THE MOMENT
A column of blue-white light pierced the night sky. The king and his men were forced to shut their eyes from the intense brightness. They were some distance from the target; the monster hadn't reached the gates yet. Though, the king knew the bolstered door wouldn't slow it down. He stood on the castle wall and watched the attacker walk through half a dozen legions of his best men. He was down to his last resort and did not hesitate to use it.
Not that any of them really knew what that last resort was. All they had was the royal advisor's story passed down through the ages. They knew it was a weapon and that was all they needed to know. The advisor knew how to use it and did so on the king's order. The king was surprised that even at a reasonable distance, he still felt a warm breeze wash over him from the direction of the light. After several moments, the light and the warmth faded.
The king noticed a large, deep, smoking crater as the light disappeared. Then, it was almost too dark to see. One thing that couldn't be missed was the lone figure still moving through the crater towards the castle.
"It still lives....," one of the knights mumbled under his breath. Everyone was left speechless and his quiet surprise was loud enough for everyone to hear.
"OPEN THE GATE!" the king bellowed.
"Your highness?" The knight captain asked. The king donned his helmet as he responded.
"Our last resort failed," the king replied. "I shall greet our guest personally. Take your men and families and leave while I make time."
"But, your high-," The captain tried to interrupt but the king shook his head.
"You have your orders commander. The people can find a new king easier than I can find a new kingdom.," he pushed past the captain to the stairs and went down into the courtyard. He was relieved to hear the sudden ruckus of women and children being herded into the castle to escape through the tunnels.
The king spent some time waiting in front of the gate before the attacker finally crossed the threshold. He stood tall with his sword drawn and at his side. He was amazed at her identity once she appeared.
She was a blonde teenager that couldn't have been older than 16 or 17. He hadn't been able to get a good look while she was fighting in the distance, but he did see what she did to all his men. She could fight like a demon, and she withstood their ultimate attack, seemingly no worse for wear. She approached the king with ease; she showed no sign of limping or trying to mask any pain. Even her light, yellow, cloth armor was intact; the king idly wondered if the beam of light did anything at all. But, he could still see the crater in the distance behind her.
"Hi, I'm Honey," she introduced herself with a friendly wave. "Are you the king?" she asked. The king nodded. He wanted to remain stern; but, her smile was infectious. He couldn't help but grin playfully as he answered her.
"What brings you before the king, Honey?" he asked. He didn't bother introducing himself. It was about to not matter who he was.
"I'm sorry," she said. The king had heard a lot of apologies in his time; hers was one of the few that sounded sincere. "I'm kind of here to kill you," she shrugged. "It's nothing personal!"
"Then, why do it at all?" the king asked. He was too noble to be reduced to begging; but, maybe he could still talk his way into her good graces.
"..for the reward," she replied.
"Money?" the king tilted his head. "You may empty my treasury in exchange for sparing my life," he said. He turned to gesture at the castle. But, Honey shook her head.
"Not money," she replied. "..guild points. You can't give me those."
"Indeed...," the king sighed and lowered his head in defeat. He did not even know what a guild point was, nor where to find them. "I cannot." He looked down at the teenager and into her honey-golden eyes. He saw bored confidence in them. She was just waiting for the right moment. The king took solace in knowing that his kingdom would survive without him. They'd had more than enough time to escape before Honey reached the gets. The castle should be empty now. The king widened his stance and raised his sword.
"I'm ready to defend myself," he said. Honey nodded at him with a smile. She raised her bare fists and took her stance facing the king. Then, she moved. She threw a sloppy, straight punch directly at his chest.
The practiced king sidestepped the attack easily and sliced her arm off with his sword. It fell to the dusty ground with a wet plop. The wound dripped a translucent, golden liquid that was as viscous as honey. She didn't scream, or even seem to notice. She spun around and tried to connect with a kick; it did not land either. The king felt like he was fighting an untrained squire; a blind one with no coordination. It left him feeling uneasy instead of confident. The king had an enormous amount of practice but not once had he seen a novice make as many mistakes as she had.
"You're toying with me," the king said. Honey shrugged. The king noted that her arm seemed to have grown back already. He scanned the ground in his peripheral vision but did not see the removed limb.
"Sorry," she apologized again. "I guess that is kind of rude, huh?" she asked. "Okay. I'll kill you now. Sorry again," she said.
"You-," his reply was interrupted. He was about to tell Honey that she apologized too much. Instead, he was distracted by the world spinning around him. Then, he felt a sharp bang on his head.
"Ow," he tried to speak out of habit but no words came. The last thing he saw was his own shined sabatons as they began to fall backward.