The Ravages of War

By:

Standing here broken and battered from the fight
Leaning against my sword…remembering last night
Remembering the lives lost by our friends and allies
Too busy fighting for our lives to say our goodbyes
Looking back I can see why we fought
And seeing its carnage I see the lesson that has been taught

Barely standing my face streaming with painful tears
Grabbing my shield and sword ready to face my fears
With only a handful of men left we are ready to fight
To stand against our foes…to push back their hate-filled might
If we fail here darkness shall consume our homes and loved ones
To fight for the land that will nurture our daughters and sons

Amidst the mountain of corpses the monster arises from its slumber
The monsters summoned by our foes…to be the prey for this hunter
A mixture of dark magic and blood this hulking beast was our doom
Turning on its summoners we thought this was our boon
But realizing this monster fed on the flesh of man we fought back
Enemies now allies fought the monster plated in nightmarish black

My friends and foes united against the beast and attacked
Even with their combined might they were pushed back
Men and women were being slaughtered and devoured
Its power was enormous and its figure always towered
Feeling the rage inside burn for the loss of my friends
Charging valiantly I raise my sword to bring about its end

To my men it looked like a shining knight against a huge black demon
Blows and strikes were exchanged, the stain of its blood brightened by the raising sun
The power of light and the power of darkness evenly matched
Thanks to my sword only 3 of his 4 arms are still attached
Rallying my men behind me after my thoughts of the previous night
Its time we charge forth and end this horrifying fight

The demon spawned an army of its own and launched it against us
I charged with my men, in our weapons and shields we placed our trust
The screams of pain and rage was the music of our fight
Our sweet lullaby into the ever consuming night
One by one my men fell fighting valiantly against the night
One by one the monsters fell against our weapons of light

It was time for the final fight of the century
The shining knight versus the demon only told in stories
The wind carries the smell of the dead between us
Gripping my sword tightly I charge forward…to win I must!
If I fail then my goddess falls too…she will be consumed by this foe
Filled with pain and rage I nimbly dodge 3 attacks and go for the final blow

Filled with the same speed he dodges to the right
He lifts up his arms and unleashes his demon-spawned might
Lifting my shield I valiantly hold against the wind of death
To touch that wind with your bare skin will bring out your last breath
My charge forward with my damaged blade and rusted shield
I swore to myself this demon’s grave will be this battlefield

Unleashing dark magic it sends dark lightning against me
To dance with this power, death is the only fee
Dodging it all I raise my sword up high
My sword brightens and its light fills up to the sky
Charging forward I scream my battle cry
The sword of light pierces its dark heart…it knew it was going to die

Kneeling here while the monster completely disappears
Memories of my dead friends start to reappear
Tears of sadness go down my tired and haggard face
What will I say to their families? This wasn’t my place
To the world I maybe a hero…but why do I feel like a murderer?
Looking at my dead friends I feel as if I was the monster

What use is protecting this land if there are no friends to live in it
To share our pains and laughter, to share our stories while we sit
The survivors look at me and said you avenged your friends death
I wonder if they cursed me with their final breaths?
I sit there in my battered armor honoring those who fell this day
To save their families, the ultimate price is what they were willing to pay.