Makeshift title, but appropriate for what I've written. This is just a half hour "throw stuff onto the page and see how it turns out." Read and let me know what you think.

"Even looking at her now, surrounded by the flames of the burning village, the smoke billowing out and covering her face in soot and grime, Eldrik could not help but feel his heart beat faster while he looked into her beautiful eyes. The screams of terror and the sounds of the dying around him seemed to get lost in the sound of his own feeling, of his own longing for the only woman he had ever loved.

Eldrik took in a deep breath, and begun to walk forward, his mind drifting through his memories. He had met Xantra when they were both eleven. She had lost her doll down the village well, her brother had thrown it down there. Eldrik had walked past her crying, and had gone down the well to fetch it for her. Xantra had happily cuddled the doll, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks before she had shyly kissed Eldrik on the lips, before running back to her house.

Although the whole world was chaos around him, Eldrik couldn�t help but smile as he remembered how Xantra and he had become friends, and later lovers. Xantra had smiled so easily, and the smile had lit up Eldrik�s life. Her golden hair shone in the sun, her eyes had held Eldrik in her thrall since the first day they met, and her cheeks had always been quick to turn crimson at Eldrik�s words of affection.

And now Xantra stood here, a killing machine.

There was a noise to Eldrik�s right, and a mercenary, locked in a blood fury, yelled out at him, axe dripping with blood as he attacked. Eldrik cursed his lax in concentration, and sidestepped the wild attack, driving his sword through the opening in the defence of the attacker, through his chest. The axe-man stiffened, his face registering shock, before he slipped to the floor, dead or dying, Eldrik did not look to check.

Xantra looked up, her armour glowing an angry red in the embers of the fire. Her eyes widened slightly in recognition of him, but then her face once again became a mask of indifference. Eldrik felt as if someone had just stomped on his heart. He stopped several feet short of Xantra, his eyes taking in as much of his features as he could.

�You came,� Xantra said, although her voice was harsher than Eldrik remembered.
�I came,� Eldrik replied, choking back his tears.
�I spared you when I burnt down our village, five years ago. I only give people one chance Eldrik,� Xantra said, her sword snaking out into her hand.
�Wait!� Eldrik cried out, halting Xantra�s advance, �I came here to talk you out of your madness!�

The battle around the pair seemed to have stopped, the silence overbearing. Eldrik�s face was streaming with sweat, and it took all of his energy to stop his hand from shaking as he held the sword. Xantra looked at him, her eyes again holding his complete attention as they had once done when the two had sat under the big oak tree in their home village watching the stars and the moons orbit the planet.

�Madness? I am cleansing the world for the Deity. There is corruption deep to the core of this planet Eldrik. I can feel it. I felt it always in our village, and I feel it as I stride the planet itself. Everything must be cleansed, every city, town, village and camp. Every person must be culled and then the Deity will give us a re-birth, free of corruption,� Xantra said.

Eldrik�s hands were now trembling beyond his control as he swallowed and looked into Xantra�s eyes, and he saw a flicker of insanity.
�Xantra. Please. Let�s go, together! Let�s go and start over. Please, Xantra!� Eldrik felt like he was pleading his case to a block of stone.
�No. Everyone must die. The Deity demands it. All shall fall. Even you, my beloved,� Xantra said softly.

Eldrik barely rose his sword to block the blow aimed for his side. He twisted away and circled Xantra as she attacked him with crisp, quick blows that kept him off-balanced. Grunting, Eldrik concentrated on not falling over, and tried not to look into Xantra�s eyes, following only her blade.

How Xantra had grown so accustomed to fighting, Eldrik wasn�t sure of. But this was a duel to the death that he was in danger of losing should he let his emotion get the most of him. Driving the memory of how the two had planned a life together in a house on the outskirts of the village near the river out of his head, he tried to fill himself with a bloodlust that he used in normal battle.

Only he couldn�t. With each blow, Xantra came close to him, and her familiar smell bought back a new memory of their happiness together, and made Eldrik�s own attacks lighter and lighter. Finally, he stepped back and looked at Xantra through tears.
�Please Xantra! I don�t want to have to fight you!� He sobbed.

Xantra looked as if she was about to hesitate, her fingers loosening on the hilt of the sword. Eldrik stepped forward with a surge of hope in his heart, when her hand suddenly snapped up lightening quick and her sword point went through his chest. Eldrik gasped, and his whole world seemed to stop. Xantra pulled the sword free and Eldrik lost the grip on his own weapon. He looked up, his tears burning the side of his face as Xantra stood over him, her face a mask of disdain.

�Xantra... I love you,� Eldrik gasped.
The sword punctured his left side, but the pain didn�t register on Eldrik, the only thing that hurt was his heart. He took in several more breaths, his blood flooding his lungs, choking him. Xantra pulled her sword free again, and Eldrik slumped to the floor, unable to move. The last thing he remembered before the darkness was the little girl whose doll he had rescued from the well..."

Good story Adam even though it has a sad ending. It's easy to read but it could do with more describing. The title is suitable though ^_^

Keep up the great work! *Claps* =D

Pretty neat for something you wrote in 30 minutes.

P.S. Jello!

Nice work, Bahamut. I know how hard writing can be. you have just inspired me to do better than I am now.

i really liked your story, adam. It's a bit depressing, for depressing stories make me feel like shit sometimes : P Your story had good suspense. Is this story just a short story? Or is it a story you're working on?

Thanks guys, for your replies. I appreciate it.

@Autumn: Thank you for mentioning that more description is needed. I plan to eventually go back and add in a bit more background to the two characters.

@Zachron: Jello! (And thanks for taking time to post.)

@Phill, hope yer writing goes well - it can be tough, as I know.

@Chickage, the plan is to incorporate the basis of both characters (Eldrik, the love struck hero, and Xantra, the villainess), into a greater plot revolving around the Deity mentioned once or twice. I just got bored and threw this together to test the waters, so to speak.

Anyways, if I write anything else to do with this (background, improvements, whatever), I'll post.