Blade of Alantar

Blade of Alantar
Prologue

         The year is 1019. Magic is an uncommon thing, those who have the ability to channel their arcane energy being in the service of the Empire, the governing power of Halasin.
         A war is brewing between the Fang, creatures from a crater in the middle of Halasin, the origin of which is unknown, and the humans.
         When the crater was first discovered the Fang sent their leaders to a council in Valor, the location of many of the empire's leaders. It was decided that the Fang would be given a large amount of the territory near the crater. Many humans in the territory rebelled. A specific human named Alantar decided he would solve the problem himself.
         The year, 1052. The original Fang leader, Caltuhu, was assassinated by the rebel human Alantar. There was a war between the Fang and the humans and after many long, bloody battles the Fang were driven back to the crater from whence they came. Alantar, often called "the liberator of humans", hasn't been seen since the assassination of Caltuhu. Many forts were established to slow an invasion of the Fang if they ever returned from their crater. One of the empire's finest officers was sent to each.
         And now, fifteen years later, in 1067, the Fang are back.

Chapter 1
The Fang

         Blade stared out over the field before him, it's once beautiful hills now stained with blood, the treeline beyond ravaged. The sun sinking over the horizion, a battle met his eyes. His own men stood on the field. Some were veterans of past wars, some barely men. And all were dying.
         Screams filled his ears, mostly human. The hulking shapes reached the wall, men trying to stop them but failing miserably. For a second he forgot why these men were dying, but then it came back to him. They were dying to protect the ones they loved, their families. He turned, looking toward the back wall. As the men before him died, the woman and children of the fort hurried to the back gate, accompanied by the elites of the doomed fort, Torkin. He turned, expecting the creatures to be assaulting the gate, and was thoroughly shocked to find a creature in front of him.
         The creature was hideous, a horn like that of a rhino, claws on the end of it's three fingers, and a face that was folded and scrunched. It held a crude club of stone in it's gnarled hand. It swung it's arm back, ready to crush it's apparently unarmed foe with ease, the muscles on it's arms bulging with unhuman strength.It was a Fang. Blade rushed forward, ramming his shoulder in to the beast's chest. As it fell it managed to find something to hold onto...Blade. In the instant before Blade was pulled off the wall he raised his hand, palm pointed towards the creatures face."Incinerate!"He yelled. A jet of blue flame shot from his hand, catching the creature full in the face. It's hands shot to it's face as it screamed, and with a sickening crunch it hit the ground. Stumbling bakcwards to keep from falling, Blade noticed the creatures weren't assaulting the gate, they were climbing the wall.
         Blade looked back, and saw that the women and children still hadn't left the fort. "Out the back gate, hurry!" he yelled. He drew his sword, Iron Fang glistening in the light. Another Fang topped the wall, only to find that Blade was as skilled with his sword as he was with magic. After their encounter, the Fang's head was no longer mounted on it's shoulder's.
         Out of the corner of his eye Blade saw his second in command, Kale, running towards him. "Blade, what are you doing?"Kale asked.
         "We can't let them reach the women and children" Kale looked over the wall and jumped back, his eyes wide with terror. Another Fang topped the wall, only to find the same fate as the last.
         A scream sounded from the back gate. They turned to find the elites facing off with more Fang, the creatures hurrying through the open gate. The woman and children had huddled behind the elite's fighting line, pure terror upon their faces.
         "Quick, to the back gate!" Blade yelled.
         As they reached the back gate, Kale drew his sword and with a loud battlecry the elites, Blade, and Kale charged the Fang. It was a quick but bloody battle and in the end the elites won.
         "We make for the fort of Valmar" Blade said as he looked towards the front wall, the battlements infested with Fang. The fort of Torkin was lost.