The hordes of chaos surged forward through the valley, consuming all in their path, screaming and wailing, their wild mouths salivating at the thought of the blood of men and elves who waited, terrified, at the other end of the valley. Every tree and blade of grass shrank away and withered from the pure evil of the onslaughting force, and their shadow even seemed to raise into the sky, dimming the sun.
Backs against the rock wall, with only a tiny gorge as an avenue of escape, the valiant men and elves knew that their time had come. It was not their own lives they worried about, for beyond the slim gorge they defended, in the valley beyond the mountain, lay their homes, where their families waited in terror, knowing that the oncoming enemy was too much for their husbands, their brothers, and their sons to hold back.
This was their home, they couldn’t leave it. This was the place they were born and reared, and they were not about to abandon it and wander the land as refugees as the hordes of chaos pursued them, continuing to lay waste to all before them. They would all rather die in this place under the rending claws and teeth of the chaos monsters than to live as nomads.
The proud warrior, Rubinv’lentin strode to the head of the army, his blazing, magic sword smouldering with white energy in his hands. His clothes were torn and bloody from the fighting and the retreat that had brought him to this last stand.
“Men!” Rubinv’lentin cried out, holding his angry broadsword over his head. “Our time has come! Our chances are slim! This will be the place where many of us, if not all of us, meet our end! So much more is at stake than our lives, though. Here, we must stand, we must fight, and we must give everything we have, for it is not us, not even your families past this rock wall that we are fighting for! If we do not hold back this force today, it will be the whole world in that is danger, as these creatures threaten to consume everything that stands in their way until all is chaos!” He pointed the sword straight in the air and looked up and down the rows of poor, hungry, and battered soldiers. “This is our day of glory! This is the day we will all be remembered for! Let’s give something for the legends!”
All the men and elves began to cheer and beat the butts of their weapons on the dusty earth. Their joy was short lived, with their cries being drowned out by the wail of the creatures of chaos that approached.
“Rubinv’lentin!” cried a high-pitched monstrous voice ahead of the chaos monsters that had suddenly stopped. Rubinv’lentin whirled around to see a giant of a man in black armor step forward, holding a flaming black sword before him. “I knew you’d be here.” The wicked, once-human face curled into a smile as it strode across the field. “Today, my friend, our feud will end forever. Today will be the day I see you fall!”
Years of battle rushed through Rubinv’lentin’s mind. Too many scarred memories of being one sword thrust away from ending this monster and having the ultimate victory fading before his eyes. It only seemed appropriate that today would be his final battle with Mitchderak. It would come in the place that no matter the outcome of their battle, neither would likely walk away.
Rubinv’lentin pointed his sword at Mitchderak and cried, “So be it!” and charged his enemy.
“Attack!” Mitchderak cried. “Attack and leave Rubinv’lentin for me!”
The chaos monsters surged forth, and the elves and men braced their weapons to meet them. The sea of chaos parted around Rubinv’lentin as he rushed to attack Mitchderak, who stood motionless, waiting for the strike. As Rubinv’lentin swung his weapon, Mitchderak blocked, and there was an explosion of magic that nearly knocked them both to the ground.
The chaos monsters slammed into the wall of elves and men and there was a great cry as many died on both side. Blade and claw hacked into flesh, and blood sprayed the dusty earth. Rent bodies dropped everywhere.
Rubinv’lentin and Mitchderak got to their feet and circled each other trading attacks and parries, the magic of their timeless swords spraying unearthly fire with each thrust. Neither combatant took their eyes off the other, oblivious to the Hell breaking loose around them.
“So what are you going to do for me?” Mitchderak demanded.
“What?” Rubinv’lentin hissed.
“You say you can’t get my phone turned on for up to 72 hours. What are you going to do for me? What are you going to do to compensate for this situation, because I am not going to accept that.”
I sigh. “Look, Mr. Drake, let me level with you. SpectraCom didn’t do this to Mitch Drake. Mitch Drake did this to Mitch Drake. Mitch Drake didn’t pay his bills. Mitch Drake got his long distance blocked. Now, Mitch Drake has to wait up to 72 hours for that restoration to go through.” I wish he could see my big smile right now. “Also, sir, you need to take into account that I didn’t just say 72 hours, I said up to 72 hours from your payment posting to the account, which, since you paid by check, will take up to 72 business hours on its own.”
“You’re saying it could take up to six days?”
“Doing the math, yes sir, that would be up to six days.”
“You little shit!” he screams. “How the fuck can you sit there and say that shit?!? You give me your supervisor right now!”
No comments:
Post a Comment