In the twilight, the first spots of rain started to drop across the landscape. Coop watches as the seething mass of corruption seemed to spread like a wine stain across the valley below him. The mindless chaotic ensemble moved forward, but without too much purpose, allowing the veteran soldier to pick his moments.

Wetting his throat from a water skin at his side, Coop breathed into his hands, to encourage some warmth. Crouching not too far from his sword and shield, he waited patiently, as the sunlight faded further still.

The hive had found the corpses of the scouts that had been dispatched earlier, but they seemed puzzled as to the location of the killer, or the method of the kill. Sensing an advantage, Coop flexed the bow, sending a shaft of golden light into the middle of the mass, summoning down a thunderbolt, which split the sky, with calamitous force. The scream of the damned was incredibly harrowing, as limbs and singed entrails flew across the field, dividing the survivors in panic. They scattered and moved away from the explosion, some shambling, unable to control enough of their legs, others using them to great advantage. Coop watched from his hiding place and casually unleashed a few more shots, to prevent any of these from discovering his hiding place, just yet.

For hour upon hour, Coop visited his collected fury upon these creatures. Every one that seemed to fall had a new, equally hideous monster to take its place. From all of the drawing of the bow, Coop's shoulder ached, although the rain did help, by cooling the muscles a little. He prayed that Dawn Chaser had managed to arrive at the local town, to stir some sort of reaction from those stationed there.

A subtle change seemed to occur in the ranks of the damned and broken. Something bellowed out incomprehensible commands, far from the view of the lone sniper and to his surprise, the creatures started to gather back up. This mass was different, as it seemed organised, rather than a writing mass of indirect hatred - this one was being focused on the rocky outcrop, just beyond a stream, where Coop was firing from.

Noting the advance had begun, he started to open fire more freely now, in a vain attempt to scatter the forces that were approaching. Crashes of thunder rang out as the lightning bolts hit home, causing explosions to rip through the twisted bodies that manoeuvred toward his position.

I don't want to die, but it's a hell of a way to go, you've got to admit it, thought Coop, as he blocked out the pain and sent another arrow sailing into the rain. The thunderbolt that accompanied the arrow was by now music to his ears as the faster of the creatures crossed the stream. Damn, this is the end and there's no-one to see it. The wailing screech of a bloated representation of Barak Obama, dressed in a very poorly fitting basketball vest told Coop all that he needed to know and he dropped the bow, taking up the sword and shield, to make his last stand.

The thing wound a huge tree-trunk sized arm back and threw a basketball shaped rock at the knight, who barely managed to parry it to one side. Quickly sliding down the rain slickened incline, he drove his sword into the side of the creature, before scrambling back up out of harm's way. He had chosen his position well and creatures as big as this one, should find the going difficult

Was that a horn in the distance? He thought, as a jagged edged stick figure raced up to him and was promptly cut to pixels, with a deft swoop of the blade. The artillery, a selection of poorly made choco break clones unloaded a salvo of balls from across the stream and Coop ducked and weaved among them, allowing them to thin out some of the numbers for his opponents. Grasping the rock formation, the obese basketball playing President clawed its way up towards Coop and swung wildly at him. He dropped and rolled on his shoulder, underneath the sweeping arm, before kicking out and planting a foot on the repulsive flab of this monstrosity, which wobbled ominously.

Reaching out, he managed to grab the sword, but knocked his new shield over in the process. Unable to grab the shield, Coop drew the polished blade from the earth and slashed mercilessly at his foe, which bellowed in pain and fury. The beast swung a tree trunk like arm and caught Coop in the midriff, knocking him into the undergrowth, where the ground broke his fall, knocking the wind out of him. Looking around a short while, the creature disengaged its jaw and bellowed a challenging guttural roar.

Slightly stunned by his impromptu flying lesson, Coop tried to pull himself together. Rolling quickly to his side, he gathered his sword, his breathing quick and shallow, as he tried to put the pain in his gut from his mind. He struggled back through the undergrowth, as the creature spotted the knight once more and lumbered in his direction.

That was a horn, I'm sure of it! Coop's mind raced as he stumbled groggily out of the undergrowth, barely dodging another blow from the bulky arm of this behemoth. Has it gained weight? His brain queried to him, as he swung without malice at the arm, barely marking the flesh. Losing his footing again, he slipped down the slope, into the open, where other creatures could see him.

The rain intensified and in the distance, a bolt of lightning split the heavens, twisting the twilight sky into a whirlpool of purple and white. The force of the explosion sent malformed creatures flying through the air, depositing them some distance away to act as fertiliser. Through the dark vortex, more of the creatures started to pour forth, to reinforce their master.

Hearing the horns once more, Coop shook himself as alert as he could, then charged at the beast. Surprised by its speed, as it sidestepped his lunge, he continued up the path, back to the summit. He grasped his shield and stopped for a brief moment to consider the big picture of the field.

The hoard of creatures had reached a ford and was being slowed as they made their way across. Some of the more enthusiastic ones tried to cross the river at deeper patches and were swept away, cast over a nearby waterfall, to whatever fate awaited below. Unnoticed by the crush of bodies, a unit of riders advanced upon them at a canter, slowly dropping lance-tips and increasing their pace to a gallop, churning up the mud beneath their hooves. One of the horses, a rider less mount peeled away from the triangle formation and made for the river, leaping as far as she could and landing with a splash, before continuing to swim across.

The knights hit the writing mass of bodies and drove a wedge through them, mercilessly spearing freshly made corpses on their lance tips and flicking them aside with contempt, while others were trampled beneath hooves. Coop grabbed his shield from the floor and hastily buckled the strapping to his forearm, as the massacre began. From the variety of weapons and the disciplined fighting style, there was only one force it could be and his concerns lay just down the slope, where the rumbling brute was sure to make itself known from momentarily.

Allowing himself a brief moment to recapture his breath, Coop descended the slope and a flash of lightning illuminated the snarling, bloated face. The knight ran to his left, heading for the riverbank and the chase was on. He ran his tongue over dry lips and let out a short, piercing whistle as he sprinted, trying to stay ahead of the monster.

The horse had struggled free of the river by now and her ears pricked at the sound of the whistle. She looked through the gloom, to see Coop running along the bank towards her. The sizeable bulk following him posed a problem, but one that Dawn Chaser could assist with. Charging past Coop, she galloped close enough to the beast, drawing its ire and past it, playing hard to get, as it followed her, back towards the natural fortification. Coop continued to run and when she was satisfied that she had done enough, the mare made a break for her companion. Coop perched himself in the saddle and wheeled his steed around for one more charge.

"Draw him to the ford, Chaser. We'll take him there." The pair galloped around the bulk in a wide arc, the mud washing from Dawn Chaser's fetlocks again, as they entered the shallows, toward the killing fields. Raising his sword high and bellowing a challenge, Coop stood high in the stirrups and joined the fray, cutting down the faltering advance, which had been decimated by the cavalry.

Rain streaming down his face, mixed with sweat and blood, Coop turned to behold the creature once more, as it bore down on them. All the while, Dawn chaser sidestepped incoming attacks and her hooves wore more of the numbers down. It roared defiance and rumbled forward, intent on striking Coop with the full force of its fury. Coop ducked the first swing, a back-handed slash gouging more from the arm of the increasingly agitated beast. Some of the cavalry wheeled their mounts around from the mindless slaughter and came to the Knight's aid, adding their blades to his cause. An axe planted in the back of it from another and for the first time, the creature began struggling.

It brought the pair of fists down together overhead and Dawn Chaser only barely managed to step aside as a crash of water, stone and mud rose up where the fists fell. The battle had turned on the presence of the mounted reinforcement.

In Coop's fortified hill, one of the riders stepped down from his horse and took up a discarded bow of gold. He drew back the string and saw an arrow form itself within his grasp. Pointing it toward the sizeable target, he loosed a shot, which resonated across the valley, a crackling noise accompanying the bolt flying through the air and exploding through the chest of the parody of Obama, silencing it for good. Slowly, it toppled sideways into the river, lifeless.

"You must be getting old, Coop. Normally, you wouldn't request assistance, you'd do something stupid and nearly wind up dead." A dark haired woman rode close to the knight and playfully chastised him.

"And if I did that all the time, you'd never get any sport. Come on, admit it - your life needs more excitement in it!" They rode off a short way from the fields, picking off stragglers and awaiting the squires, who had made the journey out here a lot slower, due to their loads. All were fed and watered, with the mounts cared for lovingly and tales shared around a massive open fire, now that the beast lay dead. Knights old and new shared the field with mercenaries, Auz, reverend, BlueHippo and Kirk-Cocaine all mingled with concerned citizens, such as Gagsy, gamejunkie, Haggard, LittleWashu and Little-Rena. The day was won.

"Gagsy, tell me - who is that man standing there? He shot the beast with an arrow didn't he?"

"Yes, that's DrJam. He reminds me of you, just a lot less talkative."

"How does he remind you of me?"

"Well, he's a pain in the arse as well."

"Thanks. I never knew you cared." Upon hearing this, the aforementioned DrJam approached the knight. He was still clutching the bow.

"A very nice weapon, Sir Coop. I was wondering, how you came by it?"

"I was given it, by forces beyond my control."

"Astounding." The young man paused, something on his mind. "If I were to ask you for a price for it..?" His voice trailed off, as Coop stood up.

"This bow saved my life more than a few times, as did the man wielding it. I think that's a fair price for it. From one craftsman to another, take it with my blessing."

"Truly, I am blessed."

"We all are - that's why we fight for a free Newgrounds, correct?"

"Yes, but..." As DrJam started to question Coop, the knight raised a cup of wine to the gathered free men and women.

"For Newgrounds!" The toast was taken up and all was well.

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