Entropy and The Dark Knight Chronicles

Written by Terry Bonds and James Cleak

Entropy rose from the pits of hell and surveyed the scene of carnage, a hand rose from the debris and a wounded man slowly stood up. Entropy saw The Dark Knight and drew his sword from its scabbard. The sword glowed a dark red in the night sky, as Entropy slowly advanced upon his victim. The Dark Knight turned his head and spotted him, stumbling back he grasped a nearby sword and the two warriors faced each other.

The Dark Knight knew his destiny and it did not lie in this place or even this plane of existence. He drew up to his full height and as the light glinted off his dented, blood soaked breast-plate he gave Entropy a final salute. They circled each other for a while trying to find a weakness that both knew the other did not have. Then as the first rays of dawn struck the battlefield they engaged and above them on a different plane of existence and thought two Gods faced off to watch their champions decide the fate of millions. The dice were rolling.....

Entropy's sword flashed through the crimson night and crashed against the Dark Knight's raised sword, sparks flew as the two warriors circled each other, looking for a gap in which to strike. Suddenly the Dark Knight's foot caught the outstretched hand of a dead demon and he stumbled, Entropy moved in as he saw his chance.

"Hold!" a voice boomed from above, Entropy span round to confront the new threat and seeing his chance the Dark Knight swung his sword at the unprotected back of Entropy, with a load clash the sword hit Entropy's armour, sending him to the floor.
"I said hold!" this time a large imposing figure appeared above the two warriors, the God of Destiny.
"You shall not fight this day or any other day, destiny forbids it." Entropy rose from the floor and dusted the mud from his cape.
"Who are you?" Entropy demanded.
"I am Destiny, I am all." a smile crepted across the God's face, "The two of you have a different path in front of you, your coming together was not meant to be."
"What do you mean?" Again Entropy demanded.
"He means that this is wrong" the Dark Knight had risen from the floor and was cleaning his sword on a dead carcass.
"Dark Knight, you know your destiny, you know the path you must take."
The Dark Knight faded from view, leaving Entropy in the aftermath of the Second War of the Falls.

As the scene faded the Dark Knight again cursed the Gods. He, and only he, made his destiny. Colours danced before his eyes and he thought he heard a voice. He struggled to hold onto the sound and slowly fought his way back to consciousness. He opened his eyes onto the face of a beautiful young maiden. Fair hair draped over her rich green eyes and her mouth puckered in a look of concern. She was almost elfin in her beauty.
"Are you all right Sir Knight?" The sound of her voice sent thrills down his spine and he tried to speak. The maiden stopped his murmuring quickly by placing her finger to his lips.
"Do not talk Sir. You are badly hurt and I will take you to my home and see that you are cared for."
And with that she gracefully got up and stepped aside revealing beautiful hills leading up to the foot of a castle which soared into the morning sky. He could almost hear the shaking of dice and looking up again cursed the gods.

Entropy kneeled down trailing one finger in the dry dirt. The God had left him in the middle of a battlefield, only the wind for company. In all directions barren landscape and lifeless bodies surrounded him. He stood up and shifted his sword to a more comfortable position. What had happened to that warrior, would he ever find out. The Second war of the falls had been hard fought and long, the multitude of demons had been overwhelming but Entropy had fought with venom and courage. He had assumed the warrior to be another of the demons slaves half wounded in the battle, no other human had survived the war, five whole armies destroyed by the fury of the demons attack. He could not stay here, already the smell of death was emanating from the corpses, the vultures would be well fed for days. Entropy walked towards the nearest hill and pondered his destiny.

The Dark Knight missed the sound of sword on sword and the grunts of men locked in combat. That had been the simple life where you knew your enemy. Here, now, after five months he had already been sucked into the game and assassins lurked at every corner. Although this was welcome exercise he was tiring of this and the only thing keeping him here now was a young lady whom he owed a great deal. She had asked him to teach her the blade and after a lot of argument had reluctantly agreed. Now he was warming to the idea. It had been a while since he had had a pupil and even longer since one of them had survived. He wondered idly if this girl had the metal to stay the course. He was getting old he thought, wishing to meet his old adversary on the field once more before it was too late.

The cries brought Entropy from his half-sleep, he looked towards the horizon and saw clouds of black smoke creeping over the near-by hills. The clang of swords barely reached his ear, he picked up his sword and began to run towards the smoke. He had reached the top of the hill and surveyed the scene, a group of bandits had attacked a small convey of travellers, dead bodies lay around carts and crazed horses galloped away from the fighting. Entropy drew his sword and ran down the hill, his first swing cut a bandit from his horse, the man slumping in a heap on the floor. Two more spotted him and spurred their horses towards him, the bandits swordsmanship was dire and Entropy easily dodged their first strikes, he drove his sword through the chest of one and flung him from his horse into the other rider, sending both to the floor. Entropy walked to the bandit, struggling to get the dead body of his friend off his legs, with no expression Entropy quickly brought the man's life to an end. The rest of the bandits quickly fledand Entropy started to look for survivors. He heard a little whimper and he walked towards one of the carts, drawing back a blanket he found a small child. No one else had survived, The child's parents must have been killed, the child, a young girl, looked up at Entropy and smiled. Something moved within him, something he had not felt for such a long time. A smile, a warm smile slowly spread across his face. He wrapped the young girl in the blanket, and catching one of the horses he rode off with the child sleeping against his chest.

"No," Dark scolded his apprentice," Keep the sword higher so that you can catch it on your guard and turn it away. Otherwise he's just going to come over the top and cave your skull in. And we wouldn't want that now would we."
The young women scowled, stuck here tongue out at him and lunged suddenly. Fully expecting this, Dark, side-stepped away and watched as she sprawled onto the courtyard floor and ended up in an ungainly heap. Even though he scolded here he was proud of his student and the dedication with which she threw her-self into every move he taught her. He was distracted from this train of thought as her father rushed down the stairs. An old man but still a commanding figure he looked familiar but Dark couldn't place him.
"War is upon us Dark. The hoards of evil are upon us again and humanity must again defend itself. Will you join us?" Dark felt icy chills along his spine but did not show them. He looked at Elicia and saw the anguish in her face.
"Yes" was all he said before Elicia had screamed and flung herself around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips.
"I knew you would" she said.
Later when he was alone he unwrapped Bane his sword and looked at it lovingly.
"Well old friend, what do you say. Another battle, another man's fight. Nothing changes and perhaps now the God's will let me die."
At this he sighed and lay down for what could be his last sleep before his eternal rest.

Entropy ate the meat he had cooked and watched the young girl draw in the dirt with a stick, he sighed and looked out towards the horizon. It had been two days and the girl hadn't said anything, he couldn't have left her behind in that cart. He picked up his sword and strapped it to his waist, he untied the horse from the tree and led it towards the fire he had built. The young girl was already standing, looking expectantly, Entropy gently lifted her up and set her down in the horse's saddle. He mounted the horse and they rode towards the nearest city that Entropy knew. It had been a few hours until they finally arrived at the city and what he saw was unexpected. Most of the houses were on fire and he could hear screams of the dying above the rage of the fire and metal clashing on metal. Through the flames he could see mis-shapen forms dragging bodies along the floor, 'Goblins!' he thought, he urged his horse into a gallop, the girl looked at him with wide eyes, he looked down and smiled trying to reassure her. He had reached a small distance away when he dismounted, Entropy turned to the girl and told her to stay put. He ran into the city.
The heat from the burning houses was intense but he moved fast and low, drawing his sword he searched for the enemy. He quickly found a goblin, clubbing the motionless body of a man, he moved quick and with one swipe of his sword he cut the head of the goblin clean off. He heard something behind him, spinning round he just blocked the sword aimed at the middle of his back, the goblin snarled in anger and backed up. Entropy quickly moved forward and rammed his sword in the middle of the goblins chest, pulling the sword to the side, carving the goblin letting entrails spill out the open side of its body. A lone man rode past, seeing him he pulled up, shouting "we need all available man at the centre of the city" and spurred his horse on. Entropy followed, the centre of the city was crowded with both sides trying to get the edge, less houses here were on fire, and Entropy entered one. He burst though the door and ran up the stairs, finding an open window overlooking the fight. He planted his sword in the window sill, closed his eyes and concentrated.

There was a light mist which covered the ground, that early winter morning. The days had been getting shorter and all knew that the goblins and orks would soon be venturing out. There had not been a goblin war for nigh on fifteen years and all had thought that at last the struggle was over. The ground would be treacherous this morning. Preparations had been going on for days now with hasty reinforcements coming from the outlying villages and food stocks being replenished. A young boy was the first to see them. A black mass moving across the land like a plague. Vile horns could be heard faintly as they came on and now the sound of cries coming from inhuman, twisted throats. About a mile now and the human lines set themselves giving their last prayers up to their gods. Half a mile, and the pikeman drove their pikes into the ground to form a prickly skin in front of the men. Five hundred yards and the first volley of arrows rose high into the air and then another and a third before the first had fallen on their foe. Goblins and orks alike fell pin-cushioned with arrows. But they kept on coming. Volley after volley of arrows left the human army, but could not stop them. A thousand of the enemy must have fallen yet their lines had not thinned. The bowman dropped their bows and drew their swords as the first wave of the enemy crashed into the wall of pikes, throwing themselves onto the pikes trying to force themselves along the wood just to get within range of the humans before they died. The second wave hit the pikes and the wall fell and it all became hand to hand with arrows whizzing about hitting friend and foe.
The Dark Knight ploughed through their ranks knocking a sword away here and gutting a goblin there. One goblin he took straight through its side through its flimsy leather jerkin and gutted it there almost retching as the foul smelling entrails fell to the floor. He left it there trying to stuff its intestine back into its body and moved on. A large ork now with several human heads on its belt turned to face him. It had a cruel half moon axe and it swung it viciously at the Knights head. The Knight ducked and came up swinging his blade up between the beasts legs hardly noticing as the blade split its pelvis in half and he gave the blade a vicious twist before pulling it out of the orks stomach. He went from foe to foe now almost in dream and hardly noticed when the foe retreated.
The human army had been fighting for almost six hours and they were exhausted. They retreated to the safety of the city. They may have won the first battle but they had lost a lot of men that day and there were still goblin reinforcements coming up. They would need more than luck to win this war.

Entropy grabbed the hilt of his sword as his face turned an ashen colour, his sword, Ragnarok, started to glow faster and faster, each time becoming brighter, when suddenly flashes of light poured from the sword, each hitting a goblin leaving behind a pile of scattered ashes. A dozen at least had been obliterated, their fellow goblins were taken back as were the few man fighting them. The men rallied and fought with anew, the balance turned and the goblin hordes were forced back. Entropy, weakened, stumbled from the building and made his way back to the main gates. The horse was were he had left it, and the girl had her arms wrapped round the horses neck. Entropy reached them and put his hand on the back of her head, she turned to him and smiled, a single tear ran down her cheek. He mounted the horse after some considerably effort and they rode on towards the next city.
They were both asleep when the horse stopped moving, Entropy awoke alert, he looked around but could not see anything that would have made the horse stop, he looked down the girl was still asleep. He dismounted, patting the horse nose, he looked around again. The horse reared its head. Entropy could smell it too, a foul smell. Suddenly black shapes appeared around him, circling him and the horse. Entropy cursed, he was too drained to use his sword again, he drew it from the scabbard and readied himself. A much taller black shape made its way through the ranks and made its way towards Entropy, as it came closer he could see it was a large ogre, swinging a large club at its side, it laughed, an evil laugh. Entropy patted the horse again and approached the ogre, the ogre pointed at him and drew its thumb across its neck, it laughed again and swung it club for a final time. Entropy closed his eyes and listened, he could hear its laboured breathing, and he could hear his sword. A quiet hum, was all the sword was saying, 'at least someone's confident' thought Entropy. He opened his eyes again and leapt at the ogre. The ogre was taken aback, but not for long, it swung its club at Entropy's head. Entropy calmly put his hand on the club and sent his armoured foot into the ogres gut, if the ogre had been smaller it would have probably been on the floor, but not this one. It stumbled back, winded. But attacked again, Entropy side-stepped its clumsy approach and as it came past he swung his sword at its leg, slicing it in two just below the knee. 'regenerate that you bastard', and with a smile he walked over to the ogre, now on the floor, and swiftly cut its head off. The black shapes around him howled, and slowly moved back until they had gone all together. He walked back to his horse, and mounting again, spurred the horse on towards the next city.

The fighting had been bitter for days now. The orks had breached the wall twice with their ladders and twice they had been pushed back, but at great cost to the human hosts. Even the woman had been recruited into the army and had proved to be vicious, if under-hand, fighters and had turned the tide of more battles now than the Dark Knight cared to remember. He fondly remembered a quote from his youth of an invader who came up against more than he had bargained for.
"Men, they have used the boiling oil and water, they have doused us with their tar and molten lead. They have thrown rocks at us and even their dining ware. Men they have nothing left to throw at us. Today, this city is ours."
Last quote of Roger of Milford as a piece of the wall crushed his skull as he scaled the wall.
No matter what the orks threw at them he knew that these few men and woman would battle to the end taking as many of these scum with them as possible. But it was looking bleak. For the past few days the orks had only attacked half-heartedly as they prepared their war-machines. Great ugly towers forged their way into the now dark sky. Filled with smoke from ten-thousand fires. Great catapults were being bought up which could hurl a boulder half a mile with ease. And even below ground their was a battle being fought in the low tunnels as sappers sabotaged and counter sabotaged each others defences. As the rain started to beat down and the floor start to get muddy the first rock hurtled over the wall smashing through houses and walls alike. The Dark Knight hoped that no-one was occupying them but didn't move to help as there would already be others there and he needed to save his strength for the final battle. Elicia came and rested her head on his shoulder.
Elicia sighed. A streak of blood coursed its way through her hair. The Dark Knight was proud that she too would get into the thick of the fighting. It wouldn't be too much longer until the castle fell and help looked as though it wasn't coming. He looked out onto the abused and tortured land and saw that the Orks were about to make another attack on the castle.
"You'd better get back. You can't help me by being here."
"It's where I belong," she admonished.
"Perhaps, but not this hour," and he turned his back on her. She stayed a moment and then he heard the soft patter of her shoes as she walked away. She would fight better, he thought, with a bit of anger in her belly. These Orks knew no fear, The Knight thought, as they leapt off the wooden towers, seemingly eager to feel the bite of the defenders swords. But they had now taken the wall about the tower and more rushed out with no fear from the defenders. An ork rushed him but he easily spitted him pushing him back into another who fell from the parapet to fall broken to the ground crushing a few unsuspecting snotlings on the way. He barely heard the defenders warning, and turning felt the bite of a battle axe as it sawed through his mail and sliced his leg. Involuntarily he went to one knee, at the same time drawing his boot knife and drove it into his assailants groin. The Ork grunted, but otherwise didn't show any concern. The Knight idly thought whether Orks had any genitalia as the Ork raised his axe for the killing blow. The Knight looked up to meet death and watched bemused as a sword appeared out of the Orks stomach. The Ork looked down equally bemused, and watched as it was viciously turned and pulled out again. Blood and entrails poured out to rest at the Orks feet and as he bent to pick them up he was lifted into the air on the end of a pike and deposited over the wall.
"I knew you would need me."

Entropy ran thought the hordes of orks and goblins slicing them apart as he searched for the girl, his sword was glowing a brilliant red as it again and again dismembered orks after ork, goblin after goblin. Entropy stopped he had travelled too far into the army, he was surrounded by them. The city was now not far off, he didn't know where the girl had gone, or even if he could make it to the city wall. He heard a cry, he looked and saw the girl being put into a tent, he charged again and burst through the orken ranks, most of them ran in terror of his glowing sword, others fell below it, he finally reached the tent exhausted he burst through the entrance and prepared himself. The girl was tied to a slab of rock and a statue of an evil god stood over her, half a dozen orks were dancing and chanting around the girl, one with a long slender knife. Entropy jumped at the nearest of the orcs and cut its head clean off, the others howled in anger and moved back, the one with the knife jumped at Entropy, but he simply raised his sword and impaled the beast through the stomach, he quickly untied the girl and left the tent. More goblins had surrounded the tent, but Entropy warded them off with his glowing sword, as he made a tired attempt to get to the city wall.
He heard a loud bellow behind him, and he turned to see a Chaos Warrior, in distorted armour, holding a two-handed axe. Entropy closed his eyes, Ragnarok hummed loudly, and then stopped, the glow of the sword faded and Entropy opened his eyes, brilliant red eyes, he and the sword had become one, still holding the girl he walked slowly towards the Warrior, who swung his axe, Entropy ducked, placing the girl on the floor leapt forward and thrust the sword into the neck of the warrior, pulling his sword away to the side, and bringing it down into the side, carving away armour and flesh. Entropy fell to his knees and the sword flashed a dull red colour, Entropy's face was deathly white, the girl ran to his side as the goblins moved in closer.

He looked up at the smiling Elicia not able to bring himself to tell her that his time was almost up and that she was the only thing in this life that he would miss. Orks were still pouring over the wall and there was only a brief lull until the next set of orks came on pushing them back. tower was to their backs and defenders started to stream in. There was perhaps room for twenty of them and they shut the door and braced it with some five left outside. The Dark Knight could hear their screams for but a moment before they were cut off. The defenders looked at him raggedly and he shook his head. There would be no getting out of this, this time. He saw a shadowy figure in the corner who everyone seamed to shy away without even knowing that they were and to this figure Dark trooped.
"We don't have long do we?" Dark asked.
"NO," Death said, casually looking at his time-glass.
"I didn't expect you yourself to be here."
"SPECIAL CASE, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT."
"It's a good day to die, only will the girl make it."
Death looked at him, but said nothing. Dark looked at the door, it was now splintering against the force of the blows being subjected to it. Dark drew both knives. There wouldn't be enough room to swing a sword. The door burst open splintering the nearest defenders. Before they could recover the first rank were dead and the orks had taken the doorway. He fought to the front of the line and launched himself at the nearest group of Orks. He didn't try to defend himself but just hacked into their lines. It was almost a dance and the orks fell back. The defenders galvanised by this courage surged forward, but their numbers were dwindling as one by one they fell. The Dark Knight knew he was dead now as blood flowed from his body from a hundred wounds and cuts. He'd lost one of his knives, unable to pull it free of an orks skull. He snapped the neck of another just as he saw Elicia get transfixed by an ork sword. Crying out he ran to her assailant and punched his fingers straight through its wind-pipe whilst slashing the back of its legs. He was cradling Elicia's body even as the ork fell. He tried to speak but already the light in her eye's had faded out. He got up bewildered, there were just five defenders left. He watched as one was felled by a blow to the head, another transfixed by a pike and a third shot in the throat by an arrow. Unable to shout his last defiance at the ork hoards who had ended his life. The last two backed up slowly and a gap appeared between the orks and them.
Suddenly the ranks of orks split and an ork eight foot high stepped through and surveyed the area. He looked up and in fairly guttural tones addressed them.
"You have fought well. If you stay here you will die for certain. But we are in need of entertainment until it is time for us to leave for our home-world of Ulag. I give you a choice. You can come and try out our competitions and games and if you survive then you will be set free to tell others of what happened here. Otherwise you will die."
Dark was too exhausted to speak but the other defenders readily agreed and put up their swords. As they were being led out Dark looked over and saw the cloaked figure in the corner and he stopped. The ork guards gave him a push but he didn't move and they looked to their commander who likewise looked bewildered.
"You promised," the Knight shouted. "you promised." he whispered, and allowed himself to be led out. The city was ablaze and looted. The captives were huddled together. There were barely fifty of them. The commander sat on a giant pedestal made out of the heads of his victims. All had gruesome visages and all had died in some considerable pain. The commander had made sure of that personally.
"There are three tests. The first is a test of luck. My archers will stand in a circle with you inside and each will fire a single shot. Those who survive will go on to the next test."
Immediately a circle was made and the prisoners began to mill around frantically trying to get out of the way of the archers line of sight. Dark didn't move. He wanted to die and his luck hadn't been too good so far. The first archer took his shot and one of the defenders dropped like a stone the arrow having buried itself to the hilt in her chest, blood bubbling out of her mouth as her lungs filled with blood, and after a moment her eyes rolled up into the back of her head. Then came a flurry of fire as the rest of the orks fired and people started to drop. All around the Dark Knight people fell but not a one touched him. At the end when the remaining had been moved there were but twenty left. The rest were either dead or if they were still alive the they were taken and either eaten alive in front of the rest or were thrown into a huge cooking pot which bubbled.
"The next test is a test of fighting prowess. You will each fight one of my prize guards, if you win you will go on to the last test."
Each captive was given a single knife a foot long. All the guards had swords. Only the true warriors would win this day the Knight thought. The first pair faced off. It was a slim serving girl and the Dark Knight didn't rate her chances at more than twenty seconds. They faced off, circled for a while and then the ork charged. The girl swiftly reversed the blade and hurled it at her attacker. Surprise spread across the orks face as the blade entered its right eye with a faint hiss and buried itself, a full five inches, into his head. He kept running for a few more feet refusing the fact that it was dead. But then its legs recognised this fact and promptly buckled underneath it and the ork fell dead. There was silence. Obviously no-one had expected this. But she moved off to the side and after some re-organising the next pair of combatants faced off.
It was the Dark Knight and a rather large ugly looking ork. This ork was more cautious and came into the fight slowly swinging its sword in wide arcs, trying to catch the knight off guard. As the sword passed him by he raced in and quickly ham-strung his opponent and while it was on its knees stood behind it and slowly pushed his knife in to the hilt twisting it and snapping it off. He stepped back and watched unemotionally whilst the ork clawed at its back ineffectual for a while before letting out its last breath and dying. The others didn't fair as well as the first two and by the end only five stood alive and of the only three were fighting fit, the girl, the knight and another man.
"Now for the third test. We will give you a five minute head start and then we will hunt you down and kill all of you save one. Good luck."
It was all he said, and the captives said nothing and just started to run.

Entropy had recognised the knight he had fought so long ago, and it seemed that he had not recognised him. He was so tired that nothing really mattered anymore, he was dead anyway, he had lost his sword and without that he would die, they had become linked in such a way that they were really part of a whole. The young girl he had saved, and now had sentenced to being a sick sacrifice to some evil god. He grimaced as his foot hit a stone in the mud, they had been running for some time and the three of them were slowly leaving the other two behind, a crack of branches and a group of orcs had landed on the flagging two, Entropy, Dark and the girl turned to look but quickly continued running, as the pleas of the other two were silenced. The girl begged the two stop, and they did so in the shelter of two trees that had grown very close to each other, the girl slid to the floor and rested against the large trunk that had been formed by the two trees. Entropy stared at the Knight, yes it was him, the one he had fought. But why, he thought he was some slave to the demons, but now he could see how wrong he had been. They heard a group of orcs pass close by, they didn't dare breathe, and the orcs slowly moved away, leaving them alone in the dark woods.
"Don't I know you" the knight asked Entropy.
Entropy smiled, "we've meet."
"YOU!" the knight kicked out at Entropy sending entropy sprawling across the mud, the girl stood up and grabbed hold of the knight.
"No no no, they'll find us, they'll.... " she was stopped as they heard a deep laugh, the commanding orc had indeed found them, along with a dozen other orcs.
"They've found us." the girl said as she slipped to the floor, tiredness washing over her.
Entropy got to his feet and jumped one of the orcs, grabbing his sword while it was still surprised, he quickly cut it to the ground. Three orcs quickly jumped Entropy, he couldn't fight them off and he was beaten to the ground.
"Ha ha ha... he was quick, but not good enough." the orc commander drew his axe and walked towards the knight and serving girl. The knight jumped forward but in his state, the orc just knocked him aside.
"Have fun with the girl... " he said to the other orcs, she screamed as the remainder of them took her away.
Entropy was still conscious, he was bleeding badly from his head and body, but none of the orcs were paying him any attention, he got onto his side and looked towards the dark knight, the commander was standing above him laughing hefting his axe from side to side.
Entropy knew that his life was over, but he couldn't face the thought of the girl and even the Dark Knight dying without him giving it his last. He reached done and grasped his boot knife awkwardly and found that one of his fingers was broken. He couldn't feel the pain anymore and swiftly broke it back into position. He heard the Dark Knight scream and looking around saw that the Ork commander had just cut off both his little fingers and was waving them in front of his face. This drove Entropy instantly into a blood frenzy and screaming he leapt at the ork and drove his knife to the hilt into his chest. The ork staggered back and tumbled still with the stunned expression on his face. The other orks seeing this howled and raced towards them. Entropy threw his two remaining knives taking out two of them, but one was still left and he had no weapons left. Just as he braced himself for the blade he saw the Dark Knight out of the corner of his eye staggering towards him, before Entropy could act the Dark Knight had shoved him aside and taken the blade into his body. The Dark Knight hardly flinched as the blade ripped through tendons, muscles and organs alike and face to face with the leering ork, he pulled two of its own daggers out of their sheath's and sliced its throat, under its armpits and finishing with a double thrust putting one through its eye and the other in its stomach. The ork staggered back trying to raise its arms to remove the blade, but his arms defied him due to the cut tendons in its armpits. He fell to the ground, writhed for a moment and was still. The Dark Knight sagged to the floor and died looking at the girl and smiling. He watched from above as Entropy knelt over his body and after a while picked up his weapons and left with the girl. He slowly floated up and could see an army of men marching towards the ork hoard and then even further up till he could see the whole world, the universe, galaxy. He knew everything and he knew that everything would be all right at the end of time and with that thought he turned in on himself and disappeared to be reborn again as the wheel willed on another planet at a different time and with a different name. Julia.

Entropy grew weaker and weaker as he and the girl ran through the woods, he could hear the orcs chasing them, howls of anger and despair from finding their commander killed. Suddenly they broke through the woods and came to a clearing. They stopped, taken aback. In front of them glinting in the morning sun was the army of Vallion, they had seen the fire and had come to aid them. They had arrived too late to save the city but they could make sure that the orken hordes were stopped, Entropy looked at the girl, she was crying, she knew she had been saved but what of the others all those who had died at the twisted hands of the orcs. Entropy looked back at the army, his life force had gone, drawn into the sword left back on the battlefield. He slumped to the floor, it was over, everything.