It wasn't until 5 days later when a pair of armored, humanoid feet stepped foot on the deserted battleground. The sun held itself high to beat its heat down on the small clearing, showing a few rotted corpses that had been strewn about and torn from the various Beasts that had found such lucky meals. The humanoid that had walked to the center took a careful look around, eyeing each crater and blood spatter he found.
Behind him, a man walked up in full black-plated armor and fell to one knee with his arm laid across his leg. His helf was tucked under his other arm, showing off the features of a Dra'Kel. He had no hair on his head, just one horn that was marred with scars, the other torn clean off in previous battles. He then closed his golden eyes and bowed his head to the man before him. "Chief Fire, we have found the other battlefield. As you feared, no armor could he found besides small pieces."
"So this is where my son's arm was torn off." The man spoke softly, slowly taking his helm off and tossing it to the man behind him. The man was expecting this, raising one hand to catch the lip of the helm before standing.
"Yes Chief. We are in the process of gathering the rest of the corpses to burn them."
"Leave them, we don't have any time to waste." The golden eyed elder ordered softly as he walked towards the grass with the most blood. Though it had long been licked up by Stalkers and other vampiric Beasts, he was still able to see the large traces. It was then that a glint of something shiny was spotted in the grass, spraying a bit of light onto the light-red scales of the older man.
Squinting his eyes, he walked over and knelt down to observe it. From this small piece of metal, he could see some of the scars that clawed across his face, his left eye blinded by a creature he had barely survived against when he was younger. Reaching down, he gently tapped the metal and pushed some Mana into it. "Lieutenant, observe what had happened here, and give me your honest thoughts."
The man behind him nodded as the Chief forced his own Mana out, making a field that covered the entire clearing. It was then the man saw the whispy figures of their soldiers, surrounding the figure of a woman that was dueling with the former Chief. He watched as they toyed with the unyielding woman before her arm was finally cut off.
As the figures turned their heads, the man followed their gaze, only to shudder and drop both helms. Unlike the faint red that formed the ghostly figures near him, the figure they looked at was dense in Mana. He couldn't see the woman's face, but he could feel her cold gaze from the bright red eyes that were formed on her face. To be able to exude so much bloodlust that could be felt from an after image after so much time, it was obvious this woman was a threat.
He then watched as the woman discarded her weapons before handling their soldiers like they were toys. That strength that punctured their armor with just her fists, that fury with every blow she gave them, the mercilessness in her slaughter, all of it made the man feel the cold chill of death that clawed at his throat. He then watched as the woman toyed with the former Chief. She had purposefully held herself back from killing him on one blow, making him suffer only a fraction of her fury before finally tearing his arm off in a gruesome manner.
It was then the whisps disappeared, allowing the man to breathe as the bloodlust faded. He gripped his throat and fell to his knees, feeling like the woman's faded hand was gripping down on his own neck.
"Tell me honestly, do you even stand a chance against her?" The Chief asked with a sigh as he slowly stood up and brushed his knee.
"Ch-chief, I'm sorry. If I were to meet her in battle, I doubt I could even raise my sword against her." The man stuttered as he tried to compose himself, struggling to get back up onto his weak feet.
"I figured as much." The man sighed before he looked up to the sky and closed his eyes. "It seems my Son has brought a calamity upon our people."
"Ch-Chief, if we were to propose talks, we can-"
"Enough, Golden Flame. You know well she is not going to listen to us. We would sooner burn than try negotiations with her. If that were possible, she wouldn't have slaughtered our men the way she did, much less promise to bring my Son's arm back personally." Whispering Fire grit his sharp teeth before turning to Golden Flame. "Gather the men. We will prepare for an all out defense and pray."
"Pray? Pray for what Chief?"
"We must pray to our Dragon Lord that her hatred for us fades, that she will wish to spare at some when she comes to destroy us." Whispering Fire swallowed as he marched towards Stone Keep, letting Golden Flame call the rest of the soldiers to return.
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During the time Whispering Fire was observing the battlefield, the soldiers and refugees had returned to the village. Thanks to a temporary wall set up by Clark and his assistants over the last five days, a temporary wall circled the clearing to prevent any Beasts from getting close. This allowed the soldiers of the village to stand in two lines leading from the temporary entrance to the secondary one. The villagers all gathered behind each line, silently watching the scene before them in tears.
No hands were left empty of those that returned, save for the young and weak. Stretchers were held by two people, first allowing the dead refugees to enter. The villagers sobs got louder as they watched each stretcher made of wood go by, the bodies long been covered by blankets to prevent anyone from gagging. Following them were seven normal soldiers that originated from the village. They were also carried low by two people each, allowing everyone to see their faces at least to know who they were. The last group to come in horrified the villagers the most.
Six Armored Personnel were laid on the stretchers, carried by four people each with the wood resting on their shoulders. Unlike the rest of the dead, they were laid with their hands folded over the weapons they used during the battle. Leading the march of these dead was Nix, who's helm was off to show a deep sadness on her face. Dried tears streamed down her dirt covered face as she looked forward, not daring to look at anyone now that she had returned.
The villagers had hoped they would come back happier than this. They were used to the dead and moved on rather quickly. Yet, the sight Nix had set up before they arrived, it unleashed a deep sadness among the villagers that they had long tucked away in the corners of their hearts. Though the soldiers that lined up were warned of this ahead of time, they could not hold back the tears that streamed down their cheeks.
Suddenly, the formation stopped before the first set of people could reach the outer gates. This confused the villagers and made them look around and question what was happening. Upon hearing Nix call out to everyone, their heads snapped back and eyed her mournfully.
"People of the village, I beseech you all. Please, help us to bury our dead before we give our prayers and send them off to Mother Moon." Nix called out to everyone in a militaristic manner, holding her gaze firmly forward.
Though the villagers were confused, they all followed Nix's request and got into groups. It was normal for them to burn their dead, but they simply did as they were asked and followed the soldiers to where the graves would be dug, as well as how to dig them.
It wasn't until the sun began to dip below the treeline that the last grave was dug. Next to each hole, a coffin had been placed, etched with a special rune on the lid. The people who carried the dead had not moved from their spots until the task had been completed. Once word was given, they were guided by the soldiers to place the bodies in their designated coffins, followed by another group of soldiers who all carried wooden crosses with names etched onto their plates.
It was then that Nix walked into the outer gate and made her way up the rampart. She was followed by Ju'Shal and Sheeva, with Drevid caring for Jennifer in the Medical Hall until she woke up. Making her way to the tallest point, she held her arms behind her back and gave a deep sigh while Sheeva stood at her right and Ju'Shal to her left.
"People of the village, hear me. Though we have come victorious from battle, this is not one to celebrate. Instead of celebrating, we shall mourn the loss of our brothers and sisters, who fought to protect not only the refugees we've successfully retrieved, but all of you who were to be the next target if we failed." Nix spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, making them look up at her with welling tears in their eyes.
"Though this is not usually your custom, I have a duty to the people who have fallen. Today, we will bury our dead in the place they had called home all of their lives. Today, we lower them down into the dirt their souls recognize, and pray for their happiness. Pray that Mother Moon guides them to a life much simpler and happier than this one."
It was then that Nix nodded, allowing those designated to begin lowering the coffins into the cold dirt.
"To those who knew the fallen closely, to those who grieve our losses, and to those who are scared because the stronger ones have perished and faltered your hope, hear me. As our brothers and sisters are lowered, I give you all a promise. A promise to not only avenge their deaths ten-fold, but to slay an enemy all of you have feared the longest since you have lived in this forest. That enemy being those hiding like cowards in Stone Keep."
A rush of confusion and objection was heard among the villagers. They knew that Stone Keep soldiers had ambushed the fallen, but to go and attack the fort? How far gone was this woman to promise such a thing that could only result in suicide?
"I understand your confusion and your worry. However, aren't you all tired of counting your days, worried that those at Stone Keep will finally climb down from the mountains and finish what they'd started?"
The objections slowly turned to agreements. They were all familiar with the village that had been razed by those soldiers over 20 years ago. That was the reason every Village had made an agreement to form together when the time came.
"My people, not only is it time to take the battle to them, but it is also time to take what we truly deserve. We deserve to have that Keep they cower in. We deserve that safety from the Beasts behind such magnificent walls. We deserve not to be afraid everyday of our lives fearing a hoard of Dark Beasts will come storming through our gates and wipe us out. My people, we deserve peace!"
Nix roared these final words, causing a roar to erupt from the villagers in agreement. Though Nix was worried her voice would fall on deaf ears, that was quickly overtaken by the happiness she felt of all of these people coming together for her objective. After a few moments, she raised her hand to settle the crowd.
"My people, I plan to make preparations starting tomorrow. With the new prize we've stripped from our enemies, we can not only bolster our forces to better defend ourselves, but we can finally take the fight to them. I shall not hide and watch you all take the fight to them either."
Nix stopped as she gestured to Ju'Shal, who brought her a long, wooden box with a rune carved on it. After she opened it, she held it up for Nix to grab the clothed item inside and show it to the people. She then took the cloth off to reveal a full, severed arm, shocking the villagers below.
"This arm belongs to the current Chief. This is proof that I will be the one to lead the charge, as I've promised to return this to its rightful owner. The message has been sent already, so the enemy knows I am coming. However, have we seen any retaliation? Has there been any word or messenger sent before my arrival?"
As Nix asked this question, the sudden fear that had risen in the villagers was quelled by confusion. Normally, they would've indeed recieved a messenger to tell of war. It was either that, or a large force would have come to wipe them out, as everyone knew of the Dra'Kel's famous pride.
"We know that they fear us now. We know that they hole up in their walls and await my arrival. The thought of a head-on fight in the open fear them deeply, making them not only lose faith in their Chief, but also the pride they are well known for. My people, in one month, we shall be the Victor's. In one month, I promise, we will be the ones to call Stone Keep our home!"
Another roar erupted from the crowd much louder now. Nix could feel the bloodlust from the villagers, their anger well known to her after hearing the stories on the way back. She felt a bit bad manipulating their feelings like this, but it was well worth gathering everyone together under one banner.
"Tonight, we pray and drink to the fallen. Tomorrow, we will gather those willing to fight and train them for the battle ahead. The rest will begin preparations for the great move to our new home."
Another roar of cheers was heard from the crowd, the sudden excitement swept away any fear or grief they had felt. After a while, they all helped bury the dead with determined smiles on their faces. Each able body not only prayed for the salvation of the lost souls, but for themselves as well. Most prayed to join the new army, while the rest prayed they would not lose the up-comming battle.
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Far above in the heavens, the Moon Temple was in uproar. Mother Moon was heavily grieved by Nix's anger and sadness of losing such close comrads, ordering everyone available to take the souls in so she could sort them personally for her Child. She had barely gotten the work done so she could catch the speech her Child made.
After the speech was over, Mother Moon was bust showing off Nix to every Diety that would listen to her. Though they were glad Moon's Child was no longer injuring herself for no reason, they could not fathom why Moon was so excited to see her child rally the other mortals under her banner like this. To them, the Goddess felt like an overbearing mother who would show off her child every chance she'd gotten. The only one who could stand to listen to the whole story was Father Sun, who was sitting across from Mother Moon as she bragged about her child like a chatty little girl.
"It seems your Child is finally finding some happiness, Lady Night." The Gid chuckled softly as he resting his chin in his palm and leaned his elbow on the table.
"Oh Sun, for over 40 years of her life I've had to watch her struggle with constant loss. I thought for sure the losses this time was going to make her lose control." Moon sobbed as she wiped a stary tear from her eye. "After so long, she's beginning to accept her title and live the life she deserves."
"Lady Night, I hope you don't mind me asking, but have you had any interference with that?" Father Sun asked worry as he brought his hand up.
"Lord Day, you know me well enough to know I could never do so unless Nix asks of me, as the same goes for you and your children. Until she asks me for more personal help, I can only answer her prayers and guide the souls she deems worthy of guiding, even if they belong to those lesser Dieties."
"I know I know. Just, be careful how you treat her Moon. Her soul is already broken as it is by the other Dieties, I can only pray that she will still find favor with you when she passes."
"I feel your worries Sun, but I have no fear of that. I have and will continue treating her as my most beloved Child. She's passed every trial we've both thrown at her, as well as Father's trials, with better results than anyone we've ever called our children. Oh, speaking of, should we give her a reward?" Mother Moon asked excitedly, clapping her hands together quickly as she smiled at Father Sun.
The God chuckled softly once more, happy to see Lady Night so happy after so long. "We must speak to your Father first, though I have a feeling all will be well." He wasn't lying about that. The Absolute One had come to him once while Nix was till on her old world, worried that his daughters smile had been lost forever. Father Sun was sure that this adoring Father would happily give into his daughters whims this time.
He then watched as Lady Night began muttering to herself about a proper award that Nix could handle in her current state. He knew that he would have to check a rather long list and make sure there was a proper backlash to it as well to keep things fair and keep Nix level headed. However, he would worry about that later, now only able to watch and smile as Mother Moon pondered on the gift.