Veraph woke up. He didn't know whether it was the shuffling of armor around him or the battle cries of the generals to crush the unholy opposition that did it. It didn't really matter; all he needed was to reach the battlefield. To hear the clash of metal ring in his ears, seeing bones litter the ground. The knight, unaware of what would happen to him on that day. The darkness yet to come.
He spotted a pair of paladins that were back to back, starting to become surrounded. He saw the oppurtunity and crashed through the circle of skeletons.His blade almost a blur, he cut until there was nothing left. The rescued paladins thanked him and sprinted away to join the other knights. Happy with himself, Veraph headed toward the front lines, dropping any enemy on the way.
In was in the middle of all the fighting when he saw it. A necklace around the neck of a defeated skeleton.A dark gem hanging at the end. This was new to him. He looked at it closer, as it seemed to be radiating a dark aura, killing the little grass around it. Curious, Veraph grabbed the chain and looked at the jewel. He knew exactly what this would be. He had fought hard these past few days so he thought he deserved a reward for himself, a souvenir of his battle prowess. He went to grab the gem. No sooner, darkness started to cloud Veraph's vision. A pain he couldn't imagine shot up his arms, darkness enveloping him as well. He screamed out in agony. Quickly he tore off his arm and wrist guards. He saw gashes from his elbow to his wrist, seeping darkness, dark orbs floating from craters in the palms of his hands.
The pain continued. Veraph looked at his arms, terror filling his face. He didn't know what to do. He looked around at his fellow paladins but they were all locked in battle. He couldn't take it anymore, his arms felt like they would be swallowed by the darkness. Dark gas swirled around him. Veraph let out a scream that brought the battlefield to a jarring stop. The other paladins looked at him in horror.
The skeletons also looked at him but instead of fear they looked entranced. They stopped mid-fight and came to his side, They formed a protective circle around him. Veraph looked at the skeletons with tears in his eyes. He spun around and sprinted off the battlefieild, back to his tent. The sounds of battle starting soon after.
A few paladins walked into Veraph's tent, trying to stay as far back as possible. One of them that was brave enough knelt down and analyzed the wounds on his arms. He looked at the darkness and the damage inflicted and thought that it was a miracle Veraph was even alive. The fact that he didn't die amazed the paladin. Veraph couldn't take this pain anymore, the darkness clouded his vision once again.He closed his eyes as he passed out.
