Hello my beautiful readers! As promised, this chapter is intended to be truly massive. It will contain multiple POV changes, some long, some short. It has chills, it has thrills, and several cute asses being spanked while there mo...*cough* anyway! haha.
This will be my first attempt at implementing several days in one go for Blood Born, without time skipping some. As such, I will likely go insanely far into some details to increase length without it getting old. I truly hope you enjoy this chapter, I know I did enjoy writing it.
Now, allow the images to flow through your minds as you read (that is my hope anyway) and enjoy!
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Rage
Another new day, it had been two days since Void had arrived, and given me the thirty new additions to my force. I could not consider them a part of my Pride, something they seemed to know. Like because I made some small effort to speak a word or two with my brothers and sisters.
Them, I ignored. They were the weakest wrung of the Prideling army, and had been given as an insult and test. I'd had them split up, and placed under my eight siblings. They each received three of them, leaving Inferno, there strongest, to lead a small squad of five to even out the numbers. It gave each of my original eight Pride a total of six underlings, three Berserkers, and three of the common soldiers. Anvil, and Forge however had eight underlings as they were my strongest; as such I had given them two of the four left over Berserkers each.
The overall strategy I had devised with our new additions were to allow each of my 'captains' to dictate there plans within battle as they saw fit. As we could not kill the weaklings given to us, they had joined the training ring under Curse' control until I felt they were ready.
We had also ensured the common soldiers would be a bulwark between the cats and any enemy that neared the archer lines, rather than be in the thick of the battle with my Pride. We had trouble differentiating between friend and foe when we lost control. We only recognized the others through an odd link we shared after so much fighting in the Pit.
We had told Inferno that during any siege that had my Berserkers leave the walls and join a melee, he would be in charge of his small force of thirty, and to protect the archers along the wall, allowing them to fall back as needed. Just because they were the weakest of our peoples army, did not mean they were weaker than the cats.
Each of the thirty new additions were veterans in there own right. None seemed to have blood forged weapons however, I found that odd personally but ignored it for now, each carried a shield similar to Forges, though smaller in scale, and lighter; they also carried a single curved blade with a cross guard. Scimitars like Bitter held, though not as long or deadly looking.
It was a simple, non complex method of dividing the forces equally under each of my brothers and sisters, while allowing Inferno to retain his original position within the ranks. It would not stand for long, should our numbers increase, but for now it worked.
I was currently watching the thirty new additions fight against each other in a mock battle, fifteen against fifteen, using there real weapons. I could hear there roars of pain when a limb went flying, or one was taken to the ground. No deaths occurred, and they were healed by River and Envy when they went down and were dragged out by one of the earth essence Berserkers. It gave them more practical experience, increasing there pain thresh hold, and allowing them to work better in smaller groups.
I couldn't do this with the cats, sadly. They had the numbers, but there limbs could not be reattached like my people were able to do. It was an annoyance, but we worked around it but giving them there wooden toys in mock battles, and making them use real weapons in single combat.
Slowly, they all grew stronger, or at least more competent. The cats still maintained a force large enough to hold the wall in melee, but I'd directed the majority to use bows, or javelins. Fredrick disliked that, it made him think they couldn't stand against the larger, more sturdy beast men tribes.
I consoled him by letting him know that this way, they would be dead long before reaching the walls. He took it at face value, knowing full well that any other incursion would be larger than the previous.
After all, the beast men controlled the entire western portion of the continent, they also bred like rabbits. There strength being larger than a humans, or elves, and slightly faster growth rate; all these factors made them a true threat to the Draconian people in mass. Though they didn't use much strategy in there fighting, might makes right mentality and all that, it left them at a disadvantage against thinking opponents, and I had been working hard to ensure Forge made the Cat tribe adopt the mentality of a thinking individual and create there own stratagems outside of my limited ability to do so.
Like this, a week passed by without major incident. A few squabbles between the new arrivals and one or two of my Berserkers. It was amusing to watch the common caste get thrashed bare handed by my Pride members. I never had to intervene, my Pride knew we could not kill them. It helped as they slowly integrated into life at Tridant.
I was growing bored however, so very bored, at the stagnation of the seeming peace within this walled fort. So much so I had taken Hate with me outside the walls to the river that ran parallel to the fort, and made her fight with me. That to was boring, I had reached a point where I was able to disable her attacks without much issue, and she was the most versatile of my brothers and sisters.
When the spar ended, I had waded into the water, and sighed. Allowing the cold liquid to soak into my pants, and flesh.
I heard Hate join me shortly after, and turning to look at her, I saw she was naked. 'What is she planning?' I wondered. I knew she wanted me to mate with her, as yet I had not mated with any of them. They had each taken it upon themselves to attempt to seduce me. Yes, it aroused me, but I didn't care one way or the other. As such I'd resisted. When she came up to me, from behind, and pressed her body along the length of mine; her breasts pressed against my neck, she was a foot taller than me after all, and her arms wrapped around me.
"What do you want Hate?" I asked with a calmness that belied a growing urge, one that had been growing ever since I'd begun to understand what they wanted from me.
"You" she whispered into my ear before nibbling into it. Her hands going lower, sinking into the waist high water, and into my leather pants, before slipping them lower.
I began to turn my head, following instinct, for the most part, and as my lips pressed against hers and arrow hit the water a few inches from us.
I grabbed her hands, ripping them off of my member, and threw her to the side as another, better placed shot, stuck my shoulder, where her head had been.
Fuck, fuck. Ripping it out of my flesh, I called my gauntlets, and looked toward the source. The woods near the river, on the beast man side. Shit, I had forgotten we had moved closer than I intended. I'd wanted a fight, but not to be taken unaware.
Roaring at the tree, I began moving toward them, a red tinge growing in my amber eyes. Hate, from what I heard, was floundering in the water trying to regain her feet.
When I left the water, and reached the edge of the trees, I was caught unaware once more, barely deflecting a massive great sword as it went toward my waist.
Thankfully my gauntlets had evolved enough to take the brunt of the blow, though i was thrown several feet, and I heard a resounding snap as one of the bones in my forearm snapped like a twig. Grunting in pain, I hurried to my knees, and rolled to the right, at the edge of the river, just as that big ass sword hit the ground. It would have cut me in two.
When I looked up finally, I saw a bit bastard, easily nine feet tall, and a barrel of hard muscle. He smelled like a bear, and wielded that huge sword one handed like it was nothing.
Finally, someone strong. I bared my fangs and began to growl at him, moving along the sandy rock like gravel near the river on all fours. (AN:On his feet, with his hands touching the gravel, kinda like a monkey)
"This is the thing that caused the siege to break, and the death of one of the Tigers greatest generals? This weakling?" I heard a deep barrel like voice that seemed to be yelling, the bear. I growled at him. I saw him snort, and put his sword along his shoulders.
"Not worth my time, you'll die when we come for that fort." I saw him turn his back on me...and walk away. The..The Bastard turned his back on me! I roared and rushed toward him, only to have to jump back into the river as a plethora of arrows, and javelins hit the ground where I was, then they were gone.
I stared into the trees, letting my seething anger out. I'd found someone strong, worth killing or dying too, and he had called me weak.
Hate, having finally reached me, was growling lightly, staring into the blackness created by the trees, and was trying to pull me away.
I allowed her to do so. I vowed I would kill every single bear I saw, at that moment. I'd show them who was truly weak.
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Fredrick
What I heard when Rage had returned was almost enough to make me send out an evacuation notice. He told me no, the civilians would make the soldiers fight harder, it was true, as well as the fact we had no idea of knowing if they would cut them down as they left the fort.
I frowned at that knowledge, and if I was right, the enemy that had attacked Rage, and caused his broken arm was Uram, the Bear tribes strongest warrior. He was second in strength only to the Lions tribes leader, the one we thought extinct.
I saw Rage growl at anyone that came near him, the young Berserker had seemingly grown some since his arrival at Tridant, he was less of a loner, though he retained his distanced from all but a few, those three females of his, and the tiger child, along with Forge, his second in command.
He refused to allow anyone near him when injured however, and Saphiria, still wearing that red leather outfit she'd been given by Rage, was pouting in a corner, away from sight. She'd been all but roared at when she got near him, poor thing.
My wife, still despised Rage, more so after the..spanking, I restrained the laugh at my wife livid beyond reasoning and aroused due to the spanking. I had fixed that, eventually, then we were walked in on by Rage, and the child. That had truly sent my wife over the edge. She'd refused to talk to me for days, I still found it funny, even if I had mortified the child.
Moving on to the matter at hand however, if it was Uram who was leading this incursion, then the entire Bear tribe would be present, not the few that had been there at the last assault. This was troubling, the Tiger tribe were lower in numbers, compared to the bears and wolfs. Both of whom worked together in war.
I had to assume that the force assaulting us would easily out number the previous army. I frowned more, Rage just standing there passively, still growling at everyone around him. The defenses were tremendously improved, but...Numbers would shatter those walls eventually, even with the training being done, and the thirty new Pridelings that had arrived, I avoided thinking of the monster that led them here, we would be ghastly outnumbered once again.
I'd have to trust Rage to handle it, Hellen would never allow me to enter the battle again, she wanted me alive, more than the boy.
"Very well.." I said at length. "I'll direct the civilians to the inner third wall when, if, we are assaulted. Get all the defenses ready, and set the guard to high alert." Rage just looked at me, I knew he'd want to use the weak civilians as bait, and fodder to draw the enemy out. A difference in species and culture, but he couldn't gain say my orders. Thankfully.
I heard him growl lightly, before turning on his heal to carry out the plans. Leaning back in my seat, I felt Hellen place a hand on my arm and smile softly at me. She was proud at least. But I was worried, could we survive a strike again? More worried since I knew Uram would be leading the forces. He was cunning, and strong. It was a frightening prospect, but my wife took me to our chambers, and proceeded to distract me from my worries. I loved her all the more for it.
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Saphiria
I had pouted after being roared at, but once Master had healed some, he put me on his shoulders and said I was a good girl again. I felt my ears perk up, and smiled a bit. It died after I heard the growl of Bitter beside him. She, and the others disliked how close I was to Master.
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It was frustrating, but they wouldn't harm me, I didn't think. I remember times when master had grabbed me for no reason, and growled at one of the females that were close. It was frightening, but he never allowed another to harm me, only he had that right.
A right he showed every now and then by choking me, or scratching me with his claws when he pet me. I...enjoyed it, oddly enough. It made me feel safe, even with the pain. Master was not frightening to me, he treated me like he treated the other of what he called his Pride, harsh, brutally, but with rewards.
He'd even carved a little flower into my collar, and when I asked when I would be worthy of the pretty dressed, he'd said when I had been given enough flowers to fill the collar around my neck. I had three know, and was proud. I'd been a good girl.
Puffing my chest a little in pride at that, he'd taken me on a walk, I listened while Hate told Envy and Bitter what had happened, leaving nothing out. Master had kissed her? I saw the others start to grow frustrated and angry, but calmed knowing they slept with Master. That made me upset, I disliked the less room in the massive bed. Each made a show of making me stay at Masters feet, I didn't mind, but I liked snuggling into his side.
Picking up a strand of his silver hair, so soft and fun to run my fingers through, I started to brain it into a knot. He only let me touch his hair like this, at least. It was my guilty pleasure. Master was like a daddy spoiling his daughter with this one act he allowed me. I loved it greatly.
I'd even felt myself slowly beginning to open to Master. It was a nice feeling, I'd told him everything on one of the walks, and I yelped when i saw a stone in the training yard suddenly turn to dust. He'd punched it with a black like aura around his hand, and it disappeared. He was also growling, it comforted me knowing he disliked what had been done.
When we had finally gone to sleep that day, I was once more at the foot of the bed, curled in a ball and looking up at Master while he kissed each of the other three, and I puffed my cheeks out in jealousy. They hogged his attention at every opportunity ever since he'd understood what they wanted most.
But I couldn't do anything to them. I was five, and still malnourished, though with regular food and steady, if not wonderful care, I had put meat back onto my bones, I looked gangly now, but I was content.
Turning away from the scene, and ignoring the noises some made after the kisses stopped, I went to bed; grumbling in my mind the whole way.
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Rage
I was dreaming again, I knew this because the scene before me was once more of a sea of crimson with black and purple shooting it's way through it; creating intricate patterns and designs.
It had begun to occur more often over the last few days, and I watched the patterns in interest. Every now and then I would even here the soft whisper of a growling voice reach my ear, always it was out of reach however. Never could I fully hear, or understand.
But as I trained and grew a little stronger more was understood, more was comprehended. "Master...soon...Grow..Stron.." Only eve a few words, but it was clearer. It called me master, it reminded me so much of that whisper in the Pit after the first Grummel was killed.
I often wondered what it was now. It wanted me stronger, perhaps then i would learn what it was, what it wanted. The image began to distort, I heard an annoying banging as well as a massive thud. The next thing I knew I was on the ground, Hate, Envy, Bitter, and Saphiria on top of me.
I heard yelling, and my door was busted of the frames, Forge showed up, his black chitin steel armor covered in blood. With the door open I could hear roars, and the clash of metal.
"Rage! We need you, enemies have entered the keep. Numbers unknown, all of them are from the Panther tribe." Then he was gone, a black blur hitting him from the sides. I heard the struggle, and managed to get out from under the girls, Hate already on her feet and moving.
"Bitter, take Saphiria to the main hall, kill everything in your path, Envy go with her. Find Fredrick, keep him alive. Hate, with me."
Leaving my room, I saw Forge standing over the dead body of a dark cloth clad individual, a pure black tail and black ears showing. These were the same things that had attempted to climb the wall the first day of the siege before. I growled at the hallway, bodies were strewn everywhere, at least a dozen of the Panther tribe were lying broken on the ground. I saw a few cat soldiers in the mix, though most had formed a not, and were trying to stem the tide.
How had so many arrived? Fuck the questions, I yelled for Forge to join me, and together with hate, we made a hole through the cat soldiers, and began slaughtering the panthers in our way.
I managed to catch a sword threw my gut, before grasping the skull of the one holding it, and crushing it. Brain and bone flying out. Likely this would be poisoned, I didn't worry about it for now. I told the cats that had survived, about ten of the twenty-five stationed in this portion of the keep to make there way to the greeting hall, and set up a defense there with any other survivors.
Meanwhile, I worked my way through corridor after corridor, sending Forge and Hate to separate sections of the keep. I cut down all the enemies in my path, finally, when I smelled no more Panthers, I gathered what survivors I could and moved toward the greeting hall.
I found Fredrick, and Hellen alive. Both were wounded, but otherwise fine. I'd placed to Berserkers at the entrance to there chamber, both of whom were alive though one was carrying his severed arm.
One hundred soldiers were spread through out the keep, I counted forty, maybe, that had made it here. A surprise night attack. Damnit! I went to Forge, who was near Fredrick, they were talking.
"...don't know how they arrived, but the keep has been cleared, Master" Fredrick nodded, then turned to me, worry filling his eyes. I shrugged it off, I had enjoyed the slaughter.
"Where is Anvil, and Cruelty?" I asked them both. Forge told me they were at the walls...I stopped a moment, why had they not come at the sound of battle, why had none of them?..Oh shit.
I turned on my heel, and sprinted for the gates. What I saw as I stared down the slope of the third and second wall, was chaos. Cruelty, and Anvil, along with there underlings, and all of the thirty common soldiers, and the nine hundred cats that had been left on guard were broiled in battle. A night battle, there eyes shouldn't be that good.
I roared loudly, and Forge, hate, Envy, Bitter, Hydra, and Curse rushed to me with the five Berserkers who had been left in the keep with them as guards, minus the one holding his arm.
"Forge, Get down there! set the second wall to launch it's spikes." I roared before rushing down myself, the rest following in my wake.
Fuck fuck fuck. When I reached the second gate, it had been breached in multiple areas, they were concentrated in the weak points where none of my people were stationed. They were held back, barely, but I could see to many dead archers, and below; dear god, a mass of people.
There had to be almost twenty thousand beast men there. I yelled for Forge to hurry up, and dove into the chaos before me. Each of my Pride moving to plug gaps, and fill in the weak links when they formed.
Hours passed, countless had fallen in the defense, attacker and enemy alike. Though the enemy had the numbers to spare. I found myself fighting back to back with Anvil, who was using his war maces to deadly purpose and felling enemy after enemy as they reached the gate.
Time slipped by, what felt like hours was in truth minutes, and then the tide of enemies stemmed to a crawl. Forge had released the spikes in the second wall at last. This spike attack held thousands more than the third wall could due to it's sheer size, and the traps below had been swallowed along with the dead inside them. But at least the tide had slowed massively.
The field was covered in thousands of dead, or dying beast men now. The few on the wall quickly being over taken. I was panting, we all were. Several of the thirty new additions were in grave condition, and I rushed the ones who were closest to death back to be healed as quickly as possible. The cats would be needed, but each one of the Red Pridelings were equal to at least twenty of them. We'd need them more.
I saw the mass slowly pull back, my archers, the ones able to at least, firing into the mass as they retreated.
I looked at the sky, and saw the sun rising. Shit, at least eight hours of fighting to hold this damn wall, and from the looks of it, they wanted the steel spikes gone. That bear, that fucking bear wanted me to waste my traps! The Panthers were a distraction, an expendable pawn to keep us occupied while his forces assaulted.
The only thing that kept us alive, was my own paranoid sense that I needed all our forces stationed at the ready, in shifts of one hundred. It allowed the archers to get in place quickly while they were all woken up. But god dammit! I should have expected this. I should have known!
I was roaring senselessly into the dead bodies below. My stupidity had cost us at least two hundred defenders, and taken ten of the thirty out of action, it would take days for them to be battle ready. They didn't have the stamina, or healing potential my Berserkers had, and even a few of them were out of commission.
We had been had, I should have known. I roared at the retreating mass as they went outside our fire range and set up camp. "Forge! Anvil! Keep the watch, Cruelty I want you ready with your essence; build it up as much as you can. No fighting until I tell you to release it, Hydra, coat that wall in ice, cover the patches of steel that lead to the stone below in thicker portions. Curse, start summoning the new pets you told me about. This is far from over, they all die. No one escapes this time. No mercy!" I was met by a cacophony of lion roars as my Pride, and the Red Pridelings joined in with my own.
We would not be taken by surprise again, and they would pay for humiliating us so.
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Uram
Hmmm, that little silver haired cub had killed all but a few Panthers who escaped after there job was done, and held that second wall.
I wasn't like the Tiger, I would crush this wall with more than strength, and take that silver beasts head! Looking at the tally, we'd lost around four thousand from the spikes, and the initial assault. Our weakest, hardly worth mentioning. We had more to replace them.
Grunting at that, I turned toward where the bloody visage of the forts defenders had been seen last, one that was almost as large as I was the only one visible now. I knew they had more, but they were likely resting. I'd had to retreat after we'd achieved our goal, no doubt they had more planned. But it wouldn't matter. They would fall all the same.
Snorting, and telling my captains to organize the soldiers, and get some rest before mid day, I went to the top of the earth barricade that was the first wall to look at the enemy.
Perhaps the little cub wasn't as weak as I thought, he had repelled the surprise, and he had implemented counter measures after our meeting. I should have killed him then and there, but he wasn't worth it.
I suppose what he lacks in strength he makes up for with his mind. hmmph, weakness. Strength of arms were what mattered most, I was cunning, but in the end it was all about power.
With my power I will sweep this fort into the dust, and strike into the heart of the Draconian Empire. Then Leo would see me as his better.
I ran a finger lightly down the scar on my cheek, a gift from Leo when I lost the fight with him for kingship, I'd repay it in time. For now however, planning.
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Here you go folks! I'm afraid I kept it to one main day, and a night battle. If I kept going I'd have ended the entire first volume with this chapter! I promised thirty dammit! haha. Each of the following chapters till the end will be this length, if not longer.
Be prepared for more detailed battles, strategies, and very explicit gore induced deaths muwhahahaha. I hope you enjoy this chapter however, and as always; Rate, Comment, and Follow/Favorite please.
Love you all, and should have the next chapter either later tonight or tomorrow. Might update Olympus before hand. Unknown at this time.
P.S- when I said the first volume would end if I kept going, I meant this thing would have had a word count of damn near ten thousand or more and been more like a book than a chapter for a fiction haha.