Hello my friends! I know this chapter is late, but it took me a while to work out just how it would go, and be directed. I also noticed all the comments about Saphiria. I shall take all your anger at this and weep with you. >.> Or will I? She was never stated as being dead after all. Mwuahahaha, read and learn her fate.

I do hope you all enjoy this chapter, it shows an almost unnatural power surge for Rage with the awakening of Behemoth, his blood familier. It is also a point in the story when I begin to show you all the fun facts about just what else their blood can do. :p 

Much love, and enjoy the coming battle.

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Rage

It felt like my body was on fire, a sea of pain engulfing my mind as the thing inside 'woke' up. Behemoth, the presence that had been whispering in my mind more, and more often for the last several weeks. I don't know how I knew it's name, nor did I care.

All I cared for was that it whispered the promise of power, and strength. The kind of strength to sweep aside the masses before me. 

Power enough to rip the one who held Saphiria's limp body in his arms. My blood felt like it was on fire, the gauntlets that covered my arms and shoulders seemed to expand and become distorted in appearance; as if they were boiling, and growing. My own flesh, it squirmed, the muscles beneath bulging, and swirling in patterns as if a snake moved beneath my flesh. 

That's when I felt it, something flowing out of my skin the same way my gauntlets were formed upon my arms. I looked at my chest, and it was my blood. It was coming from the pores in my skin, gaining shape and moving up and around my neck. 

It grew in detail, a snake head formed as it twisted up by my head and a tongue flicked out at my nose, a pressure was forced onto my mind, and I heard the whispers again.

"Master, use me, tell me what to do, feed me there blood. Slaughter, maim, drink" Each command was simple, knowledge entered my brain. It was foreign, and felt like it was forced. I understand the basic concept however. Behemoth was called a Blood Familier, he was one of five still left in existence. They formed within the bloodlines of my people, those considered pure blooded, or direct descendants of a pure blooded Prideling. 

I learned it grew stronger by devouring the blood of the dead, or living. It stored the blood in a core that formed within my body, replacing my heart. It was the familiers main body, truly a parasite. It gave power for food. 

I ignored most of the other information that flowed into my mind as the snakehead gained horns along the ridges and contours of its face. It's head swirled toward where my eyes were focused, and it seemed to sniff the air with it's tongue. 

My own vision seemed to gain an overlay, warmth radiated from the bodies that were alive, the dead seemed hollow, empty, and then I saw a small amount of  warmth escaping through the little body of Spahiria, it was a soft glow that seemed so small and fragile. Alive, she was alive. 

I felt myself growling, the claws that fit into the gauntlets so perfectly elongated by a few inches, growing thicker. I felt my fangs grow as well. Portions of my body bulging, and sinking as if I were about to change into a lion, but it was held back, even as my bones groaned and screamed for the pressure to release.

I knew that Behemoth was stopping it from becoming a full change, the little thing seemed to know more than I, and I had no idea how. That knowledge was withheld from me. It had to be the same way he knew there were four others like him in the world. Connected somehow. 

"Massster, you need to let me feed on the fallens blood. I can give you power, I can show you how to use the blood, and aid you in directing it." I just growled more, and looked at my feet at one of the dead bears. I felt the small snake, it could be no more than a foot in length glide down my body. It's form seemed to sink deep into the body of the bear, and before my eyes the body seemed to cave in upon itself, becoming a dried out husk, then the snake reformed above it's body, a few inches longer. The horns on it's head seemed slightly thickened, and the patterns along it's scaled hide were more elaborate.

It's lips smacked, and it went to the next. I was unable to continue watching, another Bear had charge in the seeming time frozen state I had been in. I pushed my head through it's skull during it's bull headed charge. I felt my fingers break, and ignored it. 

Roaring at Uram, I ignored everything else and charged forward. I forgot about holding the ramp, I forgot about those on the wall, I forgot about Behemoth and simply lost myself in my rage. 

It felt different however, it seemed less heated, it felt cold and calculated. It was different, I could remember, I could direct my body on my own instead of becoming a living tool of death that moved on instinct, I had full cognitive ability. It had to be the influence of Behemoth, something cold that ate the heat and left an empty void that seemed endless, and just as hungry as the void essence within me.

"Master" a voice said within my mind "I will continue to feed, but use the information, shed your blood, throw it in an arc. Feed the power, and through that us." I didn't really process that, it felt like my body reacted on its own. I felt detached from everything as I charged into the literal mass of enemies outside the gate. I cut a bloody swath through the ones that charged at me.

I felt tireless, I felt immortal, invicible. I drew my left hands claws down my chest, creating bloody furrows and coating the gauntlets in my blood, while my right had pierced the chest of a wolf that rushed me, seeing me alone in the battle field. I through my left hand out, the blood droplets flinging out in hundred of tiny splotches. It hit several dozen enemies, and I heard a satisfied hiss within my mind as a link was seemingly formed with the separated blood and my mind, something I have never experienced, and through that I felt Behemoth take control of the link. Forcing my blood to crawl up the armor, and skin where it touched toward an open orifice. Mouth, ear, nose, did not matter. 

The blood entered there body, and I felt it through the link devour the blood inside there body, growing larger and it flowed through there veins and was forced toward the heart. I could feel how Behemoth directed it, even as he was devouring the blood of the fallen behind me. I knew through the knowledge he thrust into my mind that even this would not make him a powerful force, he was but a newborn, as opposed to the others who were all centuries old, if not older, but it would help him grow, along with his host, me. I knew when the first one reached the heart, my mind not distracted by having to control the process myself, Behemoth took control of that, and it 'ate' the heart of the bear, all the blood returning to the body being devoured and added to the parasite like infection that was now in the heart. It took moments, thanks to the battle and the adrenaline forcing the blood through the body faster and faster. 

I had continued fighting, only realizing most of this as if looking through a mirror while I took blows, dodged, parried, and cut down all before me. I saw the first bear, one of those that seemed to be a guard for Uram, begin to bleed without a wound. His eyes showed fear, and then the blood burst from the body, spreading outward to all those around him. And the process began again.

Meanwhile, around me as the masses of wolfs and regular bears that tried to stop my advance, or possibly rush through the opened gate fell and died as I cut them down with my claws, and ripping the throats of some out with my teeth. I was soaked in blood, and I knew behind me the bodies in the hallway were dried husks, Behemoth had begun moving to those on the outside. He was two feet, and would not grow larger until he was older, or had reached a power plateau himself.

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But he continued to 'eat' while I slaughtered, he also continued to direct the rapidly increasing amount of 'blood bombs' as one exploded and the parasitic blood was flung on all around it. It had spread so much that a portion of the wall, a good five feet in either direction from the gate was utterly clear of enemies, body parts, and gore splattered the ground as dozens upon dozens were blown up. 

I had not bothered to see if any enemies had gotten passed the gate, I was set upon the sight of Uram, who was screaming, and his sword was aimed at my Saphirias neck, threatening what was mine, taking what was mine. I roared in utter contempt at him, and cut a path toward him. He would die, what was mine would be returned. All of them would die. Yet even while thinking that, it felt cold, detached. As if all feelings were taken from me. I did not think upon it, instead moving forward. 

As some point, Behemoth had left the bodies on the ground, it could not contain any more blood or power than the fifty he had devoured until he absorbed it fully, and turned it into 'our' blood He had climbed my leg in the battle, ignoring the motions, and strikes. He simply blood up like liquid, which he was, and began to enter my body. When he fully entered, I saw a change, I was struck by a sword in my ribs, and it stopped cold, as if it struck steel armor.  

He had hardened a layer of blood above my muscle mass, but below my skin into a hardened substance that would act like armor, stopping cutting strikes to a degree, but blunt trauma would shatter it. 'Blood Armor' it was called. 

He allowed me to utterly ignore my defence, focusing and controlling my innate healing abilities as a Prideling, and accelerating it to an unnatural degree. Cuts heals in seconds as Behemoth accelerated the blood in my body, increasing the coagulation and healing process that prevented blood loss in excess. 

I had to reach Uram, I had to save Saphiria, she still breathed, the warmth was growing dimmer though. I had to reach her. 

I roared again, ten feet, just ten fucking feet! I ripped the head off of one of the bears. Behemoth focused on the defense during my mad charge, and somehow kept the 'blood bombs' going. The enemy army was being decimated. His mind was able to multitask on a frightening level, but I could feel him flagging. Too much after being reborn, it was straining him. Added to that, the power he gained to truly become a blood familier was not fully assimilated, he needed to hibernate and absorb it in it's entirety, and spread it to me. It was as if we were one, and the single reason he was still active was because it was needed, as well as he was as strong as I. When one gained, the other gained, when one lost, the other lost. The perfect blend of a symbiotic relationship.

More useless information I did not care about.

I had finally, finally reached Uram. He looked behind me in true horror, he was still talking. I couldn't hear anything though. I smelled fear, and death, but my ears were pounding and everything was silent but the steady beat of my heart, now a red crystal like core, and the whispers of Behemoth telling me to hurry if we would save her, along with the other hostage. Hellen, I saw, but did not care as much about. She was simply unconscious, he warm glow strong.

I was alone before Uram, everything behind me all along the wall was coated in gore. The Blood Bombs had decimated the entire ranks, and those that had been coated in my blood had begun to be thrown forward away from the rest. Thousands had perished. Not enough. 

But once the bomb was blown, if not in a living body it became just blood to be absorbed later. It could not be controlled without an active body against it for a few seconds before entering a body. If nothing was there, it became just blood.

I saw Uram hold Saphiria up by her leather top, fear, disbelief, and anger showing in his dull brown eyes. Then he hefted his sword and looked as if he were going to thrust it through Saphiria, I moved as I roared out in denial at his actions, my body rushing forward, Behemoth doing something in my chest. Time seemed to slow, everything slowed in my eyes at the events that began to unfold.

What I saw, was a massive spike that seemed to pierce the skull of Uram, his sword hidden behind Saphirias body, a small line of blood pouring down, but her small bubble of warmth, what had made me slowly change to begin with, was still there. Growing dimmer by the second. 

Urams dead body lost his grip on her shirt, and she fell forward. The spike that struck Urams head withdrew, and it looked like a massive snake tail, and entered my body as I dove to catch my Saphiria, trying to stem the flow of blood. My rage was gone, I placed my hands on her back.

Heal, stop...Please, now. I was no healer, I did not have the ability of the water essence. I could only kill, destroy. How could I keep her alive? I was in a true state of panic, small water like images clouding my eyes as I looked at her small body slowly losing that warm glow. 

I groaned in pain I did not feel, it was leonine in nature, and deeply mournful. 

Then the whisper in my mind. "Master, order me into her, let me fix what is broken..." I roared in my own mind, incoherent at the possible loss but filled with obvious meaning. He formed, and slid down my gauntleted arms into her body. I knew it may not work, the knowledge filled my mind that this kind of healing, healing with our blood, came at a cost to both the healer, and the one being healed. 

It was unknown, but I did not care. I waited, watching through a kind of double vision as Behemoth flowed through her body, using what blood was converted, and portions of my own 'core blood' as he deemed it to heal her. 

Oddly, during this time none of the enemy attacked. I did not see it, but they were fleeing in mass to escape the horror that had become this battlefield. I didn't care, I watched and waited....Waited to see if she would die or live. 'Please' I moaned within my mind, ignoring the blurring that coated my eyes. Something I never experienced, but it hurt....Hurt so much.

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One more cliffhanger! mwuahahah. Let that hate flow I suppose. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I may edit it at some point, but I wanted to put it out. 

I also wished to inform you, what Rage did is but a tiny fraction of what the Blood Father can do with his blood. 

Now, for the sad news, we have only three more chapters until the end of volume one. The siege is more or less over. Watch as I show the true scale of the damage caused, the deaths involved, as well as a hidden revelation for Rage. The next three chapters may very well have one or two POV changes, as well as show the rebuilding of the fort, and the survivors. Will Saphiria survive? Have any of the other eight Berserkers fallen in battle, who fell when Saphiria and Hellen were taken? Find out, next time on BLOOD BORN!!!! 

As always, could never do this without all of you readers. Much love, and cookies. Please Rate, Comment, Follow, and Favorite. Love you all, and see you next time.