Running the gauntlet

William flicked his blade out to the side, scattering the excess blood dripping off of its steel to the side before kneeling down to wipe it clean on the grass. He knew it wouldn't do much good, and that he only had a short amount of time to do so, but the actions were mechanical and relaxing for him. Even now, surrounded by the discarded corpses of his enemies who had come at him one after another, the action helped him to catch his breath and calm his wearied muscles. He had been at this for hours, and he was unsure of just how much longer it would go. But it was not the first time he had cleaned his blade, and it would certainly not be the last.

The problem going forward would not be his own endurance, power, or skill. He had more than proven them all already. The problem would the sharpness of his blade, as it slowly blunted itself against the skin and bones of his foes as he sliced them to pieces. He had made sure to sharpen it before he had set out to hold back these forces, but he had already cut down more than a hundred of the demons that were being summoned to attack his village.

It had been his own fault that they were coming. It was a small thing - his wife was sick, and his mind had been distracted for days as he had worked around the clock to care for her. In his mindlessness, he had scorned a passing wizard who had slowed him from picking up a necessary medical delivery. The wizard had taken it personally, and believing that he had received no kindness in his time there, had sworn to destroy the village.

His wife had died a few days later. William was full of grief as he watched the wizard preparing armies of demons and undead, and somewhere in him shortly before the attack had begun something clicked. He was going to be the one to stop the wizard. And if he died protecting the village that his wife had so dearly loved, than that simply meant that he would get to see her again sooner.

He stood as he saw the next wave appearing over the horizon, bodies still ever so slightly glowing from the summoning as they approached. William readied his blade, eyeing each as they came at him. His knees were shaking the tiniest amount - he was getting tired. But it wasn't going to be his knees that stopped him.