Champion of Dawn

Chapter III: The Darkness Lurks

“Aaarghhh! It got me!” Screamed by an Imperial who got pounced on by a sinister-looking hound. The chaos continues as the creatures of darkness launches an unexpected attack at Skyhold as the esteemed soldiers of the Empire being decimated by a pack of undead hounds called death hounds.

“There’s too many of them! The sentries and the frontal barricade at the entrance is infested of these things!” said by Ser Havard who is fighting in the ranks of General Tullium who is in the great hall.

“Evacuate the staffs of the hold who is unarmed, and Gods forgive us we can’t do anything more about the other prisoners in here,” commanded by general.

“How about the rebels, sir? Are we going to kill them now?” asked by the female captain. During the chaos, most of the prisoners have been dead being not able to defend themselves, but some of the duke’s men and himself got out of their captivity.

“Grrr! You there, grab that sword be ready to cut your way through, rally to me and gather the others of who were able to survive!” said by Duke Jarric who is finally free from being bound.

“But which way are going to escape, your grace?” asked by one of the Chillrend soldier. “There’s an underground passage below the basement, we must go there at once!” As the duke and his men proceeded to their plan, meanwhile on the General’s side,

“Sir! We’ve already secured some of the non-combatant staff in the hold but the rest….” paused by the Imperial soldier as one of the gargoyles dropped a mangled body of a prisoner severed in half.

“By the Gods! Aaagghh! They’re everywhere!” screamed by the Ser Havard.

“Dang it! Where did these creatures come from?! Lieutenant, focus the attack towards the front! We’re going to carve our way out!” the general commands his Imperial soldiers to ready their plan to advance. As the two sides proceeds to each of their strategy to survive the onslaught of the undead, the vampires seem to be searching for someone.

“Hmm... Where is that vermin?” said by the vampire who looked like the leader of this attack. “My, my, what lovely surprise... It seems that our quarry is of one you two great gentlemen,” said by the vampire while he licks his lips as he saw the two leaders of the opposition.

“The Duke of the Winterhold and the great war-hero of the Empire, hehehe, this should be interesting. I am Klauss Kulihar, the second son of the Lord Kulihar,” sneered by the vampire as he introduced himself. The two opposing sides was at halt when the leader of these creatures finally reveals himself. As Klauss waves his hand in a halting gesture, the creatures and other vampires cease the attack in great hall. Some parts of the hold are still in the middle of chaos by the great hall, while in the middle become the grand stand of all actors who will decide what will be the conclusion of this bloody night’s events.

Somehow the man who was supposed to be executed in the block managed to escape the great hall and was able free himself from captivity. But how did he manage to flee his doom despite of the chaos and the miserable fate he was in earlier?

That happened when after the wounded soldier warned the people inside the great hall. As he screamed, one of the death hounds lunge at him and soon a pack of them came bursting in the room, while in the open skies of the great hall, gargoyles started to swarm raining down on them.

“Aaarghhh! It got me!” yelled by the soldier.

“Gargoyles incoming!” shouted by Ser Havard. One of the gargoyles manage to grab the man kneeling at block “saving” him from peril yet unfortunate as well because he might as well died on a guillotine rather than being devoured by such beast.

As the gargoyle lifts him off to the air, grabbing him in his collar with its sharp-nailed claws while possessing a muscular but flexible bat-like wings. Due to its claws being very sharp, his cover on his mouth was loosed.

“Urrrk! By the Gods! Now this?!” yelled by the blonde man as his mouth finally free from the rag he has earlier.

“Screeerhhh!” growled by the gargoyle to him as he was thrown back at a window of what it seems to be a store room in the second floor of Skyhold’s infrastructure. Fortunately, he landed on some sacks of supplies and some few wooden barrels catches his back side from having any severe fracture.

“Grrrr… That fiend… Urrhh... My back hurts,” he said as he tries to get up on his feet. He stands up and he saw the gargoyle coming to him again at full speed.

“Here it goes again, I got to find a way defend myself from it,” he said as he also grabs a shovel that was lying on his side, the gargoyle then launched itself at him through the broken window with the very intent of ripping him apart with its claw. The man leans toward the wall and braced himself on a defensive stance, when the gargoyle came crashing to him, its attempt to rip him to shreds was thwarted when he somehow successfully parried its attack with the support of the wall from his back, he also managed to drop the gargoyle down on the floor but he wasn’t left unharmed because even though the blow was deflected, its huge claws managed to gash his shoulders making it bleed.

“Acckk! That sting!” he said as he checks his wound. He then bashed the gargoyle's head using the iron scoop of the shovel at full-force.

"CRACK!" A solid crack at its head and one its horn broke loose.

“Scraaeehhh!” the gargoyle cried as it fell down lying on ground.

“Haa… Ack… Dang it I got to move. I manage to knock it down but it seems it’s still alive,” he said exhaustingly as he discards the shovel, the shovel broke into two pieces when he smashed it at the gargoyle’s hard-skulled head.

“Damn, as expected from some unearthly creature,” he said as he backs away from the creature. He examined himself to see if he has other wound other than his gash but fortunately, none and the only thing wearing him down right now is his exhaustion both mind and body. It’s been 3 days since he arrived back from the Imperial City and the warm welcome that he receives is the tragedy the befell his homeland and now the attack of these creatures of the dark.

“There’s still a commotion outside and seems the general and the duke have their hands full. I must find a way to get out of here but I don’t think I’d be able to do it alone….” he said as he hears a noise just outside the room that he’s in.

“I got to go help them!” he said as he rushed outside witnessing battles between the soldiers and the undead. Reanimated corpses tearing soldiers apart, death hounds ambushing its unaware prey and they are really making a slaughter. Despite the battle between the dead and the living, some prisoners managed to escape because of the mass confusion fighting for their lives just to survive and be rid of the place.

“This is a total nightmare. People are dying and these undead or demonic fiends roams free, what manner of evil caused this? Is this a plot by the duke? No, he’s the kind of man who wouldn’t lower himself down and dabble this kind of forbidden art,” he said to himself as he searches for some weapon discarded by the fallen. The place is filled with corpses make it human or fiend. He snatched the iron sword on a severed hand of a soldier and also a shield lying about.

“Too late to regret now, the Imperials nearly confiscate me of my belongings even my weapons back from the capital. This will do for now. I should go search for some survivors and regroup with the general or the duke’s men,” he said as he approached the stairways to descend from the first floor, he saw an unarmed prisoner cornered by some pack of death hounds on the stairs. “Aaaaaghhh! Anyone, please help me!” plead by the prisoner for his life.

“Wait, I’m coming—” he cut his words as he heard something as well at his back side. “Grraaah! Die you wretched fiends!” It’s the female Imperial Captain who seems to be outnumbered by two gargoyles by the corridor behind. Who will he choose to help?