[b]Chapter 8: Moat Royal[/b]

Night had just begun to settle over the cold and vast landscape of the Black Marsh, the darkness rapidly enveloped the land into its domain, making it near impossible to see a thing. On top of the ramparts of Moat Royal, Heinrich stood and glanced out over the nothingness beyond the walls of his commission. Snowfall had become more and more frequent over the past days, and he couldn't help but curse the biting cold time and over again. He tugged in his worn cloak to encase himself further from the cold, while glancing down at a letter in his hand. It had been delivered the previous night by a rider. Heinrich had immediately recognised the royal seal upon the wax, and he could still feel his stomach turn in fear upon recollecting the missive. King Leofric had ordered not only his, but every fort along the border into the highest alert. They were to prepare themselves for an invasion - from Raylia.

Heinrich sighed and folded the missive in half before tucking it away. He was afraid, there was no denying it, but at the same time he felt confident. Moat Royal was the largest of the ten forts, with sturdy stone walls, a total garrison of four hundred men and even a few catapults located around the battlements to be used against any attackers. Heinrich knew they stood a fair chance against any who would assault Royal, even if they'd be outnumbered two or three to one.

Something moved in the corner of his eye and his attention shifted toward it. To his relief it was just one of his men, patrolling the wall with a torch in one hand and a spear in the other. The guardsman didn't notice his superior, he was too occupied gazing out over the walls. Normally Heinrich wouldn't pay it any attention, but he noticed how the guard kept looking out, and seemingly at the same location. Heinrich felt a certain unease creep in and he slowly turned his head to look out into the dark in effort to see whatever the guardsman saw. Alas, there was nothing but silence and darkness. Heinrich concluded to himself that the guard was simply keeping a close eye on the expanding land beyond the moat, and quickly felt his beating heart ease down. He left out a heavy sigh - all was well.

A voice suddenly cried out. It was close - too close, and Heinrich then realised that it came from the guardsman a short distance away from him. He had turned to lean out over the wall now, the torch held forth in attempt to light up the ground below.

"Who goes there! State your name and business!" the guard bellowed, receiving no response. Heinrich shifted on his spot to glance down from the walls, yet he still saw nothing. All he heard outside of the safety of Royal was a few, distant croaks - which to his absolute terror all ceased to sound at the same time, followed by a splash. Something stirred the waters of the bog and Heinrich felt his heart take a leap. Did someone throw a rock? He glanced along the wall that had gradually increased in activity by additional guardsmen. No, he thought. Why would they do that. His conclusion was only enchanced by another splash in the distance, and then another. They were definitely no rocks being thrown by the guardsmen. They sounded like footsteps, only...

He could hear how the noise increased in intensity and frequency until it was incessant - and it came closer.

"You!" Heinrich shouts out and points to the guardsman with the torch. "Throw that out there! Might be we can see what in damnation is going on!"

The guardsman nods and heaves back his arm before swinging it forth, throwing the torch far out. Luckily it lands on a dry tuft of grass and its light immediately expands into broad sphere in the dark. What Heinrich saw made him want to shout out in terror, but someone else on the wall beat him to it. The torch revealed a dozen people, some carried armor and others were in simple clothes. A few were crawling through the water in a twisted, horrific way that Heinrich knew was not human by any means, but most were running - and they were fast. Before he knew it something hit the wall below him. He looked down, and saw two empty eye-sockets stare back up at him. The man, or woman, lacked a jaw, and its features were pale and hollow. Fingers with ruined nails scratched frantically against the stone fortifications in tireless effort to ascend the battlements. More and more of the undead abominations ran into the wall and begun to claw against it in dumb effort to climb up.

Heinrich repelled in horror and cried out. The world around him exploded, his men sprung to life and manned the walls, many carried bows or crossbows and they fired down at the increasing horde of monsters. He saw how one of his men on the far side of the wall violently retracted backwards as a spear pierced through his chin and exited through the back of the skull. The guardsman collapsed and plummeted off the wall.

Another cry to Heinrich's left caught his attention, and he witnessed in terror how a few of the undead had successfully found a way up the wall, and how they brutally cut down the soldier at his post. They did not stay for long, however, as they were rushed by a handful of new soldiers with brandished swords that made quick work of the beasts, but the dead were now crawling over the battlements all along the wall - and Heinrich could only watch in terror. In the darkness amongst flickering torches it was difficult to tell friend from foe, but he could hear the sound of battle and the agonized screams of his men as they were gradually overwhelmed by the undead around him. His heart was near pounding out of his chest, and he was frozen in fear. He was going to die here, in this fort, deep inside the Black Marsh - slaughtered by abominations. He felt how tears begun to well up in his eyes, and he slid down against the wall, unable to contain the tears. He did not notice that the fighting had died down, how his men had been completely overrun. He glanced out through a gap in the wall with blurry eyes, and saw how lights appeared in the distance, one after the other - only to then fling up into the air, straight in a trajectory for Moat Royal.

Heinrich sobbed endlessly while watching the lights approaching the fort. He never saw the rusty spear before it pierced him through the neck - and everything went black.