Chapter 3.5
---------26 years before the defeat of the Demon King…----------
The water slapped quietly against the hull of the boat. The human army guards stood on the deck, they looked upwards at the tall rock walls of the ravine towering above them. The full moon hung over them casting shadows over the edges of the river and over the rock face. There was a faint distant crackle of stone falling down the side wall and splashing into the river that unnerved one of the guards.
"I really don't like this." One of the royal guards spat. "Seems like a fools errand, I could careless whether this is a diplomatic venture or not."
The other guard playfully smacked his shoulder. "Its going to fine Raymond. We just have to escort the Priestess Istaye to the demi-human capital. Apparently this was a shortcut, by some captured demi-human. Its going to be fine."
Raymond scoffed, he had to control himself as he kept thinking he saw things moving in the shadows. Their assignment was to escort the Priestess, she was housed in the read deck portion of the boat. Despite the time passed she had been quiet, he was surprised as normally her personal escorts would have been present. Something about this gave him chills.
There was another crackle of stone against the wall face, this time he needed something else to look at. It was against his duty but he wanted to check up on the priestess. Without a word he turned to the rear deck, crossing under the helm he knocked on the wood doors to her chambers.
"My Lady, I just wanted to check in on you. We shouldn't be too long before we enter the demi-human land." He waited for an answer, there was no response. "Do you need anything?" He asked.
After another silent chilling few moments her felt his hands grip the door knob, something was really wrong. He slowly wrenched the door open hoping seeing her face would calm his nerves. Looking into the chamber his heart sunk. Looking around the spacious room there was no one there. The room had a wardrobe, a desk and a bed all unoccupied. He heard a sudden metallic ringing, he felt the blood run cold down his face. He heard he boats anchor creak, it was being lowered.
The boat suddenly jerked causing him to lose his footing, his body slammed on the ground just at the door. Looking up he saw at the end of the boat stood a figure clouded in darkness. Her white lupine features shone brightly in the moonlight, she held the other royal guard in a choke hold. He watched as his body went limp in her human hands.
Standing up Reymond realized that not only was there an ambush, but they were just bait. Getting to his feet he readied his blade, through terrified he would not fall to the demon army without a fight. Stepping out he saw shadows flicker on the dock, his eyes caught several more wolf tribe men standing above on the cliff. Both sides were at least twenty in total. His blade waivered in his hands, all courage he had was faltering.
With an arm wave the female warrior signed for them all to jump on the boat, all twenty of them leaped off to and on the wooden deck. And with that the shriek or metal rung out. The female warrior looked in horror as all of her men was snatched out of the air, long metal chains sprung out from the darkness of the shadows. They both watched in confusion as all of the lupine ambush were yanked into the darkness without a sound. It was a hellish sight, to see well over twenty lives snuffed out in less than a few seconds.
The guards eyes caught the wolf girl's gaze. It wasn't on him, her gaze was held above him on the deck. Turning his body he saw one man standing there. His body was covered in darkened robes and darkened metal armor the insignia of the "Delta" inscribed on his chest piece, the priestess's personal guard…
With a step forward Delta Twenty three landed on the deck between the two. His face was obscured by the circular black masks Aegis were forced to wear. In a low emotionless tone he called out to the Lupine warrior.
"Stand down! You don't have a choice!"
The she wolf grabbed the unconcious body of the guard holding a curved knife to his throat. She hissed in a dry sickly voice.
"I have nothing to lose! All my men are gone, I need your priestess's head or I'll die anyway!"
Delta Twenty Three could hear the desperation in her voice, he was thankful he made the right decision. With a wave of his hand he gestured to the shore where two lanterns lit. On the bank of the river she could see all her men, tied up and gagged. Five more dressed like the man before her stood between the four bundles of her men. She lowered her hand still holding the guard.
"Why haven't you killed them? Aren't we your enemy?" She asked defiantly.
D23 nodded at the man in her arms.
"I could say the same for you, why didn't you kill him when you had the chance?"
He reached up and began removing his mask.
The she-wolf watched him, word had traveled far about the dogs of humanity. Rumors had spread that they were horrible monsters. She had never seen one's face before. Her eyesd widened when a long mess of brown hair fell from the mask, she didn't expect to see a human face. She watched him as he tied his hair back out of his face. She saw blue markings under his eyes that went down to his neck, the strangest of all he was smiling…
"I think we can start our diplomatic talk without any lives being taken, I'd like to pursue that if you don't mind." Teppun smiled warmly, he did his best to copy the smile Istaye had always given him.
The she wolf lowered the man down and threw her blade aside. She looked desperate for another answer, for no more death…
Inside the inner cabin Teppun stood at the side of the desk holding his mask. Across from him was the she-wolf, she had introduced herself as Talyine the acting chieftain of the silver mountain wolf tribe. The remainder of her men stood in the room looking concerned, but docile. The five other of Delta squad stood silently in the middle of the room. Even surrounding them the wolf-warriors wouldn't dare try anything. They had seen the five in action personally, they weren't eager to see it again.
Tayline looked between Teppun and the other five.
"Why aren't you like the others?" She asked her tone trying her best to not come off hostile.
"Because the Priestess has a different goal in mind. The Hero who leads humanity wants nothing more than to see all of their enemies slaughtered by our hand. Istaye would like to see your people freed from the demon tyranny." Teppun replied.
Tayline's eyes widened, she stood up over her desk.
"You know of our bondage? You know we want nothing to do with this blood war?"
Teppun nodded. "Istaye received a vision, your own priestess is being held by the demons. If we free her, will your people leave this war?"
After capturing a lupine warrior a week ago Teppun learned that the wolf tribes all had one shared leader who was born with healing magic along with foresight. The tribes would revere this she wolf as her powers would lead the tribes and heal the sick. Nearly three months ago the demons captured the chieftain and held her at ransom. First they requested small tasks like attacking villages, then ramped up further each time requesting more and more. If they failed to do as they were told they threatened to kill her.
Tayline looked deep into his eyes looking for some kind of deception. mAaron5ḥ not finding what she was looking for she agreed.
"If with your assistance we can free my sister we will pull out of this war eagerly. Our people are dying from sickness, we need her or else we will all…" She struggled to talk due to a coughing fit. Several of her warriors stepped closer but then faltered when the darkened soldiers shifted their stance in response. Teppun stepped around the table and poured his healing into her until her coughing subsided.
She looked up at him, she saw the golden light from his fingertips stifling a gasp. She grasped at his hands looking at them as if she was having some revelation. "You truly are sent from the priestess… Please help our people." She begged weakly.
Teppun pulled his hands away. "It will be done without fail." He answered without a shred of uncertainty.
Three hours later…
The demon encampment was large, it would make a village look small. Tayline breathed heavily, the mixture of excitement and fear made her skin crawl. The walls were the remains of some royale estate long lost. As she and her warriors stood in front of the gate a large ogre crossed in front of their way. His skin was a dark orange, it wore armor made of scrapped shields and metal plates. The voice this creature produced was slow and indicative of its poor intelligence.
"Errr… da wolves are back… Didja get da priests head?"
Tayline nodded doing her best to look proud. "Yes, we held our end of the bargain. Now we need our chieftain back!"
The ogre sniffed the air eyeing the bandaged corpse that her warriors held. He saw the bloody cloth it was wrapped in, and how it dangled lifelessly. "Mmmm… okay… smells dead enough."
The ogre stood aside from the door, the lupine warriors strode in the gate and into the center of the encampment. The crowds of monsters all watched them, even some demons among them. They all watched in awe as the party made their way to the ruined manor that the Demon general used as his base of operations. The doors were opened for them by two imps, inside was a hollow shadow of what it once was.
The manor had been torn apart, any imagry or previous belongings of the humans were degraded. The floor was cracked from heavy foot feet. They were greeted by a lesser demon, the creature had a humanlike figure but sported long straight horns, a tail and leathery wings. One of his eye sockets was scarred and hollow. It greeted them with a hiss.
"Hhhhow unexssspected… It sssseems that you hhhave returned alive…. And hhhopefully sssucccessful." It hissed looking eagerly at the corpse in their hands, his hand raised up to his empty socket eagerly awaiting its return.
"Yes we have completed your task, we have come for my sister." Tayline growled.
The lesser demon's eyes waivered, his posture fell cowering. "Of courssssse, ssshe isss withh the General…" He said beginning to flap his wings leading them further into the manor. The stepped into the main hall, a small crowd of monsters huddled around a cage. Behind them sat the Demon General Nyrus. He sat on the remains of what was a very elegant chair, staring at the group. The hand carved wood has been scratched from long fingernails, the bottom was cracked from taking a weight it was never built for.
Nyrus was a high demon, he was much larger than any of them. His skin was a burnt red with glowing red under his scales. His body was less humanoid taking more to goat hooves for feet and goat horns. He still kept the long leathery wings that flickered glowing red veins. His body was covered in sleek dark red armor down to his knees.
Tayline saw her sister Amelyine bound in chains, she was being forced to heal the wounds of the demon army. All sense of fear she had evaporated when she saw the frail figure of her sister. She could sense the same feeling from her warriors as well, fueled by her anger she strode into the room and placed the body at the Demon General's feet.
"We have done as you ordered! We will trade the body of the human priestess for our chieftain!" Tayline called to him.
Nyrus eyed the corpse and then Tayline, his mouth stretched into a wicked grin.
"You surprise me, I never would have expected your warriors to win over the human's dogs!" Nyrus stood up to a grand eleven feet tall, he stepped over the corpse looking down on the warrior group.
With a snap of his fingers the group surrounding the cage filed out of the room. It was just them and the imp who seemed to be more concerned about the corpse.
"What ifff itsss a fake my Lord?" The imp hissed.
"Nonsense, I can smell the filthy goddess on it. Its either her or the Hero… Which I would be more inclined to believe." Nyrus chuckled keeping his eyes on the she wolf. "Tell me, "wolf." How did you manage to defeat the living machines? There is no way you and your men could have handled the priestess's personal guard."
He gave her a suspicious look, Tayline quivered under his gaze.
"We lost many of our tribe, this is all we had left. We only used our full force to distract them while we took her and killed her." She lied.
Nyrus gave her a nod pursing his lips. "Sacrificing that many to save your chieftain is admirable, but that means they won't be far behind. You have potentially led them to our doorstep…"
Nyrus gripped the cage door ripping it off effortlessly. He reached into the cage and grabbed the shackled she wolf. Tayline watched her twin sister dangle helplessly in his grasp. With his other hand he caressed her chin with a single razor sharp nail.
"Seeing as we would need to leave anyway to bring the priestess to be resurrected as a demon, its an unfortunate loss… I was beginning to like this dwelling, but as we did agree. A corpse, for a corpse!" He growled.
Just as he was about to slice the she wolfs neck there was a scream followed by a squelching noise. Nyrus stiffened and dropped the Chieftain turning to see the crushed lower head of the imp. It was evident that the imp had begun unwrapping the corpse, what he didn't expect was when it reached out and shattered his head in a dark gloved hand. Teppun ripped the cloth off and got to his feet in a single move, with his blade raised he silently charged at the Demon General.
With barely enough time to reach Nyrus shielded himself using his arms. He felt the blade strike his left arm and he watched in horror as his wrist fell to the floor. Teppun rolled to his feet to the right of Nyrus. His masked head turned to Tayline, his legs found the ground getting ready for another sprint.
"Get out of here!" He ordered, as he strafed around the Demon General counter clockwise to keep his attention off the wolf tribe.
Nyrus let out an earsplitting screech. "Traitorous filthy animals!"
The Demon General lashed out his remaining arm clawing desperately to where he assumed the machine would be. He was too slow as his claws only grazed air, another horrifying moment as he watched his other arm separate from his elbow. The sight caught Tayline in shock, there he was basically toying with such a powerful figure. Her mind snapped back to her sister who was too weak to crawl away. Sprinting forward she snatched Amelyine from under Nyrus's feet narrowly escaping being stamped on.
Running back Tayline was enveloped in a defensive line of her warriors. The hair stood on the back of her neck when she heard Nyrus speak.
"Ill end all of you here now! You will all die with me!"
Tayline had heard of the high demons ability to self implode if they couldn't win a fight. She had seen whole human cities enveloped in the blast, there was no way they would make it out in time. She turned to watch a back circle of energy begin to grow from Nyrus's chest. She could only stare into the darkness of her impending doom.
Then she felt the weight in her hands get lighter, the man had taken his mask off and held Amelyine in his grasp.
"I will need your help, I need your holy magic if we are to leave here alive." He spoke quickly and firmly.
Tayline looked down to her weak sister who was in awe of him. Without a word she grabbing his head weakly and bringing it to hers. As their foreheads touched there was a sudden flash of light and a sense of overwhelming power. Tayline watched from the light stood one figure, the dog of humanity stood with a silver cloak marked with tribal signs.
Tayline watched him slip the hood off revealing white hair and lupine features. The marking of his face glowed gold along with a moon symbol on his forehead. With a smooth movement long golden claws grew from his white gloved hands. He took a step forward and sliced the air horizontally in front of him. Tayline watched as even though they were thirty feet away from Nyrus the black orb stopped growing. With a earsplitting shattering sound the orb seperated into five slices before it and Nyrus withered into dust.
She and her warriors watched as the man retracted his golden claws and stood for a moment before the image faded. It was like seeing a mirage as now before them stood the man carrying their leader. He turned to them walking over, he handed Amelyine over to one of her warriors giving Tayline a small smile.
"Shall we go?" He asked almost whimsically.
They all walked silently to the main doors, Tayline readied her knife. "Brothers we must be ready to fight our way out of here. For the chieftain!"
Her warriors readied themselves, she felt her tension loosen with Teppun's hand on her shoulder.
"No, need…" He said opening the doors with a push.
Tayline couldn't believe her eyes, she saw the whole army that was there merely an hour before decimated. Not a single one was left standing, she saw ogres and imps and demons lying dead on the grounds of the estate. Before them stood the remaining five of Delta squad waiting patiently before them on the stairs landing.
Tayline turned to Teppun, her eyes couldn't be filled with anymore awe. Teppun smiled looking at her.
"Your tribe should be safe now, we will notify the human army that your people are no longer apart of this war. I would recommend you all move faraway until the war is over just to be safe." He told her.
"W-who are you?" Is all she could ask him.
"Just another soldier of the Goddess, I serve my Priestess." He said stepping forward to his men. Turning back one last time he waved at the lupine warriors. "Please take care. May the Goddess protect you."
That was the last the tribe ever saw of him, the Chieftain had named the unknown soldier as their savior; The Liberator…
Nine hundred years after the end of the Demon War.
The crowds of humans watched in awe on the side of the street, the royal guards had been escorting a covered carriage with the newest Silver wolf tribe Chieftain out of the city. Her Lupine guards in the carriage watched the crowds uneasily, she herself held a bundle of cloth. She looked over it with trembling hands, it felt too easy. She had reached out to the royal capital under the guise of selling land for mining. They offered her a stay in the castle while they made their agreements.
She was surprised at how little they questioned her intentions, she agreed to all their demands and even let them haggle the price down in exchange for gifts. She did her best to put on a show for them, and for the week she had been there she found what she had been looking for…
Once they left the castle walls she unwrapped the bundle of cloth revealing a silver orb. Her hands grazed the cool metal, she shivered in anticipation. It was just as her dreams had told her, her passed down memories from her ancestors confirmed it. She had stolen the heart of their god; The Liberator.