The 1st Corrupt War

Tension was building in the Terrarian Empire. The newly arrived Corruption was spreading fast. Village after village was drawn over to the Corrupt side. The King had to make the call. The Corruption would have to be destroyed...
==Chapter 1: The Beginning==
Knight Diroas handed King Arthas the tattered note. Diroas, a Knight of the Royal Court, had received the note from a Footman the previous day. The Footman had received the letter by Bird messenger, after which he had it brought immediately to the Royal Court. The yellowed paper had words scrawled over it untidily. They read:
"Your Majesty, you may or may not read this letter. But if you have, you have to mobilise forces against the new Corruption. It is a threat to our very society. Corrupt Warriors have been raiding my village every night, plundering a house or two before being repelled. We don't know how much longer we can hold them off. We require reinforcements immediately, before we are Corrupted as well. Please consider my request. An entire village is in danger. If yo--" The rest of the letter was torn off.
Arthas read the letter silently. He turned to Diroas and told him to get his military commanders to assemble in the Throne Room. 5 minutes later, Commanders Rafale, Uther and Burt were assembled in front of Arthas.
==Chapter 2: The Meeting of Minds==
"My commanders, you must be wondering why I have gathered all of you here. We are now facing the biggest threat in our royal lives." Arthas said.
"Even bigger than the time a meteorite landed on the castle?" Rafale enquired.
"Much bigger." said Arthas grimly. "We must destroy the Corruption that has so easily taken our hospitality for granted."
"Are you certain of this, your Majesty? The Corruption is powerful, almost equivalent to us in terms of military power." said Burt. At this, Arthas passed him the letter written by the doomed villager. The commanders read the letter and raised their eyebrows in surprise.
"We need to act, now." said Rafale ominously.
"Wait! Perhaps we could try negotiating with them first. For all we know, the attacks may be conducted by Bandits." suggested Uther. Arthas agreed to this suggestion, and sent the Diplomat Henry to negotiate with Duncam, the Corruption Lord and a half-human creature.
==Chapter 3:Heart of Evil==
Henry took a few Footmen and set off towards the Corruption. About 4 days of travelling later, he finally saw purple grass, the sign of Corruption. He declared himself coming in peace, and the Corrupt Warriors guarding the border let him pass. While he walked through the Corruption, he saw horrendous things. Eaters of Souls drifted in the air, and one even tried to attack him, but was repelled by a Corrupt Warrior guarding him, reluctantly of course. As he neared the Palace of Strife, he appraised the absolutely gargantuan structure before him. It's menacing towers and central spire gave him shivers when he thought about it. It was the beating Heart of Evil itself, the central node of Corrupt activities.
At the Palace gates, a large Corrupt Slime blocked the way. It refused to budge, no matter how hard the Footmen pushed. The Corrupt Warrior bodyguards watched with amusement, and suddenly, there was the flash of a Light's Bane. A Footman fell to the ground, his throat cut. The rest of the Footmen stared in shock, giving the Corrupt Warriors time to strike. Soon, only Henry was left standing, and he gazed open mouthed at the Warriors around him. He suddenly felt a rumbling beneath him, and suddenly, a large Devourer erupted from beneath him, it's jaws closing around his body. His screams were cut short by a worm tooth piercing his skull.
==Chapter 4: Armies of Light and Darkness==
2 weeks later...
Arthas grew increasingly worried. It had been 18 days since Henry had left, and there had been no reply from him since. He decided he had waited long enough. He summoned his commanders once again and ordered them to take an army and wage war on the Corruption. But in the Corruption, Duncam was busy too. He had built up HIS army and was going to wage war right back at the Empire. An army of Darkness would be waiting for the brave warriors of the Terrarian Empire...
"You shall not retreat! You shall not falter! You shall not surrender! But you shall destroy this evil!" roared Rafale. Uther and Burt echoed after him, and soon, the entire Garrison was of Hildegard was riled up. Iron-clad Footmen marched forth towards Hurgur, the border post of the Corruption.
5 days later...
Burt, the frontmost person in the army, shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand, surveying the landscape of Bireth. They had spotted the Corrupt Army's camp the previous day,and were waiting for them to make the first move. Burt was growing impatient. A man of action, he despised waiting. Luckily for him, Rafale and Uther had agreed that they would attack tonight.
==Chapter 5: Swords and Arrows==
The arrow thudded into the ground, the shaft still burning. A Corrupt Warrior ran forward to pick it up, only for it to explode in his hand. Several Warriors were knocked back by the blast, and Duncam ran out of his tent to see what the commotion was about. He saw the body of the blasted-apart Warrior, and he looked up the mountain. With his eyes, he saw Burt's sillhouette holding a bow. He realised what had happened, and his scarred face darkened in anger.
"Warriors! Battle Positions! We are under fire!" his deep voice roared over the camp. Corrupt Warriors burst from their tents holding Light's Banes and some with gnarled Demon Bows. He himself drew from his belt his prized sword forged from the elements themselves: the Night's Edge. Arrows streaked from the top of the mountain and impacted around the purplish grass of the camp. Corrupt Warriors fell around him, and once an arrow even bounced off his chest armor. But on the Warriors pushed, climbing up the steep cliffs.
At the summit, the Warriors faced an unmoveable wall of Footmen, sharpened spears extended. Any Warrior that tried to attack the Footmen was instantly pierced by about 5 spear tips. Suddenly, with an enraged roar, Duncam burst from the edge of the cliff, Night's Edge raised high above his head. He brought it slamming down on the wall, shattering spears in 2 and paving the way for the Warriors to kill the Footmen.
Shiny Silver Broadswords and Purple Light's Banes clashed on the summit, Corrupt Warriors and Footmen alike falling down to the ground. Rafale and Burt were battling as well, their significantly stronger and faster Cobalt Swords swinging in deadly whirlwinds. Duncam's Night's Edge was lighting up the battlefield with it's strange purple light, chopping up Footmen like they were Bunnies. Fiery arrows flew from below the mountain, occasionally hitting their marks and bringing down a Footman.
The battle raged for over an hour, and soon it became clear that the Corrupt Warriors were gaining the upper hand. The morale of the Footmen was dwindling, their blows becoming weaker, while the Warriors kept swinging tirelessly. Even Rafale was tiring, his slashes missing more than usual. While his Cobalt Armor could hold off most of the Warriors' blows, he was beginning to feel the fatigue. Had he been more awake, he might have seen the shadow of Duncam behind him, his Dark Sword held high.
==Chapter 6: Shattered Minds==
Duncam brought his Night's Edge down on Rafale with a God-Almighty fury. The purple blade cut through Rafale's Cobalt armor like it was nothing, ripping through his helmet and slicing his head into half! Rafale didn't even have time to scream. Duncam applied more power, bringing the sword ripping through Rafale's body and slashing his ENTIRE body in half, seperated down the middle. Burt spun at the sound of Cobalt armor being wrenched to pieces and he turned just in time to see Rafale's half-bodies fall. Burt's face went white with fear at the sight of his comrade being mutilated by Duncam, but at that moment a Warrior stabbed him in the back and he snapped back into the battle.
Duncam picked up Rafale's Cobalt sword, gazing at it and marvelling at it's material. It was both powerful AND lightweight, a characteristic rarely seen in a sword. Oblivous to the battle around him, he swung the sword a few times to test it out, accidentally killing a Footman behind him. He grinned evilly when he found out that the blade swung much faster than his Night's Edge. He sheathed his Night's Edge and instead wielded the Cobalt sword. He then went charging into battle like an unstoppable machine of death, the light-blue blade cutting through the Footmen with ease.
Burt was losing his ground. 5 Corrupt Warriors were forcing him back towards the steep rockface of the mountain. He ducked beneath a slash and thrust his sword into the Warrior's chest, dropping him where he stood. The other 4 Warriors saw their friend fall and intensified their attacks. Burt parried a sword away only to see another one rushing at his face. He ducked at the last second, the Light's Bane grazing his helmet, and grabbed the Warrior's sword arm. With surprising strength, he lifted the Warrior over his shoulder and tossed him down the mountain! The other Warrior's saw their opportunity to stab Burt's back, but he was prepared. He dropped to the ground, the killing blows going high... and Burt lifted up his right leg quickly, catching a Warrior between his legs. Burt then performed a ninja move, flipping onto his head, doing a handstand and catapaulting the Warrior over him and sending him flying off the cliff! But the rest of the Warriors saw another opportunity, and shoved Burt down the mountain! Burt tumbled ass over head down the mountain, yelling as he went.
The Footmen, already demoralised by insane loss of numbers, lost formation completely when they saw two of their commanders gone. They were decimated by the Warriors, and some lucky ones scurried away back towards the safety of their camp. Some Warriors chased after them but Duncam called them back. He had more urgent buisness to attend to.
==Chapter 7: The Gleaming Anvil==
Duncam strode back to camp, his two swords sheathed. He stepped over the remains of the previously blown apart Warrior, saying nonchalantly "Clean up this mess" and walked into his tent. In his tent, he unsheathed his recently "acquired" Cobalt Sword and opened up his chest. Inside it were two more swords, one made of a gleaming green material, the other of a shiny red one. He carefully placed the Cobalt sword beside the two and shut the chest, a plan forming inside his head. He had heard of the legend of Excalibur, a blade forged with the soul of the Mightiest Destroyer himself. Legend said that any man who wielded the Excalibur would be unstoppable. However, the legend had also stated that to create Excalibur, one would require a "Gleaming Anvil". Duncam, as powerful as he was, did not possess such an artifact. He decided to try to create it with a normal Anvil.
Duncam placed the three swords ceremoniously on the Anvil before him. He chanted a spell and with a faint "vrrrum" sound, a faint-blue sphere floated out of his chest. It was the essence of his former ally, the Destroyer of Worlds. Duncam grasped the sphere in both hands and with all his might, he brought down the sphere onto the swords, chanting out the language of another world. The tent was lit up with a bright blue light, and the 3 swords were seemingly melting together-- and there was a loud "Voom!" and a shockwave threw Duncam backwards, thudding straight into his chest. The blue light had gone out and Duncam stood up, hoping to see a shiny yellow- white sword on the Anvil. He was disappointed when he saw that the 3 swords were not one, but instead scattered all over the floor. He swore under his breath, knowing that he now had to find the "Gleaming Anvil". He suddenly had a spark of inspiration. The legend had said that the Gleaming Anvil was made of Mythril, the same material as the green sword! Duncam immediately sent out orders that Warriors were to find 40 of the green ore. He knew that if he were to defeat the Terrarian Empire, he would have to wield Excalibur in his hands.
==Chapter 8: Excalibur==
4 days later...
Duncam was exhilarated. He stood before a shiny green Anvil, supposedly the "Gleaming Anvil". He took a deep breath, made a prayer to Skeletron, and started the ceremony again. He brought the Soul of Might down into the trio of swords, once again creating the bright blue light and showing the 3 swords supposedly melting into one another. Duncam blinked, unsure of whether the blue light turning white was a hallucination. He then got a feeling of confidence, somehow knowing that this was meant to happen. The white light was turning extremely bright, forcing Duncam to shut his eyes to prevent his eyeballs from being burnt up. Suddenly, he felt an emptiness in his chest, as though as something had just stolen his heart, literally. It lasted for a second, and then there was a shockwave again, this one being more powerful than the previous one, sending Duncam flying straight out of his tent and out into the dark evening air. He landed on the purple grass, only to leap up almost instantly, brushing away the Warriors trying to help him up. He bounded back into the tent, which was lit up with the same white light. Duncam glanced at the Anvil, which was emitting the light. However, the second he touched the Anvil, the light went out, and Duncam found himself staring right at a sword laced with white and red stripes and yellow areas.
Duncam picked up the sword, his scarred face lit up with disbelief. He felt a power flowing through his arm, as though as the sword itself was giving him strength. The sword seemed to possess the traits of all 3 blades it was made of, as light as the Cobalt Sword, as bright as the Mythril one and was as powerful as the red Adamantite sword. Suddenly, he felt the power in his arm vanish. The sword no longer seemed keen on providing him with energy. He ignored it and swung the sword a few times, testing it's weight and power. A Corrupt Warrior, curious about all the commotion, poked his head into the tent. Unexpectedly, he saw the sword rushing towards his face! In a reflex action, he whipped up his Light's Bane, only to have see it's blade shattered by the sword. The blade didn't stop there; it continued moving, ultimately coming into contact with the unfortunate Warrior's neck. Duncam noticed this, and as he stared down at the Warrior's severed head, he had no doubt. This WAS Excalibur.
==Chapter 9: Siege!==
It was 6 days before Duncam's force set it's eyes upon the Terrarian Empire. Pursuing Uther's fleeing force, Duncam had finally come to Hildegard where the Terrarian Empire proudly stood. Uther would have no doubt warned the King that we were coming, thought Duncam. The element of surprise was definitely lost. He would have to strike hard and fast before the Empire could react. He felt a tap on his shoulder and heard a Warrior ask, "Sir when do we strike? The men are hungry for battle." He was about to reply when suddenly he saw a streak of metal go whizzing by his face and heard one of his men fall with a groan. He looked at it's source and saw a Footman standing atop a tower with his bow drawn, loading another arrow into the bow. With a battle roar, Duncam's Army of Darkness stormed across the battlefield. The Warriors all headed for the Castle Gate, which was shut after Uther's force had retreated into the Castle. They tried to break through the gate, but the powerful stone door refused to budge. Some smarter ones tried scaling the walls, but were shot down by archers on the walls. Duncam reached into his pocket and pulled out a stick of dynamite. He lit the fuse, and hurled it at the wall with a roar of rage. The dynamite hit the wall, rebounded and came to a rest at its foot. Exactly 2 seconds later, it exploded, sending bricks and dust flying everywhere and leaving a gaping hole at the point where it had exploded. The Warriors saw and heard the explosion, and without Duncam saying a word, they all rushed towards the hole. Footmen were waiting for them. Using the same, unmovable method, they formed a wall with spears extended. Duncam saw this, and rushed to the hole to break the wall once again. But before he took 5 steps towards it, a yellowish-white blur rocketed into him, sending him skidding over the ground. When he stopped moving, he looked up to see a hulking man decked out in full Hallowed Armor, complete with Angel Wings swaying in the breeze behind him, attached to his back. Duncam's eyes widened, flabbergasted. He had believed that Hallowed Armor was a mere myth, created by old village women. Yet, an "angel" now stood before him.
==Chapter 10: David and Goliath==
Duncam stood up, looking the newcomer up and down. The shining warrior wielded an Adamantite Sword, the blade that is second only to Excalibur. His pearl-white wings flapped in the wings behind him, a Cobalt Shield on his left arm. Bright blue eyes could be seen through the slits in his helmet. The Hallowed Warrior stared right back at him into his glaringly red eyes. He glanced at Duncam's Mythril Armor. What he saw obviously didn't impress him. He drew his sword and Duncam did the same. In the blink of an eye, both warriors' blades clashed together, resulting in a resounding metal clang that echoed across the battlefield. Corrupt Warriors and Footmen turned at the sound, their battles forgotten. Duncam and the Angel were obviously using all their strength to overcome the other. Duncam won the grapple, and Excalibur sliced across the Angel's chestplate, leaving barely a dent in the reflective surface. In return, the Angel's red blade came up in a blazing uppercut, sending Duncam flying. He was back on his feet in a flash, and before the Angel could react, he had rushed forward and shoulder-rammed him. Both of them landed in a heap on the floor and hand-to-hand combat ensued. Duncam gave several punches to the Angel's face before the Angel grabbed the Corrupt Lord around the neck and flipped him over him. In less than a second, both of them were back where they started. That was when Duncam got really mad. He drew Excalibur and started dealing powerful blows to the Angel. He raised his Adamantite Sword up in defense, and in spite of the Excalibur's power, managed to parry some of his blows. Duncam couldn't understand why Excalibur wasn't giving him its full support. Indeed, it felt more like it was draining HIS energy. While Duncam was distracted, the Angel slammed his sword into him, sending him flying crashing straight through a rock comically, leaving a "Bugs-Bunny-Runs-Through-the-wall" sort of hole. Duncam was knocked out cold by the force of the hit, and the Angel picked up Excalibur. The sword glowed brightly, having been in it's rightful owner's hand at last. He strolled lifted into the air with his wings, and swooped back towards the castle while Corrupt Warriors all below him started surrendering in droves, their leader unconscious as several Footmen cleared up the mess.
==Epilogue==
The Angel swooped straight into the Throne Room, where Arthas was waiting.
"Who are you, brave soul?" Arthas asked. The Angel made no reply, but simply took off his helmet. Arthas gasped as he took in the face behind the mask. It was Burt!
"But...how? Uther told me you died!" Arthas cried out. Burt smiled.
"That's what they all thought they saw. What they didn't know that I was an Angel. This right was passed down from my father to me, as was his armor. The Angel equipment can be activated when the wearer commands it." Burt explained. "I had merely deployed my wings when I fell down and swooped off. I have already ordered our finest knights to destroy what is left of the Corruption, by the way."
Arthas heard this and smiled. "It's good to have you back, Commander." He said.
And thus, the bloodbath, which came to be known as the 1st Corrupt War, came to an end, together with this story
Sorry for taking so long :P
Category:Stories
Category:Finished
Category:Exshooter101