Not long after spying on the suspicious villagers, Nex was sneaking through the forest again. She had found a well-traveled trail to what she assumed was the river. She sought to scope out the so-called hounds considering that even the other villagers were terrified of them. It would only be to her benefit if they were as loose-lipped as the pair she had just spied on.
“From how they were speaking these kotal leaves seem to either be some kind of interesting drug or an ingredient for one. Even more suspicious is that those love-obsessed kids from earlier seemed to have no idea.“
Nex also thought of the place that the pair called the Hold. She would bet her biomass that the other, larger and more reinforced, stone building she had seen when she first arrived was the Hold. From what she understood of the earlier conversation, the Hold functioned as both a prison for those the villagers had kidnapped and a place for slave trading.
“Seems probable that they are selling off whoever they can get their hands on. I thought it was strange considering how prosperous this place is despite being in the boonies. But not the first time I’ve seen this kind of business.”
Comparing the village’s practices to the other civilizations she had seen made it seem all the more mundane. Nex had witnessed the brutality of the Holdar people as they enslaved their neighboring planet in its entirety. It may have been extremely lucrative for them initially, but ultimately ended in disaster after a wide-scale revolution resulted in a complete reversal of their roles.
Who would have predicted that having a planetary population where only 5% were not enslaved would end so poorly?
Nex continued to have such thoughts as she finally started to hear the sound of rushing water not far from her. She slowed her pace, crouched down, and snaked between hiding spots, until she finally gazed upon the small river.
Surrounding the small river were several groups of men, some sitting on crates, some sitting by the river’s edge, and a few on horseback. All of them looked quite tough, with scared bodies and limbs packed with destructive power. They were armed with a variety of weapons, short swords, great axes, spears, halberds, and even a few crossbows.
Nex moved ever closer to study them, while maintaining her cover.
The Hounds all wore basically the same uniform, a set of darkened chain mail, plate pads that covered their joints, and a black reinforced dusters. The only difference she could spot on their uniforms was that the few members on horseback had the red insignia of a kotal leaf on their dusters. Nex focused on their conversation while studying the faces of the men.
“I wish patrol wasn’t so boring around the river. I mean, I’m glad that things seem easy around here, but I would rather hit another settlement.”
“Aw are you still in a shit mood after this morning Keller?”
“Don’t you dare remind me. Makes my blood boil even thinking about that little bitch again. We really should have toyed with her for longer after the shit she pulled.”
The other man lowered his voice as he responded.
“You know I don’t think I’ve ever seen Captain Alexander that pissed off. I mean he usually has the most fun out of all of us when we ruin someone, but I nearly pissed myself looking at his face after she broke his nose.”
“I get what you mean. You know how everyone outside our circle loves him for his good looks and phony ‘we must protect the village!’ attitude. Maybe that set him off. I thought for sure he would have skinned her and made a new duster for himself, but he just told us to leave her for the monsters to feast on.”
“You guys seem to be having a fun little conversation over here by yourselves, care to share it with me?”
The two men gulped hard as they turned and faced the icy smile of their leader who appeared behind them. Wearing the same uniform, had bright red hair, sharp green eyes, and an almost artistically sculpted face. He wore a set of jet-black armored gauntlets that appeared to almost dwarf the size of his already formidable arms.
“We, we, apologize sir! We didn’t mean anything by it!” The first managed to stammer while cowering under the bloodthirsty glare of their leader.
“I’m sorry Captain! I just couldn’t cool down after this morning!” Shouted the other man, oblivious to the glare of his fellow member.
“Well, well, it would be unfair of me to punish you too harshly. After all, I was in a little bit of a bad mood after that as well. Hmm, what should I do?” Alexander said in a tone of faux playfulness.
“We leave it up to your guidance!” Stammered the first man.
“In that case, I ban both of you from playing with our toys in the Hold for the next two weeks. Reflect on your actions. You know what they say, loose lips sink ships.” He uttered with a smile that could threaten the devil himself.
“Thank you for your mercy!” Both the men said in unison, as they bowed before him then practically ran away.
Nex had barely been listening to the conversation after the one called Alexander showed up. Her eyes were fixated on his face. Something unknown inside her seemed to stir as she did.
It screamed out that he needed to be ferociously slaughtered and tortured until the end of time. That he should be collared, his limbs removed, and be forced to live cowering on the ground below her feet. Cried for him to be forced to watch as every bone in his body was stripped of flesh. An incessant need to hack off his vile genitals and force them down his throat.
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Nex never knew fear in all her life so far. She had seen it in the faces of her meals. Heard the screams, cries, and shouts of whole worlds. But the alien thoughts that came from her while looking at Alexander made her think that maybe this might be fear. Not of the Hounds, of course, but the fact that she was feeling even a hint of human emotions was surprising to say the least.
Nex tried to focus on the origins of this feeling, while also trying to tear her gaze away from the red-haired Alexander.
Then everything went black.
[Hounds POV]
Thomas was the lowest member of the Hounds and boy did he know it.
Whenever they felt too lazy to get anything themselves, his ‘brothers’ turned him into their errand boy. They would force him to drink with them at night after they returned from patrol and slap him around when they fell into the depths of drunkenness. None of that he couldn’t deal with, all but begrudgingly.
What he couldn’t stomach so easily were the changes to himself.
It started when he had been coerced, many times at the hands of his seniors, to violate the women held inside the Hold. For the other members of the Hounds, it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. They found great amusement in watching a timid pushover like himself, awkwardly shaking his hips as they egged him on.
The mornings after Thomas had felt like he had committed an unforgivable sin. He nearly broke down then and there, thinking that the woman from last night was the same age as his beloved older sister.
His first thought was to apologize to the poor girl, but he ended up relenting after imagining the harsh words she would likely throw at him. After several more instances of this happening he stopped feeling only the tiniest traces of guilt, using alcohol to help him sleep through the night. He deluded himself that his spirit would be able to persevere. Deluded himself that all this was for the prosperity of the village and he would be alright.
That was until the first time he was forced to participate in one of the Hound’s ‘outings’.
He had never asked himself where all the women they had in the Hold had come from. Likely he would have never asked, fearing that his feeble heart wouldn’t be able to bear the truth. On his first time outside the village besides patrolling he found the answer.
The Hounds would target smaller rural villages that were isolated, medium-sized traveling caravans, and any lone traveler they could get their hands on.
Thomas’ body was filled with adrenaline as he killed for the first time at the relentless urging of his seniors. The man was one of only three militiamen who could protect the insignificant and tiny village called Lasso.
Mistakenly, the other members praised him for his mindless and frenzied attack, seeing it as a clear indication of his hidden sadistic side. Thomas felt powerful for the first time in life. He had always been teased and bullied his whole life for being smaller and less athletically gifted than other kids. His friend from childhood, a girl named Marie, even seemed to distance herself from him and started hanging out with those beating him. She seemed thoroughly disgusted by how much of a weak and spineless wimp he was.
After all possible sources of resistance were removed, the members moved on to pillage the village proper.
Homes were burnt to the ground, any valuable possessions were callously stolen, and anyone who attempted to intervene was mercilessly slain in front of their loved ones. A parameter was kept around the chaos to prevent any messages or members of the village from escaping the onslaught.
Thomas, still filled with a brimming sense of superiority, was quickly searching through one of the houses. He and the others eventually stumbled upon an breathtakingly beautiful woman cowering behind a toppled table in one of the bedrooms.
The other member quickly held down her limbs and began to tear the clothing from her shivering body, ignoring her screaming pleas. When the woman was finally completely devoid of clothing, the men all momentarily stopped at the words of the highest ranked of them.
“We should give the boy the first go! Some fine work earlier. He is finally starting to show promise after how bloodthirsty he looked earlier.” He said with a murderous grin.
Something broke in Thomas at those words.
He had never been praised by his comrades in any way that wasn’t mocking or sarcastic. A feeling of satisfaction washed over his still adrenaline-filled brain. He finally looked at the near hysterical woman, any feelings of embarrassment washed away in his current state.
She had the same features as his former friend, Marie. Dirty blonde hair that ended at her shoulders, hazel brown eyes, and a dainty figure. The woman locked eyes with Thomas and continued her pleas for the lecherous men to stop. In front of Thomas’ very eyes, the images of the two different women seemed to completely overlap.
Her pleas started to enrage him. How dare she? How could she be so shameless to throw him away like a defective person and ask for help in the same breath? Did she not think he was pathetic and weak? Isn't that why she joined up with everyone who tormented him every single day before he joined the Hounds? His psychosis deepened.
No, no, no, no. That wasn’t right at all! He was strong now! He had killed the militia man earlier with his own strength! His brothers were with him, holding down his tormentor. Nothing would stop her punishment. Thomas was drunk on the feeling of the coming catharsis.
He violated the woman. It filled him with overwhelming feelings of strength and domination.
The brutality of it seemed to even shock the other Hounds, who still saw him as mostly a pushover.
The night after they returned and Thomas finally had a moment to himself, the rush wore off. Feelings of strength and revenge were replaced with self-hate and despair. Why did he do it? How could he do something so savage and heartless?
This tragic cycle continued to repeat in many other villages. His mind split apart into many others in order to keep himself from breaking down.
“Still half asleep you little shit?” Said the other Hound in a teasing voice, as he slapped Thomas on the back and broke him from visions of the past.
“Sorry senior, I just didn’t get enough shut-eye last night.” Thomas meekly lied.
“Yeah yeah, I’ll let you off the hook this time. Just keep at least one eye open. There’s nothing particularly dangerous that lives in these parts of the woods, but it never hurts to pay attention.” He said as he lightly waved and startled to walk away.
Thomas found a spot under a tree where he could see everyone around the lake on the edge of the forest and sat down. He should have taken the senior’s advice and kept his eyes peeled but couldn’t seem to clear his thoughts. In order to sort out his jumbled mind, Thomas decided to distract himself by watching everyone else.
The senior from earlier had joined a group on the other side of the river. They were sitting on the ground, eating their patrol rations, and chatting loudly.
It seemed to happen in an instant.
Without any sound or warning, the senior's head was unceremoniously severed from his body, showering the surrounding group with the warmth of his blood.
Too stunted to move, the now gore covered group gawked mindlessly and with paled faces at the headless body of their comrade. It took the swift removal of other of their heads before several of them finally cried out.
“What the fuck!!”
“Where is it? Where the hell is it?”
“What kind of bullshit magic is this?”
Thomas’ body seemed to move on autopilot, while shivering in fear he moved behind the tree and continued to watch the coming bloodbath.
Finally, it seemed that the other members of the Hounds seemed to notice that something was very wrong, and Alexander was spurred into action.
“FORM UP! Get away from the trees and get into defensive formation!” He shouted in a confident voice that shook the other members of the group out of their stupor.
While they often appeared to be little more than a ragtag bunch of extremely cruel bandits, the Hounds were extensively battle-hardened and disciplined at the behest of Alexander. That’s why, in little time at all, the scattered groups swiftly formed squads and brandished their weapons.
As the members finished getting into position and continued to quickly scan their surroundings, a feminine giggle came out of the forest in every direction.
“Are you ready to play now?”