I recently received very good advice, and criticism regarding my story. To that person, thank you. Several of these changed I will begin to implement immediately. The first is drastically increasing the size of each chapter; unless of course I am unwell feeling, or wish to be evil with cliff hangers. The second is I will begin telling the story through multiple perspectives, and building the main characters personalities from a first hand point of view. I hope this allows each of you that reads it to grow fond of them, as I have.
This will mean likely only one chapter a day will be released. But it will be consistent. On a side note, while I want this story to become popular, it's rank and status will not stop the story for those that enjoy it; nor will it change the frequency of chapter releases. I will continue it until I feel it is finished, and through my own rough drafts on paper it will likely reach three or four volumes, roughly thirty chapters each. That is a guess, not a fact. It could be longer, or slightly shorter depending on how the story progresses. Small spoiler there I suppose.
I hope you enjoy these changes, as much as I will enjoy implementing them for you.
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The Blood Father.
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Standing next to his races current overlord, a massive gold scaled Draconian. I had little choice but to silently picture his head imploding while he yammered on about his demands and wants from me. The insulting manner in which he spoke had ended up requiring me to meet him alone, so my Ten did not break our contract and rip him to pieces...tiny, tiny pieces.
"...Finally, I demand you give me a guard as loyal and powerful as your Ten, or give them to me." Lord Dravon, there bloody master for the time being all but yelled this last demand at him. The same demand he'd been hounding at for the last month. His Ten would slaughter him before even thinking of serving under him for longer than the contract stated.
Repressing a sigh, and trying to not growl as I spoke. "My Lord Dravon, I cannot give you my Ten. The contract we signed does not give you that right. As for a guard, I may have a solution." A very small smile appearing upon my face before I returned to the normal bland expression I wore when dealing with Royalty. "They are a group of berserkers. Only a year old, and just beginning their five year training period, but they will be yours at the end, if you wish."
This time, I held back my laugh as I saw his dull black eyes light up like a star. He knew my berserkers were a closely guarded asset of war. There breeding, and method of control hidden from all my previous employers. He wanted it, though he dislike the notion of waiting five years. The smoke leaving his reptilian nostrils attested to that.
Smoke still leaving his nostrils, rather funny looking, he spoke. "But, so young, could I not have a squad of full grown battle ready berserkers?" He was fishing for information, they both knew this. I simply shook my head slowly.
"No, my Lord, this group is special. A unique cub resides with them. I want him tested upon finishing his training with his fellows by the strongest creatures on the face of the planet we call home" I almost gagged at that, the Draconians were powerful as can be in physical aspects, but they were weaker than the demon tribes they warred with and relied upon my people to help manage.
Nodding his head slightly, trying so hard to hide a cunning smirk 'Got him' I thought. "May I see my future guard in action then?" Why not, it would amuse me to see his expression. "Yes, My Lord. They should be on there third day of training; I added a special session for them instead of their normal routine in case you wished to see them in action." A blatant lie on my part, it was routine for this group. He'd changed there training today so they could advance further into the week without perishing needlessly to slaves.
The Instructor had been less than pleased with that. I knew he wanted Rage dead, the cub frightened him. Which was the point, I suppose. It wouldn't be long before the cowardly creature he'd allowed to live as a Prideling would finally serve his purpose. Motioning to a side door, he led there 'Master' toward the arena, and the pits. Today would be fun, and little amused him anymore.
That was, after all, the main purpose behind this experiment. To give him something to enjoy.
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Lord Dravon
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Finally! A chance to increase my knowledge of these feline bastards. I knew damn well how strong their leader was. Physically he matched me! A Draconian King, and the closest to our origin species, the Dragons. A guard of Berserkers, no doubt the cat was playing at something. But the benefit outweighed the risk. A unique life within his shock trooper force, to get my claws upon such a prize would be tantamount. And young, regardless of how fast they matured bodily, they would still be children of six when I received them. I could make them attached, and break that absurd code of honor and loyalty they had within their race toward their people. He'd tried already. It had been disastrous. I knew the head cat knew what I'd done, and simply did not care. To him a few lives were meaningless, and it set home the point to not try again, there three attempts had lost him nearly one hundred draconian lives before they put down the raging beasts.
When they reached the area; I was curious. I'd been here multiple times but never have I seen the entrance I was taken to. It led underground...The sight I saw when I looked down into the pit he instructed would hold my interest, was carnage. There was no other way to describe the sight of the small humanoid creatures down there. nine of them, systematically dismantling over one hundred slave soldiers. It was one of the single most frightening experiences I have witnessed.
When the fight had ended, I could only look over at the cat, a small smile playing on his usually expressionless face. "Them? they will be mine?" I asked dumbfounded. There was a catch, there had to be. I knew why they were special, the one with silver hair. He fought with gauntlets, not a weapon, just like this cat had done before his race had returned to the public eye. He nodded, and motioned slightly down toward the pit. "Yes, they will be yours when there five years have ended. Every day, except tomorrow, the number of slaves will also increase. Tomorrow, I allow the unique one, Rage, to increase his numbers with one of the other pits inhabitant Berserkers." I would have to return tomorrow. For what I saw, I must have for myself. That power shown by the silver one outmatched most of the normal warriors he had seen within the obligatory guard provided him as tribute per his contract with the Pridelings.
"Who are the parents of that thing?" He could call Rage nothing more than a thing with how he reacted to the broken body he crawled away with. The others giving their wounded leader a wide berth.
The cat spoke softly, his single eye gleaming in the dim light. "The mother, is dead. A pathetic excuse for a breeder that once was beautiful in power. The father...Is me." I was dumbfounded. This...No, this leader of a people had given a child spawned from his own loins into the hands of the single most grueling training exercises I have ever seen. I could tell he felt no fatherly duty to that beast in the pit. He was above that, and for the first time; I began to fear what might happen when our fifty year contract ended.
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Rage (The day after killing the hundred and being watched by their unknown audience.)
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During the 'night' that they had slept, there weapons had each undergone another change. Nothing that seemed over drastic, to my eyes at least. The most notable change was in Forge' shield. It had grown at least five inches on both the top and bottom of it, changing shape slightly to resemble an arm blade while retaining it's shield properties. It was truly interesting to look upon, the blades that extended from within also seemed to curve slightly; almost like hooks.
My own gauntlets had changed little in size or shape, my sickle extensions were now completely red in color, and the gauntlet itself seemed to gain a more armor like appearance. It was plated like a dragon's scales; they were also less pliant when pressed against. More metallic than leather feeling like when he first grabbed them.
The other weapons had no real changes that were worth noticing, their shapes remained the same, an extra curve or seeming length about all. Anvils maces did gain larger spikes, but retained their overall shape.
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Bodily, they all felt stronger; it was as if there skin had become a form of armor to compensate for there obvious lack of clothing. It was an interesting thing to watch as Hydra, the most curious of this odd feeling, grabbed one of the bone shards and attempted to stab it through his bicep, only to have it shatter upon impacting with his skin. It didn't even leave a mark.
An interesting change, I thought, but I could not allow any of us to grow dependent on this strange increase in our defense but sadly before I could even bring this up, the room was suddenly drowned in killing intent. It was miles above what they had dealt with against the slaves, and it floored each and every one of them as sweat, poured over their bodies, and as shameful as it is to admit, I pissed myself at a memory in the very back of my mind.
"Get up you weaklings!" was roared over the sand in there pit as the Blood Father stood at the center. His simple aura and blood lust making each struggle to stand. failing this, they simply crawled, or dragged themselves toward the center and tried to line up. Tears streamed down some of there faces, Bitter was outright sobbing in fear.
Even when we had slowly gotten there, the presence simply increased. But we forced ourselves to our standard position trying like hell to stand. With each failed attempt, the pressure only increase. My own heart was pounding so much it felt as though it would burst from fear. My thoughts raced. 'had we failed a test? We all lived..What had we done wrong?' each of the cubs thought along these lines. None wanted to die like this, so they continued to try.
After almost ten minutes of this display, the pressure simply vanished. Reeled in and tightly controlled by the Blood Father. When he spoke, disdain was clear in his voice. He made them all feel like trash. "You worthless scum, you could not even withstand that? What good are you to me.." I had, finally, managed to stand. The others slowly followed; only to see their Master shake his head. "You have shown me NOTHING!" he all but roared the last. "Today, you have shown you have not earned the right to fight two hundred enemies and prove to me you are strong. All you have proven is you need a new leader." My eyes widened, fury growing within even as fear and tears exuded from me. I watched him snap his clawed fingers.
When he did this, a group of thirty children, each like them; roughly five years of age, and nude with blood forged weapons enter from the doors that was the exit. My eyes took them in, each held a sword or spear. Little uniqueness from their group, but they had numbers. "These, are strong cubs. They have not lost a single member and shown me their strength. You, Rage, will fight their leader. She will crush you and turn your pride into true children deserving of their names." Snapping his fingers again, a tall lanky female came to the front. She had few scars, aside from the whip marks on her back, and was lovely to look upon. But all i saw was meat. Someone that would take what was his.
"Aqua, kill him. Show me you are worth my time. The rest of you, follow the winner." With that, there Blood Father walked out. All I had eyes for however was this female that would take my pride. That would take what was mine! Roaring at the nonchalant bitch, I lost control. The last thing I remember seeing was utter shock in her eyes as I launched myself at her, ignoring the sword she had pushed straight through the left side of my chest, missing my heart by sheer luck on my part.
When I woke up from my red haze, blood was everywhere. my nine hiding at the far end of the pit with twenty of the other cubs. Twenty? that...wasn't right. I looked around, body parts were everywhere. Intestines adorned my shoulders, and I had a heart that was still weakly beating in my hand from the last victim. Apparently, I had lost it so badly I had slaughter nine more of their number after their leader, Aqua. He head was untouched, but her body...I smelled her, under the tang of bodily waste and blood; but could not see how or why. Until I smelled the intestines on my body. They were hers. I was adorned in pieces of her body. 'Beautiful' I thought. This is what it meant to be a berserk warrior of the pridelings.
Squeezing the beating heart in my hand, crushing it to a pulpy red mush, I walked toward the head of my replacement, and calmly plucked the eyes from her head, and began to suck on them like candy. Rolling them around in my mouth with my tongue before biting down upon them and savoring the juices that exploded outward.
After I finished my treat of her eyes, I began to sift around the body parts, hunting, before I found one of her legs. I began to devour it. I would eat every single piece of her. I would prove to that bastard I was the strong one.
When all was said and done, and her body all but devoured, my Nine began to move forward on hands and knees, head downcast; begging. I grinned at them, and they began to eat the other remains of the dead.
The twenty survivors that remained far back coward under my gaze. They were afraid they were next, I had struck fear into Berserkers. 'Weak' I thought, so very very weak. But they were mine. Pawns to ensure me, and mine survived the trials ahead. Walking to them, dragging two arms, and two legs behind me I threw them toward them. "Eat, eat and join us" Cannibalism was not practices among most species, but Pridelings were predators. Food was food, and all things had meat. The reluctance went away after a short time and they began to squabble over there meager meal.
Tomorrow, the two hundred would come, and there Master would see who had won. Who was strongest. I noticed this time, how my gauntlets actually seemed to absorb the gore coating them, and there was a lot. I wondered how they would grow from now on. I had slaughtered my own kind in a fit of rage with no control. to me, that showed how weak I was. Perhaps not physically, or in power. But mentally, I must grow.
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Lord Dravon,
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I could only stare after the cat had left the arena, the pitiful roar seeming to echo the rage that the silver haired monster felt vibrating the air. That little whelp threw himself at the female, and was impaled through the chest. I was enraged, my prize was going to die. Then, my mouth dropped, and I hissed in surprise as the female was suddenly decapitate, and disemboweled. The..thing ripped through her stomach and crawled through the hole with innards draped upon him.
He ripped that sword from his chest and threw it at one of the new cubs that charged outward, impaling the sword into his face. The others that rushed out were systematically and ruthlessly put down; while the other twenty or so ran toward the nine original ones and all of them hide well away from the carnage that was occurring.
When they began to eat the dead, I had to turn away; only to see the cat looking at me with a questioning expression. "They..are eating their dead." at that, he just smiled, revealing his fangs. My race was brutal, but we were not cannibals. Those creatures in the pit, were not children, they were monsters. they would also be his. That, he enjoyed.
"He passed my test it seems. I wasn't sure if he would survive someone who had killed two other cub leaders. They were the last you know, and those cubs are all that survived so far in this generation." He said that casually, there lives truly meant nothing to him. Good, something to exploit in the new guard he would gain. "So, those creatures will be mine at the end of five years?" I asked casually. He nodded easily enough. Before answering the question I was about to ask. "With all of those there now still living. They know the cost of one dying in there training. To which you'd have to wait another six years for a new batch. We do not tolerate failures." When they turned to leave, I cast one last look into the pit and shuddered slightly at the sight of children eat the dead, before following the cat back out. I would not willingly return before the time to claim them came.
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My first attempt at different perspectives. I did not make it to terribly long this chapter, I'll have another later today or tomorrow that will end up covering several days and be a great deal longer. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the new important character I introduced. Please, comment, follow, or rate it as you will. I look forward to reading them, if any.
Have a lovely night folks.