MerendinoEmilano: Well, you're hopefully going to like this chapter as well
naedinefebruary2.0 & billsazguard: Since you both have a similar comment, what did you like most about this story, and out of curiosity, why didn't you offer to do the first one?
*-/
Deep in the woodlands of Vale, two young boys crawled through. The two brothers were hardly old enough to be on their own, and certain not in this place, but their older brother had come wandering in, very suspiciously.
Coal and Blake both watched from behind a tree, oblivious to being in the no-no zone of the village. Still, they watched as Oak waited.
Coal groaned, 'Come on, do something already." He whispered angrily, realizing that he was wasting so much time on the grown hobby of being boring.
"This was stupid idea." Blake grumbled, slumping behind the tree as his black hair fell down over his eyes, before he pulled the hair back up and pushed it behind his ears in frustration. He couldn't wait to get it cut. Maybe they could go to the city, like their papa did a few days ago, and have his hair properly cut with an actual barber.
"Sush, your ideas are stupid, mine are clever. Ma said so herself." Coal growled at the little pest behind him.
"Nuh uh." Growled Blake, balling his fists to fight.
"Yeah huh." Taunted Coal, smiling and strutting himself as though he were proud of the statement, which would not be wrong.
"Nuh uh, Ma said you stink." Blake countered, "She said I smell the bestest."
"Its best, I'm smarter." Whispered Coal back to his brother before he heard the sound on leaves crunching on the ground.
"Well i-" Blake Started, before Coal cut him off with a hush.
Albatross stood in the forest, awaiting the woman who would come to the forest. The young woman walked out, a dark red hair with caramel skin.
"That's Mud." Grumbled Coal to Blake, while they watched Albatross approach the young woman.
"You know we shouldn't be out here. It's forbidden by the Elder." Mud insisted, rubbing her arm while watching for anything out of the ordinary. Thankfully, she didn't seem to see the two little brothers as they watched.
"Relax, I'm sure he's just being paranoid…Probably. Besides, no one will be out here." Albatross whispered as he gently grabbed her arms and puled her in for a kiss.
"Ew…" Coal and Blake recoiled in disgust as turned away, rolling their noses up and ducking behind the trees.
"By the Maidens you can be so persuasive." Mud whispered breathlessly.
"I'm my father's son." Grinned Albatross, pulling her in for another kiss.
The two little brothers watched from inside the forest and recoiled,.
Blake grumbled, "Uh, this is what we came to see? Gross."
Coal nodded and climbed down, "This is lame… lets go back and play with Forest's chickens."
"Yeah, he won't find them this time." Blake snickered, and the two began to giggle.
"Alright guys, come on out." Albatross called out to the two, who froze. Maybe he was just a little crazy? "I could hear you arguing."
The two brothers sighed in defeat and they walked out from behind the tree. Coal smiled innocently, and clasped his hands together, "We're sorry…"
"Yeah… you were just sneaking around." Blake grumbled, crossing his arms. He didn't even try to look remorseful.
"You shouldn't be here! Its forbidden!" Cried Mud, angry and flustered at the sight of her secret lover.
"Yeah, neither should you!" Cried out Coal, pointing at her for her hypocrisy. Albatross stepped in between the two.
"Now calm down, go back to the village. We'll be back soon enough." Albatross insisted, scatching his head, trying not to get too frustrated and have to deal with vengeful children who had no problem airing his dirty laundry.
"Yeah, fine, you be gross here." Blake grumbled and followed his brother back on the barely beaten pathway back to the village. They walked about two minutes, before they heard something… Rustling in the trees.
Coal felt tremors in his feet, and found confirmation from the small rocks which were rumbling and jumping in the pathway. The tree branches swayed angrily, wood snapped back and forth with leaves angrily shaking up and down.
Coal and Blake hugged each other, and they quickly felt very… very afraid. The stories of people disappearing came to their minds. Half bodies being found, chunks torn out of whole bodies, massive holes in corpses…
The brothers stood back to back carefully watching to spot any threat, so the two ten year olds could take it down. Sure, the thing could kill old geezers, but it never faced the two brothers.
"We take it down and we be heroes." Coal insisted, feeling super excited.
"Right." Blake insisted, balling his fist as the air grew more and more tense.
Coal had a feeling that it was coming from the forest in front of him.
Suddenly, the bushes parted and a Golaith with two sets of tusks burst through, slamming its tusks against large trees and bushes.
The boy's gusto and courage vanished and the two immediately turned around and screamed, running back to their brother. The boys only stopped to take breaths and slow down to look behind, as the Goliath shrieked and slammed its tusks into more trees, seeming to attack anything that stood tall.
The boys made their way back to their brother, who was already on guard and drew his simply pistol which he kept on his side.
"Help, it's a monster!" Cried Coal, running to Albatross.
Albatross aimed his handgun back at the pathway as the Goliath burst through, letting out a shriek with its trunk. He fired at the large beast.
The Goliath shrieked once again, stomping to its right and destroying a tree, before rearing itself once again, bellowing into the sky, before turning around and running into a tree.
Albatross grabbed Coal and Mud grabbed Blake, before pulling them further into the forest as the Goliath backed away from the tree it has slammed into, and screamed out another roar. As they ran deeper, the last sight Coal saw from his brother's shoulder was the Goliath slamming its tusks into another tree, knocking it down.
"We need to get back to the Village, now." Albatross insisted, looking at Mud, before putting Coal down on the ground, "Go around, I'll draw it over to me and lead it away."
Mud shook her head, "No, Absolutely not. I know you're going on a suicide mission, and I won't let you-"
As she spoke, trees parted and the Goliath trampled over some bushed towards the group. Albatross pushed Coal out of the way, and fired his pistol three times.
As the second click reached his ears, Albatross's heart sank. He knew this was it. He didn't have any weapon to kill the Grimm. But he did have his body, and he jumped out the way.
"Come on you big beast, I'm right here!" Albatross shouted, before turning and running to the edge of the clearing.
Mud pushed the boys towards the entrance of the clearing, trying to make a get away.
The Golaith turned and shrieked a loud cry, before trampling towards Albatross. The brother got ready to jump, when the Goliath surprised him by tripping, and stumbling forward, swings its head back and forth as it skidded through the mud… sending a body flying off it.
A large man flew and hit the ground. He wore old style armor, with bits of metal plate and furs. He boasted Deep brown eyes, and red hair, which flowed on a beard that could reach to his belly in a nice braid. The man's armor boasted small white bones, ranging from teeth, to skulls that looked human, to tusks and horns.
The Man rose from the ground, "Hahaha, you thought you could bring me down, fair beast? You are dead now, no? Another fine hunt." He was a Saxon, a seven foot tall Saxon.
From the Goliath's back was a Flamberg, jutting out with the gleam, made of silver by the looks of it.
The Saxon turned to look at Albatross, strutting himself up so arrogantly, "Well Friend? I think you are far from your village. No matter, I was destined to be here at the right time." The Saxon let out a hearty laugh.
"Wha-" Albatross started, still confused as to why a Saxon would be this far from his homeland. His brothers ran to see him.
"Now, for my payment." The Red Bearded Saxon Laughed, "I believe it was… all the ale I could drink? No matter, I give you the honor of being my cupbearer." The Saxon laughed a heart roar.
Suddenly, the Goliath rose and shook itself with a loud bellow, before turning to the large Saxon.
The Saxon Laughed again, "Haha, you just don't quit do you. I like you!" the large beast of man proclaimed, before running at the tusked grim.
The Golaith charged the Saxon as well.
The large bearded Saxon suddenly whispered and threw his fist, which started to glow, into the tusk of the beast, snapping it off at the grooves where it had apparently been attacked before. The Grim screeched once again… before falling on its side, and starting to dissolve.
Albatross could barely register what just happened… before he shouted, "WHO ARE YOU?"
"Wulfric the Wanderer." Junior stated from inside his bar, "As far I know, he's a Saxon who just seems to love monster hunting. Crazy stories about him going around, stuff about him wrestling beowulfs and ursas for fun. Hunters seem to hate him, because he has weird prices. No money, only goods."
"I didn't care about any of that." Yang grumbled, resting her arm on the bar with an eye raised.
Noryc grunted with begrudging respect, "I've heard of him well enough. Likes to hunt monsters. The bigger the beast, the bigger the hunger."
"Well, that's cool and all, but we're not here for a monster hunter." Yang grinned, "I'm looking for something a bit more… spicy."
"What? Alright, I figured you were like the rest." Junior grumbled, cleaning his glass again, "That's all of the information I've got for you. I figured you'd go off and die like the rest of them."
"No, We are here for a big game, a violent enemy, tell us now." Noryc growled on the edge of the bar, growing impatient.
"I don't do things for free." Juniors commented, gesturing to the twins to come over.
"How about for your life, You have wasted our time on tales and sagas. Now we want more." Growled Noryc, cracking the bar beneath his fist.
"You better back off." Juniors stated, holding his nerve, but Yang could see the sweat starting form on the sides of his square head.
Yang put her hand between the two, "Now come on guys, lets not start a fight, you remember what happened last time I got upset, so I suggest you tell us what we want to know." Yang gestured to Junior.
"Which is?" Junior started.
"The White Fang, where are they meeting?"
"Here, this is the place." Blake stated firmly, rubbing the three drawn scratch marks.
"Why mark yourself with an obvious icon? Anyone knows there are no animals with three claws in the city. " Wortikur remarked, rubbing the top of his helmet with confusion.
"Are… well I guess you are." Sun asked, before sighing, and looking ahead as two faunus walked in.
"New recruits, keep to the right." Grumbled a white Fang soldiers.
Blake turned and handed white masks to the two Faunus men, "You're going to need to lose your helmet, it sticks out quite a bit."
Wortikur pulled off his helmet, before setting it behind a trashcan, "I will be back." He put on the white mask.
"I don't get it, if you know what you're doing is right, why hide your face?" Sun asked, looking over the masks.
"Horsa would call it cowardly." Wortikur grumbled, scratching his cheek.
"Humanity wanted to make us out to be monsters, so we turned into monsters." Blake sighed, putting her mask on.
"Grim masks? That's… dark." Sun mumbled, feeling concerned for their mental state. It was not a good sign when you envied evil forces, both he and Wortikur agreed on that much, but silently.
"So was the man who started it." Blake sighed, before turning around. They moved forward to the entry. They blended in well, without much fear of being called out.
But as they got the new recruits doorway, a young deer faunus ran out. She seemed to cover her face with her hands, and was crying as she ran out.
"What was that about?" Sun asked, looking at Blake.
"That girl… she needs to die." Wortikur mumbled, seemingly out of the blue, "I don't know why, but she needs to die."
Blake and Sun glanced at each other, and whispered back to him, realizing that anyone listening would probably through them out, "Shut it."
"Fine, fine" Wortikur waved Blake off, but that actually prompted some looks. Two White Fang guards came over, and looked at Wortikur, with his ears and tail.
"That's a Saxon wave. This poor guy's probably been slave to those monsters." Grumbled The one on the right, giving Wortikur a respectful nod, "Rest easy man, you're safe here."
"Safe?" Wortikur mumbled, tensing up.
"Yeah, Adam will want to meet this one. A few good words could show our solidarity." The guard on the left pointed out.
"Yeah, hey buddy, you think you would like to meet our leader, He'd love to talk to you, give you a very important assignment." The Right guard put a hand on Wortikur's shoulder.
Blake and Sun glanced at each other, and Blake's stoic face took over, covering the panic in her eyes. If she was correct, then Adam was here… and he was not some children's book villain who wouldn't notice her simply because she wore a mask.
"I should not meet him, I am late for my kin." Mumbled Wortikur, shifting in place, and shuffling his feet.
"No-no, I think he'll need, no we need someone from the Saxon lands, someone to remind all of the White Fang why we're out here fighting." The Right guard insisted, "The poor faunus over there. I hear they still have slaves, those vicious bastards." The mask did not hide the sneer he held.
Blake shuffled her hair into a quick braid while the two guards were looking at Wortikur. She grabbed a flower from the flower pot and wrapped it around the back of her head to keep the braid in place.
"I think it would be a good idea. He sounds very polite." Blake smiled at Wortikur, forcing a cheerful demeaner to make herself less obvious.
"See, listen to the young lady, we're all friends here." The right Faunus Guard smiled at the Saxon Slave, and put a hand on his shoulder.
Wortikur looked tense, and the right guard removed his hand from Wortikur's shoulder, and stepped back, "Sorry, sorry, I can see you're a little rough, probably from them hitting you. I meant no offense." The right Guard insisted.
"Nah, nah, he's fine." The left guard insisted with a laugh.
"Shut up," The Right one countered, rolling his eyes under his helmet, before returning to them, "Look, go on ahead, further back, up the stairs to the catwalk."
They parted, and the trio moved further along.
"Why would you do this to me? Why must you put me so close to our enemy?" Wortikur whispered to Blake, growling in his throat in frustration.
"Listen, we can get close and figure out what his plans are. You just need to play along." Blake insisted calmly and firmly.
Sun agreed, "Yeah, just be nice and play your part. Be cool and chill. Don't start any fights, and just smooth things over." He sounded so cheerful.
What he had asked Wortikur to do went against the last 16 years of cultural conditioning, "You want me to lie? To be a rodent? To cheat?"
"We can't win by playing fair. You can't stay in the light forever." Blake firmly commanded at him, "This isn't a fairy tale, and its hardly a big deal."
"Yeah, all you have to do is pretend for a few moments, and then you can go back to following the pure, honest life." Sun cheered him on while they moved past the crowd to the unguarded stairwell which led up into the rafters.
If Wortikur were to shoot the supports with an explosive bullet, he could kill everyone here… No problems, no more enemies. Horsa's praise in his ears… If he fought right here, and tore their leader apart and brought his head to his master…
Wortikur's ears instinctively flicked as he felt the imaginary hand of White Horse Horsa rubbing the top, with a simple phrase, "Well Done". Reaching his ears. A hunger stirred in Wortikur that always stirred before a great battle.
Blake was filled with a sense of dread, and a pain in her face, which was not used to smiling and trying to look excited for so long. She had that sense of something terrible going to happen. While she was used to hiding in plain sight, it was normally against humans. She was having to hide her identity from a man who was very intimate with her.
Sun was not quite nervous, but he wasn't comfortable. He was very much aware that this was extremely dangerous, but that had hardly stopped him from doing anything, because dangerous might as well have equaled fun, and Sun liked fun.
The steps leveled out to a cat walk, where Blake nearly stopped on the top step. That was Adam alright. His small horns jutting out of his head as he brooded on the railing of the chain floored catwalk. Wortikur walked up, and Blake got to see the two side-by-side. Adam was lithe and nimble, quick on his feet, while Wortikur had a bulkiness to him. He wasn't terribly big, like a body builder, but he was noticeable larger, as his body was that of a worker.
In a strange way, Wortikur was more attractive, as his body seemed rugged from Working with the Saxons. Not nearly as handsome as Sun, who was easily a perfect middle ground of the two.
Adam sat there, brooding as if to show how unwelcome they were. Thankfully, he did not seem to recognize Blake, who's smile and ponytail hid her true identity.
WOrtikur did not seem to notice, so Adam finally dropped the silent warrior look and asked, "Why are you here, the stairwells are guarded for a reason."
Blake held her tongue, as speaking too quickly without thinking of a proper disguise would definitely give her away. Fortunately, Sun, seemed to have no sense of reading the room or a filter.
"Oh, the guys down there said you'd need to seem him. He's a Saxon Slave, can you believe it?" Sun chuckled a little bit, and Blake could only glance out of the corner of her eyes to silent shout at Sun… if that even made sense.
Yet, to her surprise, Adam sat up, showing his own surprise, "What? Are you really a lost brother?" He sounded… concerned, so concerned in a way that Blake had never heard before. A softness to him.
"I am." Wortikur opened his shirt to show a branding.
"With that accent and that brand, I don't doubt it." Adam sighed, nodding softly, "I'm sorry."
Those words sucked the wind out of Blake, and confused Wortikur even more. Blake had never heard those words out of Adam. He was a firm believer, and he would never apologize for anything he did.
"No one should have to live like you have. Being forced to serve those… animals." Adam spat, his teeth grit, before his form softened, with a small smile no less, "Don't worry, you're with us now, and We'll make them pay."
"I am not worried." Wortikur mumbled, looking very confused, "I know why you are here, and why we are here." He could strike right now. He could kill this pest for Horsa, and receive his praise… but would he?
The image in Wortikur's mind wasn't praise, it was disgust. Disgust at the idea of pretending to be a friend, while plotting against him. Disgust at the idea of killing an unarmed foe…
WOrtikur didn't know what to do anymore. He was here to kill this bull-man… right?
Blake finally thought up a good disguise for her voice, "What are we planning? We need to know if we're going to help you."
Adam turned to her, "Everything will be explained in… time" He looked down as a man in red hair and a white suite took the stage. Roman Torchwick.
Cheers erupted from the veteran guard, which Blake knew would be so happy to see their… new guest. Blake was not sure why Adam was Conspiring with him, but she knew that if she kept her mouth she would probably find out.
"Greetings, Greetings, fair… Freedom Fighters, I must say, you all make me feel so warm with that welcome." Torchwick started, walking along the stage with a veil behind him, covering something large.
Blake turned and saw Wortikur, who was very tense, Adam was looking their way, Blake could feel-
"Don't worry. He's no spy. You're safe with us." Adam stated, calmly, warmly. Blake wasn't used to this side of him. Why was he so kind to Wortikur, of all people?
"Now, I know, most of you weren't expecting to meet a human here…" Torchwick continued.
Wortikur sighed, "He seems to love the sound of his own voice." Wortikur was still tense, and his tongue ran over his teeth.
Blake's eyes wandered back to Adam, worried about that little offense. Adam did not care for complainers.
Yet, he scoffed, "He does. Humor him, let him enjoys his last moments where he can speak." What was going on with Adam? Why was he so… forgiving? Was it because Wortikur was a Saxon's slave? It made sense, Slaves were supposed to have it worse than even the free Faunus in the worst areas… Yet Blake didn't see that, at least not with Wortikur.
Still, Adam's fixation was working to her advantage, best not to shake that focus.
Torchwick continued along with his monologue, "Lets get down to the real business. We both have the same, miserable, backstabbing, dirty little enemies… The humans at the top. The ones pulling the strings, the ones who put you in boxes and plantations." Torchwick did his best to make the humans seem so monsterous from his posture and stances.
The White Fang crowd nodded their heads in agreement.
"And now they have entire armies, going around, helping those Saxons put the real chains around you. They act all innocent, but do they ever actually send help?" Torchwick insisted in the crowd with a sly voice.
Blake watched on carefully, not showing any expression which might compromise her.
"No!" Shout one Faunus in the back, before everyone turned around, and threw their own "no"s into the air.
"So its time you take care of yourselves, and those pest humans, what do you say?" Torchwick riled them up, "Along with those damned Saxons."
The crowd began to cheer, as Wortikur tensed up, balling his fist. This needed to end, right now… but he didn't want to hurt them. It just felt… wrong, as Adam leaned away, watching his own warriors cheer along with the crowd, his back turned.
Torchwick finally turned around, and pulled the tarp off of the shape behind him, showing off a Mis… Atlesian mech. Blake could hardly make out the nation of origin, as the markings had been scratched off, "Now I have perfect tool for you vendetta seekers, and it is little baby right here. Atlas's newest toy, which I managed to snag for my children at very nice discount." Adam nodded in approval.
Wortikur almost laughed. He felt a wave of relief over him. The Atleasian Mech was a product of speculation among the tacticians, but it appeared to be no better than the previous models implemented.
"Now, If you all are too scared to participate, then go ahead, stay here in the city, and you'll be safe…. But, if you truly want your lives to mean something, to make a better future for the Faunus, then go and join your brothers in the south. They've made preparations, they've made a plan, now the question is, are you ready to do what is right for all Faunus kind?"
A cheer erupted from the crowd, as more and more of the Faunus began to stomp their feet.
"We need to go." Blake whispered to Wortikur, and tugged Sun.
Adam turned to see them gone. Adam was wondering he had been tricked, but he would know. They were likely at the bathroom, as was common. Even he missed some of the speeches for a quick break…
Blake, Wortikur and Sun ran out the back, before Wortikur immediately ran around to the front of the warehouse to pick up his helmet.
"Are you serious?" Sun whispered desperately at Wortikur, who polished it from the dirt that had gotten on it.
He was quiet and seemed to look at the sewer drain.
Blake picked up her scroll and made a group call as they started walking back towards the rendezvous point, not drawing any attention. Yang, Weiss and Ruby picked up, once again reminding her that Horsa did not have a scroll.
Still, Eventually, that night, they met. Dougal was first to proclaim, "I have discovered a true love for their music. I also must profess I find their buildings rather wasteful."
"I was bored, fighting their soft guards. Not really good practice, but I think I had a little fun watching their faces." Noryc laughed, before cupping his cheeks in a mocking shock for the men.
Wortikur remained silent, while waiting for Blake to state her information, "Well, We actually found something useful. They have mechs from Atlas, they were stolen by Torchwick."
"Why does he seem to be involved in everything we do?" Wiess complained, shaking her head, before muttering, "It would be nice to fight a new villain."
Blake ignored that and continued, "They talked about moving south, that the other White fang members were there."
Horsa perked up at that, before looking at Dougal and Noryc.
"What?" Ruby asked, blinking at their serious faces.
"Battle Plan: Blue Serpent." Dougal grumbled, sighing.
"Likely." Horsa grumbled, licking his teeth under his lips.
"What?" Ruby asked, blinking even more.
"What's "Blue Serpent"?" Yang asked, recoiling slightly.
"Our battle plan for conquering the City of… Bale." Horsa stated.
"Vale." Weiss corrected, before pausing and perking up, "Wait, you have a plan for conquering Vale?"
"We have plans to conquer everything. You being fools does not give us the excuse to be as well." Horsa stated bluntly, before turning around, almost leaving them behind.
Ruby ran up and gasped, "So what's Blue Serpent? Come on, tell us!"
Horsa looked down at her, and shook his head, before continuing along, "It is not knowledge for you to know." Horsa wasn't at liberty to reveal his brother's plan. They'd learn to accept that… eventually.
Far off on the Dragon Continent, in the wooded area by the coast, the Ancient finished his ritual, much to the irritation of the beastmen who stood at his side. The Saxons in his ranks knew better than offend Frij.
The Ancient finished the last drops of blood onto the ground and bowed as the wind flowed through his beard. He then donned his mask, and turned around, to go to the cliff side. There a Saxon Port village was, Children of the Emperor who led them, disguising his place as an elected king.
The Osti Guard who stood by his side were also eager for the battle, though their ignorance and assumptions were laughable. They thought the Osti could Survive without Saxon help. That was an adorable concept, rooted in foolishness.
"I trust Frey is appeased?" The Osti Oathsworn remarked behind him.
"Have you wasted our time enough?" The Black haired Rat-man demanded behind him. Such a foolish child, not aware of the danger his arrogant incurred.
"You would be wise to respect the gods. Or they will make you." The Ancient remarked, before turning to the Oathsworn, "Aye, the Frey will let us pass… with good tidings."
"I suppose that is the best we can hope for." The Osti sighed, "I will ready my men."
"We meet them on the field. They are still Saxons, and we will honor them as such." The Ancient commanded at the two lesser.
"What? You can't be serious. We did not sail halfway around the world to die for your stupid honor!" Growled the Rat-man.
The Ancient turned around, the mail obscuring his face created an air of terror over the feeble faunus.
"Your lives are nothing to the price of Honor. You would be wise to remember that." The Ancient commanded, before sighing. He was old, older than most. His youthful fire still burned inside him, and their bodies lack of aging was a benefit, but no body could fix a hungry soul.
The Beast man scurried away, before the Osti remarked, "Does it eat at you, to betray him?"
"To betray him, no. I fulfilled my obligations…. But I have sacrificed my allegiance in Favor of young Ragnar's promise." The Ancient commented, "Such honor is not easily reclaimed."
"Yet, in time, we shall share in glory." Regarded the Osti with a laugh, sharpening his falx against his bracer.
"Let us begin." The Ancient grumbled, as more of his kin marched out with their armor donned. He marched to the front of the cluster of men, before they emerged from the woods outside the tribal settlement. They stood there until the Saxon chief came out with his hearth guard and Dueguth.
The beastmen emerged from the forest, shaking as their cowardice overwhelmed their stoicism. The Ancient wondered how he had been given the weakest men he had ever seen.
"Hail to you, brother, what brings you to our lands, you are not from here, we know this much." Growled the chief, a young man or perhaps a shamed warrior, as his beard was short enough to be stiff.
"We are here to demand your surrender." The Ancient stated plainly, "And Join our Effort, Or we will kill you."
The Chief threw his head back in laughter, his hearth guard still remained stiff. "A new chieftain, out to prove himself to the Greater Konigundrr, thinking he can lead a great campaign?"
"We are here to be free of your Emperor. You children of your emperor have allowed him to command our people without the need for a council, and We shall return our people to the rightful rulers under the gods." Growled the Ancient.
His hope had vanished as the chief's jolly personality left him, and his face became stern, "You are… traitors?"
"My service to the Emperor is over, a loyalty well served." The Ancient stated, "Now the time has come for us be freed from his weakening grip."
"I will hear no more. We will meet you on the field of battle." Growled the Chieftain, before turning away and returning to his village.
The Osti Oathsworn approached him, "So we wait?"
"Prepare yourselves, they will be upon us shortly." The Ancient proclaimed.
The Beastman captain called out to his men, all thirty of them, with the remainder of the men residing on boats out in the ocean. Their total numbers were two hundred and eighty strong.
Thirty beastmen, who would serve a higher purpose in the final battle on the continent when the rest landed. A hundred Osti, the largest amount of their forces, Sixty Saxons from the Rites Clan, Ninety of the renegade Saxons.
The Army of the village appeared in the distance, Saxons wearing simple shirts and tunics, others wearing armor.
"Brace!" the Ancient called out, and his men gathered around him, locking shields with the Osti pushing their pikes through the forming shield wall.
"Stand down traitors, and I promise you a worthy death!" Shouted at the chief with his hearth guard advancing upon them. The spears surrounded them.
However, instead on an impact, the sound of several weapons changing, and The Ancient realized his error as rifles fired into their ranks. The shields held the frontal assault at bay, but the flanks were struck with the sudden burst. Three of his kin fell from the volley, their armor failing them.
"Break, and Charge!" The Ancient called to his men, and ran forward with his langseax drawn. He needed that chief dead! His men followed suite, rushing into battle, hearth guard against hearth guard. The Osti Pikes were absolutely useful, as they drew their side arms and fired at the spears.
"For the Saxons!" Both side shouted as their warriors clashed in duels.
The beastmen pulled out their rifles and fired into the ranks of spears as well, many catching on the shields as the tribe's poorest rushed these "elite" and "most valuable" of the beastmen.
Geoguth appeared from the forest, and stopped with their javelins as the Ancient faced two hearth guard at once, using his shield to smack aside one's strike, and stab him in the leg, before pulling away as the others attacked. These were smooth skins, they should not have been this powerful. Just as he should not have been here, attacking his brothers in race.
The Ancient shoved his shield into the Second hearth's helmet, knocking him backwards Before the Ancient threw his sword forward under the ribcage of the armor, cutting into the weakpoint. The hearth guard wore shock under his helmet as he staggered back. The Ancient rushed forward to close his hand around his weapon, letting the warrior fall to the ground.
He felt a sharp pain in his side as he was pierced by a fellow Langseax from the hearth guard he had stabbed earlier. The Ancient staggered away, but he wasn't going to die from it. He could deal with it quickly… Then the tribe's hearth guard was stabbed in the back by an oathsworn's falx.
The Ancient picked himself up, and saw the chief, wield an axe and cutting down a Rites spear. He rushed forward to save his nephew, but he knew it was too late. Such was the fate of war, but vengeance would be served, and the Ancient tackled the chief as blood seeped from his side.
"You will fight me!" Shouted the Ancient.
"Very well, traitor. I will end your shame before it consumes you!" Barked the young chief, who threw him off and rose. One of the chief's spears rushed toward him, but the chief held his hand up.
The spear understood, and ran to face more of the men. The chief drew his own seax, shorter, but almost more manageable.
The Ancient nodded and the two gripped their weapons tightly, before rushing forward. The Ancient ducked to avoid the coming swing from the Chief's shield, sliding inward to stab at the armor. The chief's response was push his sword inward, and parry the strike from the lang seax.
The Ancient thrust his shield forward trying to push the blade into the chief, but only knocking int back in such a way that the chief leapt back.
A beastman came forward through the craze of battle and aimed his rifle at the chief.
"No you fool!" Shouted the Ancient, and he threw his langseax into the beastman's chest. A waste, but better that than shame.
The Chief held his seax, but gave the Ancient some room to move, to recover his weapon. The Ancient instead decide to not waste any time, and drew his seax from his boot. Their weapons were equal in many ways now.
They resumed when the Chief surged forward with his blade, striking at the Ancient's right ribs. It struck, but did not penetrate the armor. The Ancient was being pushed back, but he hand an opportunity, even as his lungs felt the blow through the armor.
He thrust forward his blade into the neck of the chief, whose chainmail caught most of it, but the blade went in just enough to cut the front of his neck, causing the chief to recoil back in shock. The Ancient had to seize on this, and he leapt at the chief, knocking him to the ground and straddling his chest.
The Chief threw up his shield as the Ancient brough his blade down on the neck, the blade sank in as one of the nails holding the chain down popped out. The Ancient was not better off, as his head rang angrily, and his eyes blurred, but the blade had struck through. He grabbed the chief's hand, and clasped it around his own seax and uttered in a winded breath, "Die with honor, noble chief."
Then the body stopped struggling. The blood began to flow, and the battle began to end. The bodies were gruesome, and this fight had been more costly than they had planned. Fifty in total were thrown into the village, which burned. Twenty of which were his own kin.
The Ancient brushed his greying beard and saw the eyes in the woodlands.
"What should we do with them? They will not join. I've tried everything except cutting them down." The Osti proposed the vile evil.
"Release them. Let them live or die by their own merits. I have had my blood for the day." The Ancient grumbled, walking over the pile of a dead Saxon woman, who had taken up her husband's sword to face them down, as were the other wives.
This was only the beginning. The sun was rising on a new day, and the hue was currently a blood red.
Deep in the city of Vale, a deer Faunus muttered to herself, watching herself and clawing at her face, "No… No no no. What is happening to me?"
Under her right eye, there was an opening in her cheek. A set of red lines, with a rough texture. It opened and spoke, "This is but a blessing. Now we can speak freely. You will receive many gifts from me…."
*-/
Lot of character stuff this chapter. There are things in the work, and its all building up.
I'd love to hear your theories and reviews. Remember, these are the life blood of writers, and serve as powerful motivators to keep us on our A-game(Or whatever you want to call the quality of my writing).