A Knightly Duty (event)
The thread unravels, manifesting me onto a battlefield. A group of mercenary knights stand their ground against a horde of screaming bearded warriors, but they are clearly outnumbered, and have been abandoned to their fate. A dense Fog swiftly rolls in, concealing a berserker as he swings his axe and slams a young squire to the ground. In an instant, the other knights close ranks and manage to drag the young squire behind their lines as the berserker is run through with extreme prejudice.
The wind whips and swirls, forming a massive undulating column of mist. A massive paw the size of a tree trunk rips out of the column, out of which appears a monstrosity: eyeless, scales running down its body in stripes that ripple and gleam in the morning sun. It stands on its hind legs like a man, swinging a giant claw towards the knights. Those who are not fast enough are instantly crushed into bloody pulp. Shaken, the remaining soldiers scramble to surround the bear-like abomination.
Then, the sound of a clarion! Knights on horseback pour through the broken line and charge the Fogbeast. Their leader's helm is blood-red, his sword arm outstretched, and he cuts off the bear's leg with one, powerful strike. The beast's roar sounds like the screams of a thousand men as it topples over, narrowly missing the still dazed squire in its descent. The red knight stops and extends a hand to the confused young man on the ground.
"Up! Up, you bastard!" The knight looks about, his sneer of contempt hidden by his enclosed bascinet, "The craven Magi have abandoned us to the wolves! They are devoid of honor! Unburnished by glory! They expect us to sacrifice our lives for the sake of their dying empire. I spit on their coin and their damned emperor! Come!" He turns his horse around while pointing, "We ride for the coast!"
The vision starts to fade, but on the other side of the battlefield, I see the silhouette of a powerful man on a horse. He looks serenely at the retreating knights while cleaning his sword. The last scene I see is him raising his hand up in a salute.
Well deserved.