With Konrad, I spent years working and learning all he had to offer along with my peers. Inside that workshop we were not human and slaves, we were not strong and weak, we were equals with one another and for the first time in my life I could laugh alongside others.
Our little family continued to grow because after every sale Konrad would bring another slave or human to our workshop, and say, "This is our new member, work them to death."
Each of them where completely different than the last, but despite all of their differences they all had one similar trait, the fact that their eyes looked like they had given up on life.
Despite his demeanour, and harsh tongue Konrad was a man who was as soft as a cloud, and all of us wished we could have laid on it for the rest of our lives.
But peace is something easily taken from someone, and in exchange all that is left is chaos.
Many didn't like the idea that so many of us slaves were being brought to a place where they weren't under watchful eyes, and our animal traits started showing from eating fauna our beastlike qualities incubated their hatred even more.
Soon all of this bubbled over, and one night Konrad came up to our sleeping chambers and yelled, "EVERYONE GET UP RIGHT NOW!"
His voice was fierce and shaky as if all of the confidence he had always projected had vanished. It made me feel terror for the first time since I had entered here.
"Each of you needs to get dressed and run as far as you can. I have an escape route at the backside of the workshop. If you go through there I am sure with your animal-like abilities none of you would ever be caught."
"Why?" I ask.
"Some people are coming to confiscate the lot of you, so I need you all to go now!"
We had all started moving around to follow his instructions but when we heard that, we all stopped and I said, "We aren't going anywhere then."
"Are you insane!?"
"If we go, I am sure something will happen to you, so we won't move a single inch."
Konrad picks me up, holds me by my throat and says, "You pieces of filth need to stop right there, if you think for a moment I want the property I bought and sold to try and care for me you're mistaken.
I only value you due to your skill and am doing this so I don't need to train any more new workers. Don't get ahead of yourself, and just follow orders like the slave you are!"
"Konrad, I have made far more mistakes than the number of times you have blinked in your lifetime, yet despite that you never threw me out. Every single time I needed something you had to pause your work to get it for me because I couldn't walk.
Not to mention the number of times you have picked me up similar to this to take me to the toilet in the middle of the night no matter how tired you looked without saying a word.
You can say all of the harsh words you want, but just as we judge an artisan off their work, not their words, I will do the same with you. So please just let us be taken."
All of the beastkin in the room grab a hold of Konrad and hug him in rebellion against his wishes. So, he slams me to the ground pulls out a sharp blade, and cuts off one of his fingers which causes me to scream, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"
"Every minute I don't see you animals moving, I will remove a finger from my hand."
"But what about your work?" Another beastkin says.
"Please stop that or you will lose your dream!" Another beastkin says.
"I DON'T CARE! NOW HURRY UP OR ANOTHER ONE COME OFF!"
As he pushes the blade against his finger, we all start to pack our things and I feel tears form in my eyes.
Soon enough all of us had run through the back, and on the back of one of the taller beastkins I ask, "We shouldn't have left all of the humans behind."
"What other choice did we have Culainn, this is all we can do."
We ran as far as we could, and eventually, we noticed a bright light in the dark of the night. A fire had been started at the workshop which caused many of us to lose strength, but then one of the bat beastkin said, "Horses are on their way and a lot of them at that. WE NEED TO MOVE!"
Many of us had lost our strength long ago, but still, Mason whose back I am on says, "EVERYONE IF WE DIE HERE WHO WILL REMEMBER THEM? WHO WILL REMEMBER ALL OF YOUR FAMILIES BEFORE THEM? LIVE ON EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU!"
Building the last of their strength everyone starts to run as fast as they can away from the horses, but they are too quick and catch up to us in mere minutes.
The humans riding them with blades in hand swing towards Mason, so he throws me onto the next beastkin and says, "You always had the most brilliant mind out of any of us."
Another beastkin catches me and Mason is struck down.
The humans continue to chase after us and the process Mason started continued. Every single time one of my family is cut down they toss me to the next one and refuse to stop.
I plea, "Please just let me die, I am a dead weight, a half-man!"
"No way."
"You are the youngest here, what kind of cowards would we be if we let you die."
"I hate this, but I hate seeing you die more."
"You have inherited the most of Konrad's will."
"We will continue to live on within you."
"I am sure that one day you will make some beautiful pieces for us all."
"You were born lesser than us but still surpassed us. You truly are amazing Culainn."
This process continues until I am the only one left on the ground. So, I started to crawl in a pathetic fashion, in a way that lacked all forms of dignity, but I had to live, I needed to make sure all of my friends' deaths had meaning.
But I was slow, and the humans mocked me as I crawled forward, but despite the stain on my pride, or the mud I crawled through, I didn't let it break me because my life wasn't mine alone.
Bored of their game they came to finish me off, but in that moment a single beastkin appeared and finished them all off.
He was a normal lion beastkin with a completely tattered mace and a happy expression on his face.
He reached out his hand towards me, and said, "My name is Fergus, what's yours?"
Grabbing his hand, I say, "Culainn."
That day Fergus brought me back to his base, and that day I met the resistance of a beast who had come back after years of training to defeat the humans.
The first ten warriors who had formed the red branch were led by a twelfth warrior named Fergus and his master Scáthach. They had told me of their battles, and their training.
They even told me their future plans, and how they intended to hold a raid against the human capital.
Fergus says, "You see our weapons are not the best quality, and we heard there was a workshop near the forest with a master craftsman, so we thought we could threaten him into making us some. But by the recount of your story, we were too late, I am sorry for the loss of your friends."
"Do not be, all I ask for you to do for me I allow me to help you. I want to forge your weapons!"
"Are you sure you are up to the task?"
"Don't mock me you imbecilic. Within my mind are the works of men and women far greater than you, each and every one of them lives on inside me, and I will not stand for an insult to their ability."
Faoláin, Laoch, and Fuinseog pin me to the ground, and Fuinseog says, "How dare you talk to our king like that you lame man."
I completely ignore him and just stare directly at Fergus who says, "I see a far stronger determination within you than I find within myself most days."
Taking a knee, he says, "It would be an honour to have a weapon crafted from you."
He grabs my hand, and I grab his. That was the day I became friends with the hero king of the beastkin.
Soon I started to work on weapons for each of them. I taught all of the troops they had in reserve how to make weapons, and soon for the army I had made high-quality spears for them each, with a special weapon made for the king.
Holding the giant thick slab of metal in his arms, I say, "Sturdy and unbreakable. It is currently unfinished but it should be strong enough to break down anything that stands in your way."
"I like this, it suits me!"
Soon after this the final battle took place and the beastkin toppled the humans and set up the empire of Louernia, and I was allowed to return to the workshop.
But I found nothing except the burnt remains of the humans I had once thought of as family. That was the last day I can remember that I had cried tears because from that moment I had a mission to continue his dream.
I went to Fergus and made a request, to which he responded, "If that is all you want, I will give it to you. But in return, you must become something for me?"
"And what is that."
"Become the eleventh family in the red branch."
"I agree."
I had started the house of Serlasracht, and my gathered followers from all across the land to help me in my endeavour. Human or beastkin I didn't care.
This sentiment made me deeply unpopular amongst the recently liberated beastkin, but I simply felt my dream was superior to all of their fears, to all of their worries.
So, I continued on and worked, and worked, and worked. I developed many different beautiful pieces to one day reach the sept perfections on one hand, and on the other I made many weapons to be used to subjugate the humans.
I had always wondered why Konrad never wanted to be close to us, but I think he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing while he was also responsible for our continued enslavement. Even if it was a horrible realization it made me happy, I could understand him more.
Still, I didn't let any of this stop me and moved onwards in my life.
I grew successful, had many students, found a woman to love, and had a daughter who I will always keep in my heart and soul. I had gained countless things that I never thought possible.
But even in my old age, I had made a mistake. I had allowed him to join my workshop.
Name: Skerlegh (Dumnorix's wonderbeast)
Height: 8m
Type: Carnivore, Wonderbeast
Description: An arachnid-like wonderbeast, with eight long legs that have spherical ends that allow it to move around at high speed. From the center point of its eight legs is a single thin pillar of a body, and from the pillar, a giant chest plate lays on top of it, with a sharp thick metal-like mask acting as its face. From the chest plate, countless thing blades protrude like tree branches. Finally, it has a stringer like a scorpion attached to it's back which it uses to create different poisons it often coats its blades in
Fact: To an ancient people it was once known as one of the twelve-star wonderbeasts, and it represented a never-ending will as it would chop up its target until they couldn't be seen by the eyes of those ancient people.