DUKE: You are here today to represent the best of the Squires for the Dark Knight cause. You are here for one reason and one reason only: To defend our country. You have proven yourselves to be worthy of the Dark Sword. Your souls are full of bravery and rebellion. This will save the country of Midenia from total destruction. You are all great men.

Dark Knight: Duke Yorin, permission to ask a question?

Yorin: Ask away, Derek.

Derek: Okay. I've been thinking about this 'Dark Knight' thing, and it seems as if you're backstabbing the king himself.

Yorin: Yes. That is our purpose. We will free Midenhal from this civil war and bring peace to the land.

Dark Knight: Sir.

Yorin: Yes, Edrick?

Edrick: You may already know who I am. The son of the king of Midenhal, you know.

Yorin: Yes. Edrick Miden. You're the bravest of your men. Especially for leaving your father for the cause of freedom. What do you want?

Edrick: I want to fight alongside you. I want to fight those bastards who dare cause a riot within the kingdom.

Yorin: Yes. You will soon, Sir Edrick...

Edrick: *bows gracefully, and retains his position* Thank you, sir.

Yorin: Tomorrow you will be sent into war. To fight for our cause.

Derek: Finally.

Dark Knight: Hell yeah!

Dark Knight: OH YEAH! TIME TO KICK SOME ASS! *twirls her sword around but drops it, the sword slamming into her foot causing blood to leak out of it.*

Yorin: Meredith. That is no way to act.

Meredith: Sorry, sir.

Meredith, Derek, and Edrick are of the age of seventeen, the youngest ever to achieve the rank of "Dark Knight." Meredith is a beautiful, 5'9'' girl who seems to be of elven descent. She has leather armor which clings tightly to her breasts and stomach, covering most of her upper torso from attack. She wears a headband around her forehead which was given to her by her father. She wears leather leggings and boots. Edrick is 6'1'', very tall for a Midenian. He wears platemail armor which was given to him by the king himself before he left for the Dark Knights. On his left hip is a four foot long broadsword capable of decapitating mass amounts of enemies before breaking. He is fairly muscled, which is extremely good for a seventeen year old. Derek has mastered the ways of magic at only seventeen. He wears a mage's robe and carries a strange rod in his left hand. It holds a strange aura. All three of them have blue eyes and blue hair. Edrick is a special case, however, as his eyes turn to a dark black from time to time whenever he becomes angry.

***

The three walk into the barracks and get in their bed. Meredith had her foot treated, but not without a fight and a bloody arguement. Meredith looks over at Edrick.

Meredith: Hey, Ed...

Edrick: *turns his head and looks over at Meredith.* Yes?

Meredith: I'm curious. How are we going to fight in the war the day after we graduate from the Academy?

Edrick: We will apply everything we've learned. We will forget our hardships and indifferences and put them into the Sword. We will use this Sword to fight evil and defeat the fools who dare separate our great country.

Meredith: ...you sound like the King.

***

It is mid-day. The twelve warriors who just graduated are now in the heat of battle. Derek is behind Edrick, shooting spells at the enemy. Meredith is using her bow and katana against the enemy. Edrick is stabbing his sword through enemies like a hot knife through butter.

Edrick: *charges at an enemy, swinging his broadsword at its neck, cutting off the head easily.* KEEP FIGHTING! DON'T TIRE OUT!

Derek: I'm trying! There's too many of them!

Meredith: He's right. The three of us can't hold out this long!

Yorin is watching from the distance with his military fork in his right hand. He stabs through enemies that charge at him, but at the same time Yorin is watching the three who are ahead of everyone.

Yorin: Edrick has a strange energy about him... he can lead people into battle so easily...

Suddenly, another fully-armored horseman appears. He carries a huge five foot long scimitar in his right hand. He charges at Edrick and swings at him but Edrick deflects the blade with his sword and is knocked down, narrowly dodging the sword that swings at him. He stands up and the horseman turns around.

Meredith: EDRICK, LOOK OUT!!!!

Another horseman charges at Edrick, but he holds his sword out and begins chanting. Meredith watches on in amazement. The energy Edrick creates goes into his sword. Edrick begins moving his sword around his body in a finesse unknown to any knight around him. Yorin's eyes widen.

Yorin: He's a Spellsword!?

Edrick: Fool. Eat this.

Edrick yells out, "CRESCENT SWORD!" and a huge crescent flies out of his blade as he swings it, but the horseman blocks it with her shield and continues charging forward, almost running over Derek as he shoots a fireball at the horseman's head.

Horseman One: Heh. Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Saturn, the second knight of Hell for the Dragonlord Satanis.

Edrick: ...Satanis?

Saturn: My friend over there is Jupiter, the third knight of Hell for the Dragonlord Satanis. Prepare to die.

Jupiter: Wait, Saturn.

Saturn: *looks over at Jupiter.* Yes?

Jupiter: They're too weak for us right now. Should we really fight them?

Saturn: Have you become soft?

Saturn and Jupiter are the basic evil pair. Saturn is a handsome, blue-haired warrior with bulging muscles and a long velvet cape with a purple color to it. His eyes are ice blue, the color of the arctic wind. His friend Jupiter is beautiful, standing one inch lower than Saturn. Her long blonde hair flows behind her. She has fiery crimson eyes, the color of hatred and blood. She carries a staff in her hand with strange magical runes carved on it.

Jupiter: Uh... no.... I...

Saturn: You've become soft! I don't believe it! Have the humans truely influenced you to this degree???

Jupiter: Forgive me... let's destroy them.

Saturn: That's it! Let's go!

Derek, Meredith, and Edrick: We won't let you!

Saturn holds up his sword and begins charging at Derek first. Jupiter begins chanting under her breath, pulling out massive amounts of magic from her body. This aura creates a ball of flames as it swirls around her hand, seering the skin every now and then. Saturn swings at Derek, narrowly missing him as he ducks under it, and counterattacks with a lightning bolt to Saturn's back. Saturn turns around and begins chanting as well. A triangle of aura surrounds the three as they continue chanting.

Edrick: DAMN! What the hell?!

Meredith: We have to do something or we're finished!

Derek: Fl...FLARE WALL!?!?

Edrick: Flare wall?

Derek: It's an attack only learned by Dark Wizards! This can't be possible!!

Edrick: What do you mean?

Derek: The Dark Wizards fight for the side of good! I don't understand...

Edrick: Then let's do something about it then!

While Saturn and Jupiter are chanting, Edrick begins swinging his sword at the barrier, his sword getting knocked away from the barrier. Derek begins casting several counterspells-- no use. Meredith shoots arrows-- no use. Saturn and Jupiter grin.

Saturn: Starlight of Heaven

Jupiter: Darkness of Hell

Saturn: Sun's Fury

Jupiter: Moon's Atonement

Saturn: FLARE

Jupiter: WALL!!!!

The barrier begins spinning fiercely in a whirlwind of flames, seriously burning Edrick, Derek, and Meredith. Yorin charges toward Jupiter and Saturn, stabbing Saturn in the right kidney and causing the whirlwind to disappear. Saturn bleeds badly, and backs away from Yorin. Jupiter does the same. The three warriors are badly wounded.

Edrick: Ugh... damn it...

Derek: I...

Meredith: Mother...

Saturn: Damn! We almost had them...

Jupiter: Forget it. We underestimated Yorin. Let's go!

Saturn and Jupiter gallop off into the evening sky. It has been a two-hour war. Edrick, Derek, and Meredith are hauled off to the nearest healing grounds where they await their healing.