The chill in the air seeped through their armour as they stood in silence. The damp fog obscured the surrounding plateau, making William feel very incredibly alone. A far away chirp, a sudden cough, the clink and creak of rusty armour. Yet silence prevailed. Then, as if the gates of heaven had opened, a solitary ray of sunlight burst through the fog bank, banishing the darkness and bringing warmth and comfort to the small company. It was then that an arrow came streaking out of the mist. The silence was broken as, with a thud, the arrow sank deep into Gwyn's neck. Her startled cry was cut short and replaced by frantic gasps for air. She crumpled to the grass, twitched once, and lay still. A vicious battlecry rose from above the fog as more arrows filled the pregnant air. Aeric screamed in rage as one found the meaty portion of his thigh. Several smacked into William's armour but did not penetrate the protective shell. A bemused calm settled over him as he watched Melody and Aerith rush to Aeric's side. Tosgar was crouched behind his shield, and there eagerly awaited the coming foe. At last, they could be seen breaking free from the darkness. The single ray of sunlight continued to illumine the battleground, and William found it to be, oddly, peaceful. With a mighty roar and a tranquil heart, William leapt into the fray, launching himself at his closest enemy. He lifted his enormous sword into the air and brought it singing down atop the man's head, messily cleaving the unfortunate man in two. In one fluid motion, William twisted and raised his weapon towards the sky. His second victim's sword shattered, as did his face when William's blade continued upward. With a sweeping turn, a third man found himself flying through the air, sans his legs which had been smoothly removed from the rest of his body.
Blood surged through William's veins and pounded in his ears as he stepped forward and decapitated another assailant. And then, as if fate had finally frowned upon him, he found himself clutching at an arrow shaft as it pierced one of his lungs. With a sickening snap, he broke the shaft and discarded it on the ground, only to notice that his, previously alive, friends were all in varying states of dismemberment. None had fallen easily, but all had inevitably been overcome.
Another arrow came and pierced his chest. He slumped to the cold earth, as his blood flowed freely from his wounds.
A masked man approached him.
William watched as the man raised his sword. The blade glistened in the sun like burnished gold.
William watched.
The deadly instrument descended towards him.
