The Champion

Chapter 4

Sunlight crept across the floor, soon reaching the Champion in his position. He didn't sleep, not for a single second. Nightmares plagued his vision for the whole night: a cave, skeletons, dwarves, Death. He had no clue what time or place that could be; however, unwilling to go down such a path, he called them off as hallucinations instead.

Night was over at last. For the Champion, each one seemed like a whole year. He hadn't slept in the longest time, unable to find peace in his jumbled mind. At least he never sat in a corner, afraid to challenge the darkness for what truly lay behind it. Nothing scared him. Of course not. Heroes don't get scared.

The Champion was always the first up, either for protection over his men or his enthusiasm to kill orcs. It was just his nature, how his mind functioned. He didn't sleep, but he fell into a trance-like state. Time was lost, as was his mind. It was devoid of thoughts. Just the visions he experienced would paint the picture and guide his mind; however, just like dreams, they vanished from his mind in a matter of hours.

Today was a new day. The Champion would shine again, proving his prowess to his men. Today he would show them that he was a hero. He was going to kill all the orcs and make it loud and clear when he did. His men would gape and clap at his performance, their praise easily grabbed. Next it would be the entirety of Might, including His Majesty himself.

The Champion stormed out of the room and saw large holes along the hallways with burn marks, steam still actively rising. Not a soul was to be found. Perhaps they had all crossed over. For what was the point down here? In this desolate wasteland? It made no sense why they would even bother staying. Only nightmares and misery would greet them.

For whatever reason, the Champion felt better than before. Stronger. Some feeling surged through his body that gave him an extreme boost of everything: confidence, leadership, just an overall reform. He didn't know why, but he knew where it came from. Right in the palm of his right gauntlet, a pulsating beat of new heartbeats thumped alongside his own. Guiding, supporting, and praising him. There were so many, too many to count or keep track of each individual one. But they were there as a means of fuel.

Clenching his right gauntlet to hide it, the Champion walked out of the dead house. Never did he want to return or lay his eyes upon it again. The deed was done, whether he liked it or not. He didn't really have a choice—his instincts led him.

Soldiers were still asleep, sprawled all over the street. Glasses were empty and stained with dried brown liquid. Not a soul was awake, other than the Champion himself, who strolled down the rows of sleeping men. Snoring ruptured the air, all in tangled chorus.

Captivated in wonder, the Champion stopped in his tracks. In the far distance, beyond the horizon, a glowing mass of hope gently levitated upward. Darkness was defeated. Light prevailed. It was the best time of the day, one that the Champion stopped and stared at whenever he had the chance. It also meant it was time to move.

"We move now," the Champion announced, in a low tone that he knew nobody would hear. To compensate for that, he slammed his shield into the street and banged his sword against it, a screech lingering in the air for minutes. The men quickly got up, annoyed or extremely exhausted. Too bad.

"Can we get more sleep, sir—" a soldier tried to ask, but the Champion had spun around and left.

"Sir?"

The voice faded behind the Champion. An order was an order. It was to be obeyed and not questioned. What was so hard about that?

It was hard. Very hard. When a side had to be taken, with lives on the line, it was a choice of a lifetime. The Champion didn't know which side to take, where his loyalty would reside. So, he just trusted himself. He decided to do what his heart felt like. Shimmer would not die. Jarunx would succeed. Humanity would rise again. That was what his heart desired, nothing more or less. Anything that stood in the path of progress for the kingdom would be obliterated, whether that meant the likes of orcs or bandits.