I thank those of you that have supported me thus far. We're nearing the end and with still about half of the funds left to go, things are looking bleak. If anyone steps up their pledge from this point forward, I'll offer you a little something extra for helping me reach my goal. Thanks everyone!

Prologue

"Lord Jon frowned, his face grim as he surveyed the battlefield. What he saw before him was not war; it was slaughter. King Terach himself had ridden out, along with his lords and vassals, to make an example of the rebel army. This "army", however, was no more than a few thousand angry villagers garbed in makeshift leather armor and wielding crudely forged swords. Jon had protested that such a force did not require the attention of the entire royal army, but the king refused to listen. He insisted that any leniency shown towards the rebels would encourage more villagers to take up arms against the crown.

The result was a massacre. The rebels' poorly crafted weapons were unable to pierce the plate armor worn by the knights. The situation was made worse by the fact that most of the villagers had no previous military training, with the exception of a handful of defected knights. Jon turned to see one such knight riding to meet him in battle.

The rebel knight hefted a spear at Jon, which took his horse in the throat. The horse buckled, and Jon tumbled to the ground. He frantically looked for his shield, having dropped it in the fall. He found it and had just enough time to raise it before the rider was upon him, slashing down with a greatsword. The shield deflected the blow, though the force of it left Jon's arm feeling broken as it fell to his side, limp.

The attacker rode past him, gathering speed for another assault. When his arm refused to respond, Jon dropped the shield and pulled his sword from its sheath with his good arm. As the rider turned around and galloped back to finish him off, Jon lowered into a kneeling position. This time he was ready. When the horse was a few feet away, he rolled to the left, landed in a crouch, and slashed at the horse's hind leg. The sword met its mark and sliced the leg clean off. The rider flew from the saddle as the horse tumbled forward, landing in a heap on the ground.

Jon strode towards the rebel, grimacing as the pain in his arm blurred his vision. He raised his sword as his foe stood and did the same. Jon wielded a long sword, weaker than the greatsword yet also faster. He knew he would have to end this fast, the pain was only growing greater as time passed, while his opponent seemed to be in peak condition aside for being disoriented by the fall.

Jon initiated combat with a slash at the knight's breastplate, which was deftly knocked aside. They exchanged a few more blows, neither injuring the other, until the knight lifted the greatsword high over his shoulder and brought it down with a grunt. Time seemed to slow for Jon. He took a quick step back and used his sword to guide the greatsword down, where it planted itself harmlessly in the ground. While the knight struggled to wrench his weapon free, Jon thrust his sword through the knight's armor and deep into his heart.

When Jon removed his blade, blood seeped from the plate mail and the man fell to the ground, dead. It was a quick death; a small mercy Jon believed was owed to every man. He looked over the plains and saw that the rest of the army did not share his sympathies.

Rebels were being tied to horses and dragged through the dirt, screaming until their neck broke from a fast turn or their head caved in from hitting a rock. The remaining rebels dropped their weapons and surrendered, but were met with a blade rather than forgiveness. The villagers saw retreat as their only option, and turned to run, though the king had the foresight to prevent this. Archers had been posted along the edge of the battlefield, and any man craven enough to run was greeted by a volley of arrows.

Jon scanned the field in search of the king. He spotted him a short walk away, surrounded by his royal guard and various high lords. Jon headed towards him with the intention of convincing him to call off the bloodbath, but he never got the opportunity. After a few steps, he heard a massive boom and turned to see a green light fast approaching.

The light covered his vision; it seemed to extend in every direction. He heard screams from men all across the field until the light reached them, stifling the screams and blocking them from his view. Terror clutched at Jon, and he looked around and saw that he was not the only one. The fear was palpable. Some men stood still, frozen in shock, while others turned and run. Jon decided that he would rather be one of the latter. He dropped his sword, turned, and dropped into a full sprint.

To his left, he saw the king fall off his horse, yet not even the royal guard stopped to aid him. Behind him, more and more voices grew silent, and Jon knew the light was almost upon him. He stumbled over a dead soldier and pain flared as he landed on his left, broken arm. As he turned, the green light overtook him and he collapsed into darkness."

This is the prologue as I have it now. It's very likely to change a little and I still need to fix a few grammar errors, but this is a small taste of what the completed book will be like. If it interests you and you'd like to see the story completed (and polished), then please continue donating!

I'm currently hard at work on the characters, giving them feelings/names/motives. As time goes on, the world is starting to feel more and more like a truly realistic place. The support so far is great, and I urge anyone that enjoyed the prologue to tell your friends and family about the project. $500 is the minimum that I'd need to get this published, however if I get more than that then I can truly make this into something great. Thanks for your time everyone!

I've reached $100, so as a show of good faith to my backers I will be posting the prologue to the book within a few days. I'm still busy ironing out details on the world and its inhabitants (I'd like it to be a fairly detailed, lively place), which is why there will be a delay for me to post the prologue. I thank anyone who has contributed thus far, and I urge you all to spread the word even more.