've seen it in his peripheral vision. He spun with incredible speed, snatching Elond up by the throat. Golden gauntlets began closing around the boy's throat.

Elond struggled, trying to get loose from the monster's grip.

"Stop," Hawke said, trying to keep his voice steady. 

Kallos turned around, eyebrows raised. "What?"

"A duel," Hawke said. "Drop the boy. Let's fight."

The General frowned, looking between Elond and Hawke. "Ah. He's your son then?"

"Yes," Hawke said, shaking. "My son, Elond. Please, he is just a child. Let him go, and I will show you the truth of those stories."

Kallos smiled again, releasing Elond, who hit the ground with a thud. "There he is. The Demon, some called you. I can see it in your eyes."

Hawke assumed his first stance, taking in a deep breath. He had to defeat Kallos to protect his son. It was the only way Elond would live. 

A Styte soldier pushed past Kallos, charging toward Hawke. 

Hawke readied himself to parry this new attacker, but the man never reached him. He watched as the golden sword cut through the man's abdomen, falling to the ground in two pieces. 

"He's mine," Kallos said to the soldier. Then he looked around at the other fighting soldiers. "Understand? General Hawke is mine!"

None of the soldiers responded, but Kallos seemed to think they'd heard. 

Hawke stared at the ground, where the soldier's guts spilled from his torso. The soldier drew his last breath and died unceremoniously.

"How…how could you do that to him? Your own man?"

Kallos frowned. "He interfered. Don't tell me your men don't face punishments?"

Hawke didn't respond.

"I thought you would know, General. Undisciplined soldiers will only get in the way."

In a flash of gold, Kallos was on top of Hawke, who barely had time to parry. 

The slash of his sword had so much force that Hawke stumbled backward. As he recovered, another attack came from the left side, knocking him off balance again.

He has me on the defensive, Hawke thought frantically. But now it's my turn.

In a quick maneuver, Hawke rolled past Kallos, slashing at his knee. 

The gaps in his armor were narrow, and Hawke's sword bounced off harmlessly. 

As Hawke got back to his feet, another blow came from above, and he nearly lost his head. 

Kallos had the advantage in strength and durability, but a man of his size and heaviness could only move so fast. 

Hawke had more experience and was quicker on his feet than the golden knight. Standing back up, he took off in a circle around Kallos, slashing at his armor at four different angles.

Kallos had no time to react, spinning in confusion. "Face me head on, Demon!"

None of Hawke's slashes seemed to connect. Where did he get this armor? Gold is extremely rare, and yet somehow he is wearing a fortune.

Hawke scanned the armor while Kallos was distracted. Any weak points…even a small gap could be enough. 

There.

Just above the waist. A slit barely big enough for his sword to slide through. The only other option was Kallos's face, though the knight's towering height would make that difficult. 

Hawke ducked beneath another slash, but this time, Kallos anticipated where he would be.

A golden gauntlet smashed into Hawke's face, sending him flying backward. He rolled across the ground, losing grip on his sword, coming to rest against a wooden structure.

The battering ram. 

Hawke sat up, though his body protested the movement. Blood had filled his mouth, and pain seared across his face like a slash from a whip. 

He spit out the blood and got to his feet.

My sword…where is it?

"General Hawke…don't tell me that's it?" Kallos said with a laugh. He watched Hawke search the ground with amusement. "You remind me of a child looking for a lost toy."

One of the soldiers guarding the battering ram charged at Hawke, his sword raised. 

Hawke, weaponless, raised his hands to block the attack.

No, I've been in this situation before, he realized as the blade came speeding toward his face. 

At the last moment, he sidestepped the attack. The soldier, off balanced now, stumbled forward. Hawke wrapped his hands around the hilt of the sword and pulled. The soldier's hand bent at an awkward angle and he released the sword.

A reflection of the sun caught his eye, and Hawke spun around just in time to block another attack from Kallos. 

While Hawke recovered, Kallos turned to the soldier, who was now on the ground, weaponless. "I told you all that the General is mine." He kicked the man in the face with a golden boot, knocking out multiple teeth. "Stay out of my way."

Hawke regained his footing and assumed his attack stance. 

Kallos turned back to Hawke. "I apologize, General. From here on out, my attention will be solely on you. Please, don't hold back anymore."

General Hawke flashed a bloody smile. "Be careful what you wish for."