::Bleed Before the Moon Sets::

[King Osirus]

The day had been unseasonably hot. In Du Aurella, fall had set in with the gentle turn of leaves and rain had become a common stretch of weather. No longer did the hot days of summer grace the land of Alyssus. Instead, snow already capped the Northern Mountains and the Southern Deadlands were often flooded with mud and rain water. However, in the middle of Alyssus, where the land is fertile and kind to its cruel leader, the temperature was cold, but not frighteningly so. Nor did the weather flood the rivers. But, Amblethorn had still lain in the grips of an unseasonable hot streak. With no rain, wells were quickly drying fast and plants were dying of thirst. It had placed Amblethorn quite in a pinch in the last couple of weeks. With food as scarce as it is in the desert, it was quite a fight to keep the hungry children feed along with everyone else in the village. Surely, no one felt the pressure of this situation more than its leader, Aden Vigil. The man had more than one worry on his mind, however. Along with keeping people fed, he was also preparing for a war. Osirus was bringing his army to stamp out the resistance finally. But the cruel King was after more than just the lives of those who resisted him. He was after something he thought of as more valuable than human life. He was after the sword. The Cruor sword, which had fallen into Aden's hands when he struck down the Sergeant Israfel. This had infuriated the dark King and since then, he had forbidden any and all trade with the small desert village. This had essentially deleted all food trades.

But that is not even the beginning of this nightmare for them! Osirus thought with glee as he glimpsed at the small village. The sun was burning dusk behind the village, setting it off with a warm orange glow. The sunlight was unbearable out in the desert. It reflected off of everything. Even the dull shingles on the roofs made a blaring mirror effect which halted the oncoming army into blasting through the village before nightfall. But Osirus was surprisingly patient. As he stared down on the village, every muscle in his body was actually relaxed; nothing like a war King should feel like. And even despite the reprimands given to him from his advisors about going into the battle, Osirus couldn't help but go. He was not merely sending an army...he was bringing the army. The unforgiving King was here to make sure the job was done right.

Wait until nightfall. That was the order. To sit and wait until the sun was down, giving them the gift of moonlight to fight with. Of course, his human soldiers wouldn't profit from the cover of night, but that didn't concern him. If it was night while he wished to fight, then he would have a greater amount of power siphoned to him from Nocens Atrum. Yes, wait until night... And so, Osirus and his army waited atop a hill of sand just overlooking the village. His cruel smile never left his face, even as he waited. He had with him the largest army he had conjured in a long time. Easily hundreds of men, a handful of allies that even the Order didn't know about, and the largest beasts known to the land of Alyssus ready to crush the village into dust. Yes, Osirus had managed to harness the power of some of the largest animals in Alyssus; Behemoths. These large elephant-like creatures were incredibly tall and packed with raw muscle. Their long faces were adorned with large protruding horns on the sides of their jaws and under their chins. Their long trunks were perfect for grabbing and tossing while their large crushing feet were practically impenetrable. The skin of these huge beasts were many inches thick and well guarded with heavy rolls of skin protecting the necks of these mammoth creatures.

Osirus chuckled lightly as the last sliver of light began to fade. The Behemoth under him was moaning in anticipation. The Behemoths were bridled and saddled as well. There were four of them all together, each carrying at least twenty men on their large backs. Weapons and extra armor hung from large packs on either sides of these great beasts. The largest male Behemoth that carried Osirus was adorned with an ornate face mask covering the right side of the beast's face. Their large horns and teeth were filed to unnatural points and as well as beaten into submission, Osirus had done his part of installing a brutality into these normally peaceful animals with the help of Nocens Atrum. The Behemoths would surely play an important part in helping Osirus to fully crush the Order. With the Saevio sword pulsing hungrily at his hip, the well armored King sat atop his huge beast, his fingers trailing against the hilt of his sword.

"This will be quite exhilerating," he whispered as the last sliver of sun slipped behind the horizon. All soldiers looked to him. Osirus glanced over his shoulder to his General and Sergeant, both atop their own Behemoth.
"We take no prisoners! Slay every man, woman, and child! Nocens Atrum has no room in his eternal kingdom for those who go against his will! Do not fear men, the Dark Lord will protect you if you have his true intentions in your heart! Do not feel sympathy, do not feel regret! We will demolish this village! Burn every home, destroy every living creature! Now men, crush the resistance!" Osirus yelled. A wave of "horrahs" spread through the army as Osirus moved his Behemoth forward, a slight southernly wind picking up.

-----------------------Inside the Village-------------------------

Camine, Baphomet, Freya...My siblings...Osirus is coming. He is coming to take my life...my dear dear siblings...please protect and do the right thing as I fight for my life tonight. If I may die this day, it will leave thee, Camine and Freya, to be the oracles of truth and teaching. Please see to it that this world which falls under a dark veil returns to the peaceful life our mother left with us... Suddenly, Bassette snapped her eyes open. Looking to Azazeal, she gasped lightly.

"A-Azazeal..." The young retainer stared out the window of the small hut. He didn't even need to turn around to look at his Lady to wonder about what her problem was, he already knew. There he was, the Dark King coming over one of the largest hills to assault the village. The time had finally come. He blinked and glanced over his shoulder at this Lady.

"Lady Bassette...what do you see for the outcome of this battle?" Azazeal asked. Bassette looked at him for a moment, then turned her head away as tears burned in her eyes.

The fight has finally begun...

[Takashe]

Positioned to the left of King Osirus was quite a conspicuous behemoth chimera. It stood in stark contrast to the numerous hulking, monstrous creatures surrounding it, being lithe and skeletal. Though it appeared somewhat bony, it had strong muscles, though they weren't as developed as those of its brethren. But this one wasn't bred to be powerful and muscular; it was bred for speed. The creature's thin shell was snow white, adorned with colorful decorative feathers, most of which were hot pink and violet. Two arched, blood red horns stuck from the sides of its serpent-like head, and its luminous white eyes glowed with an insatiable lust for blood.

General Takashe patted it on the head, his affectionate, but nonetheless psychotic smile hidden by his ornamental helmet. Ashtaroth, as he had named the monster, was a chimera created by Nikanoru specifically for the battle against Amblethorn. He didn't know exactly what animals other than a lizard and a behemoth the mad geneticist had constructed the creature of, but knew very well that they were speedy and lethal. Ashtaroth's purpose was simple: other than serving as a mount for the psychopathic general, it was programmed to swipe into mobs of enemy soldiers like a snake at its prey, ripping its sharp fangs and claws into as many pathetic men while its master attacked with his warglaives. It would then make a swift retreat and repeat the process. Cowardly, yes, but very effective.

Takashe himself was clothed in very light armor, though its appearance made it seem practically impenetrable. His thin body was adorned with a large, snow white suit of armor decorated with intricate, convoluted obsidian designs. His helmet was designed to resemble Ashtaroth's head, sporting the same horns and glowing eyes. The glowing eyes were a result of Eltana's sorcery, their purpose being to make the enemy wonder just *what* sort of demon was beneath that frightening armor. Ridiculously long plumes of the same color as Ashtaroth's stuck from the back of his armor and his shoulder pads, only adding to his unearthly appearance. It appeared very heavy, yes, but it was actually quite light and offered decent protection. After all, who needs outstanding protection if you're mounted on an extremely fast demon from Hell!

Takashe's weapons, however, were quite heavy and required magical fortification to be wielded. Two gargantuan warglaives as tall as their wielder, black and violet in color, vibrant plumes attached to their handles. Indeed, they hindered Ashtaroth's unrivaled speed, but only slightly, thanks primarily to several enchantments cast by Eltana. The blades were so long and wide that, with one well-aimed swipe, they could easily decapitate up to fifteen men at once. All these things considered, saying Osirus' new general was a nice addition to the army would be the understatement of the decade.

"Oh, how I yearn to see that stupid bitch's blood seeping from her delicate body!" a raspy and ghostly, yet very sharp voice echoed through the helmet's moving fangs, replacing the normally sultry and deep voice of the General. "Lord Remarque may have failed at obtaining the Odium Sword, but the death of Baphomet lost these fools a potential ally! With Bassette out of the way and the Cruor Sword in your grasp, the Order of Lumen's fate shall be sealed! And parading that whore around Du Aurella by her entrails would be a nice way to reinforce that message, wouldn't you agree?" he questioned Osirus, his modified voice cracking in sadistic anticipation.

Ashtaroth let out a wild series of ungodly screams and cackles as if to agree with its master. It was walking at a steady pace alongside Osirus' mount, but it was fairly obvious that it was yearning to break out into a run and maul as many Order members to death as it could.

[Aden Vigil]

For those that saw the General now they would fear for their life. Even if they were on his side there was no way to tell what went through his mind. He had been locked away, only appearing to deal with issues that required him, but for the past day and a half he had been training his mind. His body was at its peak with his mind almost matching it. He had been going through an old Elvin ritual done before each fight and Aden was ready to fight and possibly loose his life to protect another’s. His head was held high as he emerged from his hut with a darkened expression and in the armor that only some would dream of. He had done as Bassette had requested and the children and women were hidden with the wounded and with the elderly who would not be able to save themselves. Two days ago, when he had been alone in one of his training rituals he had hidden the sword, it was not where anyone would suspect it to be, but he had also spoken not even a word of where it was to another soul. It was a secret that would have to be tortured out of him and even then he’d rather die then give Osiris another key weapon to defeat the Order.

He would not face his doom today though, no, he would do no such thing for he was proud and he was an Elf. Elves don’t fall to those under such a cursed spell as Osiris was! The general’s skin had paled slightly from his lack of being in the sun for two days straight, but it was still flawless, from what was appearing of it around his body. Blood red armor with golden trimming adorned his body as he stood with pride. He bore a simple headpiece that made sure he could see in any direction he needed to while it protected his ears and the back of his head. It was Elvin armor so it was just as the General’s; light, but appearing otherwise. Across his abdomen was a similar style chest plate with a small detailing that was only visible to those that got close enough yet it would mean death should you be an enemy. The rest of his body was in similar armor though what gave him the worst look was the fact that his eyes, usually full of so much emotion and pride were dark, empty and prepared for battle.

He was ready to see the horrors that lay planned for them because long ago he had accepted what was written in his future. He would change whatever downside he could, but in the end he wasn’t afraid to face the music and to meet death head on. He expected to feel the cold sting of it when he fought Osiris, but until then he hoped he would live. If not, well, he knew there were plenty of ready men who would just shift up in their ranks and lead this cause without a doubt in their heart! Aden stood tall and proud as he looked at those who were ready to fight against the disturbed King and his forces that day. In his heart he was sad to know that his small numbers would lose many more in this upcoming fight, but from the looks he saw them all bearing, well, he knew they were ready for whatever was going to happen. He trusted them with his heart and he would never let any of them down could he help it, but you couldn’t fight the fate that came for you.

“Men and Woman of the Order of Lumen! Today we fight against those that have done the wrongs to us that have driven us here!” He said with determination, his usually soft and gentle voice booming and full of pride for those he looked at those ready to give their lives, “I ask you not to fear what will happen, but to promise to remember those that fall and to carry on their pride! King Osiris has lost his mind! He’s possessed beyond control and I fear that there is no way to save him, but we shall not let that bring us down! He has come to threaten our way of life! Our brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers, grandparents and cousin are all on the line here and upon my life I will not let any of you down, but I ask of you that you do not let me down and that you give whatever you can and don’t have any regret when it comes to fighting those against us for they shall not have regrets nor sympathy towards you!” He heard the cheers and he stood calmly as he let them calm down. “We fight for more than just this land, we fight for the idea of justice and I will speak no more, but let us go in battle knowing who we are and let us come out remember who we were and promising never to forget or repeat the mistakes of the past! I cannot promise this will be the last fight; I know it won’t, but you were all prepared for that from the day you promised to help! Good luck to you all and I hope to see you all after this battle is done with.” He said as he gave them a bow of respect before he turned and moved to his horse. He would do as he had originally planned.

He mounted his pure black stallion and gently calmed the creature with soothing words of Elvin and gentle strokes across its flank. The horse knew what fate may await it today as well, everything that was going into battle knew what was going to happen, but yet no one seemed ready to accept it. Aden called out the last few orders for the two formations he had set up to go to their protective positions and to be ready at a moment’s notice. Aden moved towards where scouts had said that the King and that Aden’s rival General would be appearing. Aden sat proudly on his horse, as comfortable as if he had only been taking a simple ride. His horse trotted with ease ahead of all the others and it bore similar armor to Aden’s. The colors were the same, but it was crafted for that horse specially and it was meant for speed. It was once again the armor of an Elf because Aden did not trust any other race rather than his own with the protection of such a beautiful creature as the one he rode. Stunning eyes met the horizon as he stood waiting. His hair was hidden under his helmet and kept out of the way with a few simply tricks he had learned long ago.

The longer the Elf sat calmly in waiting the calmer he was about the battle. He knew he would not come out of this without at least another huge scar forming, but he didn’t care. By the time this war was over and he was dead he doubted his skin would be considered that of an Elf, but rather that of a battle worn human like those he fought with. Thankfully for now he did not need to worry about that as he listened to the few sounds of nature around them. It was quiet. It was just like it should be right before a battle with loses to both sides that he knew would be regrettable. His eyes traveled to the ground as he took a small sip of water to keep his body hydrated; unlike those around him he didn’t need as much water for he was used to such conditions. It was why he trained himself to the point of death so much. It was all in preparation for this upcoming battle. “Get your weapons ready! Be wary of all directions!” He said keeping his fighters alert. He gave a soft sigh as the light slipped, “Men! This is to be a fight at night! Prepare yourself and remember your trainings! You are not helpless against these people no matter what people say! We are strong and we will succeed for as childish as it seems good will always find a way!” He said using the over-used phrase.

He was proud to be who he was and with the men that followed him because no matter how much they said they were tired, or they didn’t believe he saw the fire in all of them. He knew that they would all rise to occasion and do their best in the worst times. “For the Order of Lumen!” He cried out to keep moral high.

“FOR THE ORDER OF LUMEN!” Everyone repeated back to him.

With a smirk to a man next to him Aden nodded, “Let us not be waiting, but rather, let’s bring this fight a little farther away from our homes. Shall we men?” A sickeningly calm expression took over the Generals face as they set out calmly and slowly to meet Osiris’s army a bit away from the home front. They didn’t charge though, rather they saw what they were up against, but just as he knew would happen his men just stiffened, but relaxed when given a friendly look by one of their friends. Friendship was key in this. You had to trust in the words that another told you. Just like how Aden trusted Bassette and Azazeal. Those two would be ready for anything while Aden’s place to fight was against this General. He didn’t know the outcome, though the sickening look that he had across paled features as the light truly faded seemed to grow darker as he waited.

Patience was key after all…[/font]

[Prophet Freya]

A pair of screeches cracked through the air as two birds, obviously larger than normal, wheeled around in the sky and landed before Aden Vigil.

"Well, well... If it isn't Aden!" the smaller of the two birds, a raven with plumage as black as night said in a clearly feminine voice dripping with seductiveness. The other bird, a pure white owl mottled with black, stared at the elf with cold blue eyes before turning his gaze to the members of the Order that stood behind him. "Ah, so there are quite a few..." the owl, with a distinct male voice, spoke. "They may stand a fighting chance!"

"Hush, Lucian," the raven spoke again, morphing into the form of a female with obvious feline features. "Good to see you again, Aden, baby," Freya said softly, patting the elf on the cheek. "Been a while, hasn't it? Seems like only yesterday that bitch Tallan interrupted us..."

The owl, too, morphed, but into a huge tiger three times normal size. "We have come to fight alongside you. Osirus has caused too much strife in this world," Lucian growled, being silenced when Freya stroked his neck.

"That's right," Freya spoke, a sudden resolute tone to her voice. "Not only will we avenge the death of our dear Baphomet, but we will also come to avenge the imprisonment and cruel treatment of our brother Camine. Us prophets have been together since the beginning, and we will remain together until the end..."

"And, we have brought along a formidable ally..." Lucian spoke, looking toward the trees. Immediately, almost as if it were a cue, a white-haired woman with rabbit ears stepped out of the foliage.

"Yup! That's right! The former Lieutenant General has come to join you, the Order of Lumen!" Lourette said, striking a dramatic pose. "I always knew something was off with Osirus, but after he got that sword, he just went nuts!" Shaking out her snow white locks, Lourette cracked her knuckles, tightened her grip on her bow, and smirked. "You won't be needing me to interfere, so I'll just keep myself and my little friends, that is, other viera I've found along the way, and pick off Osirus' men from the shadows. Don't worry, we won't shoot any of you. Our arrows have white plumage, Osirus has his archers fletch arrows with black. We will win this battle," Lourette said, amber eyes full of tears. "If we don't, I may never see Laties again..."

[Israfel Deu Ausgard]

Osirus chuckled lightly as he watched Aden ease his own nicely sized army forward.

"Indeed Takashe, indeed. It seems these fools do not understand that I am the God here. Nothing will help them. When their pretty little Prophet falls, it will not only destroy their bonds of faith, but throw the Seventh Plane into my hands!" Osirus yelled. His behemoth trumpeted loudly in reply, stomping forward as they aimed to get closer to the village before they would have to fight. Osirus' eyes could pick out the General, all laden in red armor. The man seemed just as determined as Osirus himself to protect that measly little village. The General was a tricky one, however. He was foolish enough to constantly have his fingers messing up Osirus' affairs. Despite his desire to find and destroy Laties, his most inner want was to see Aden's lifeless eyes looking up at him in fear. He wanted to hear Aden's last breath gurgle out of his blood choked throat. And even if Takashe and he were locked in a death match, Osirus would want nothing more than to shove Takashe out of the way and strike down Aden himself. He could feel Nocen Atrum coiling up inside him, ready to unleash hell as soon as he was in range. Nocens Atrum could feel the sword, and he very well knew Aden did not have it on his person. But that could wait. As soon as the man was dead and his men being fed to the behemoths, he would search it out nice and slow. He would not leave this desert until he found that sword. [/size]

As the behemoths drew closer, with a swift notion of his hand, Israfel lept from his behemoth upon Osirus' command. The Sergeant tumbled in the sand, landing upright as he stood. Israfel had once again adorned his red lacquer armor. His chain whip readied in both hands, the green haired Sergeant took off running. His inhuman possession had greatly affected his speed, as he took a sharp right, aiming to come around from the back of the city as Osirus had planned. He would come in from the back to block off any escapes made from any survivors. And if Takashe didn't make it there first, Israfel would take care of the Prophet himself.

The blood thirsty Sergeant had a cruel smile on his face, his muscles pumped and tense. He was ready to feel the impact of his chain ripping through a body. It had been a very long time since Osirus had allowed him to kill in such numbers. Israfel was determined to beat Takashe and kill more insurgents than the favorited General. As the night grew dense, Israfel slid down a sand dune, creating a small cloud behind him as he picked up speed. Behind him, the moon was quickly rising, sending haunted shadows against Amblethorn.


----------------------In the Village----------------

Dulcimer winced as he readjusted himself on the slippery shingle roof, watching as Aden advanced towards the demented army before them.
"Damn...I had no idea Osirus was bringing behemoths with him...I hope Aden has some way of taking them down..." Dulcimer whispered under his breath. He sighed irritably as he kept his blue eyes wandering, moving. Dulcimer was in fact in a very foul mood today. Not only was he still suffering from the injury given to him by the assassin, but Aden had forbid him from riding into battle. Dulcimer had longed to be by Aden's side, to be the quick man on the ground killing badies before they got to the main brunt of the battle. Dulcimer would admit, he was limited by the gash to his side, but it still didn't make him any more favorable. Instead, he was stationed inside the village with a few men. Here, he and other soldiers with projectiles would wait to see if Osirus penetrated the village's limits. Then, Dulcimer would leap into action and take anyone out who stepped in the city. He and the archers around him would be Aden's second defense against Osirus and his men.

"We got reinforcements! It seems the Prophet Freya and her retainer are here along with a Viera!" The word had spread quickly and although it was good news, it didn't make Dulcimer feel any better. He was stationed on top of Bassette's hut, in his usual armor with his hair pulled up and out of his face. He could hear Azazeal below reinforcing windows and doors. Even though Aden had demanded all women and children to hide, Bassette and her young retainer stayed to wait out the battle.

"Man...Aden...we better win..." Dulcimer whispered to hismelf.

[Yunosuki]

"So...it has finally begun..."

The white-haired man had come forth from the rear and was beginning to walk toward where he saw Aden with various other...

Wait...could it be her? That long raven hair, those cat ears...It couldn't be!

"Freya?" Yunosuki whispered. He wanted to just run forward and embrace the feline woman, but...they had a battle to fight...no, they had a battle to win. His grip tightening on the hilts of his two swords, Yuno walked forward to stand beside Aden.

"So, another prophet and the viera have arrived to lend us their aid?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know if we can trust them just yet, but...if Freya brought them, I'm sure we won't have anything to worry, right, Aden?" Though he tried to keep cheerful, his eyes were starting to cloud over with unfallen tears, and, though he managed to stop them by blinking his eyes a couple times, he knew that if they won...he would finally be able to rest happily...because he had seen Freya, and...if she was really like what everyone said, he would get a night with her...

But with those thoughts aside...

Yuno cracked his neck and glared forth at the gathering armies of Osirus. He didn't want to admit, but with those gigantic creatures, Osirus wanted to give them as hard of a time as possible... If only they could get something like that...

[Katsou Ren Shou]

Katsou gazed at the sky. His purple hair whipped around his face. The men's minds were thick with apprehension. Worry and skill clouded there faces till, they were so pumped up that a fly would meet a swift end if it even graced the men's personal space!
Katsou on the other hand. Was still. Like a trumpet ready to sound, he couldn't wait to fight Osiris. He was churning up inside and constantly fantasising about holding Osiris's head up by that greasy hair, standing atop a black stallion, the sun rising creating an ethereal glow around Katsou's form and the whole army cheering. Then Aden would fall to his knees crying- "I am not worthy oh great Katsou-" and all the prophets would crown Kastou with olive wreaths. Then there would be a party!... But... That would never happen. What with that focused look on Aden's face- Katsou imagined that his general would simply stand there like some zombie and ruin the party. And maybe make some half-hearted attempt at applauding Katsou...

He quickly snapped out of that weird, yet satisfying fantasy, when Freya appeared. Something welled up inside him. He quickly leapt from his position-ignoring the muffled cries for him to return to the middle- and sprinted to the prophet.

Katsou wore... A little less fancy armour to Aden... To put it mildly. It was your average steel armour, bulky and uncomfortable- fit for the purpose and nothing else. Although it was quite aesthetically pleasing, what with the swirls and things, all over the breastplate, it looked a little cheap... But that was Katsou's opinion! So in tribute to his tutor, who Katsou was yet to find, he wore a shorter (so it wouldn't get in his way), fitted (so he looked cool), black and red (because Katsou is flash like that) kimono/cape. Obviously it wasn't done up. He just let it flutter in the wind like his tutors. Though it was a bit debatable whether this was for The Man With No Face, or whether Katsou just wanted to look swish on his death bed.

Running to the prophet, he grinned, "Yo Lucian, ma' main man!" Katsou patted the tiger joyfully. He was so glad to see them. "Freya! Yo!... I..." He fidgeted, looking up to find Aden beside him. "I just wanna' say, if anything happens like it did in the forest- don't do what you did!-" Katsou hurriedly told Freya, then with an innocent grin- and nervous chuckle- to Aden, he ran back to his spot in the middle, next to two of his friends. Who both sighed in embarrassment, shaking there heads.

[Akikaze Kitsune-Onna]

Upon the side where the gigantic Behemoths, a dark shadow was cast by a mysterious huge birdlike creature. Standing atop the being was none other than Akikaze Kitsune-Onna, and the one who had helped her in Arioles. According to what this marax said, King Osirus would be able to help her find her mother with the help of a music box. If it was the box she thought it was, Aki wasn't going to let it go. If she had to, she'd burn the box. But for now...

The gigantic Simurgh, as Aki had dubbed this creature, landed beside the largest of the Behemoth. The Simurgh, though the same size as the Behemoth, was graced with two pairs of huge, red feathered wings, two doglike heads and the body of a lion. Its two heads were bound shut, because of the streams of black smoke that were billowing from their nostrils. The moment the Simurgh's mouths were freed, the whole of Amblethorn could burst into flame.

"King Osirus..." the nine-tailed painter spoke, her emerald eyes searching the king for any sign of good in him. But there was none. All she could see was evil... This couldn't be good...

"Your marax servant has told me to come here to assist you... So, here I am. Command me as you will." The paintbrush in the fox woman's hand became soaked with ink, and she prepared to paint. She knew she was siding with evil, but if this man could help her find her mother, she would follow him. But if he got his hands on her music box...that would be a different story...

-----Among the Order-----

Freya, catching sight of the gigantic Simurgh, shuddered. "This isn't good..." she whispered to Lucian, who had almost bitten Katsou's hand off when he patted his neck. She didn't want to admit, but she thought they didn't stand much of a chance without proper tactics.

"Freya, what's the matter?" Lucian's caring voice filled the prophet's ears as the tiger leaned down and licked his mistress' cheek. "We will win. Do not worry... I will not allow you to lose... I will not allow you to die, Freya..."

"Thank you, Lucian..." Freya whispered, hugging the large beast's neck. "And I will not allow you to die either, my dear..."

Meanwhile, Lourette and her viera had all positioned themselves in the trees surrounding Amblethorn, bows ready. Lourette waited to give the signal for shouting, the traditional Dracanian war cry, "Pugna pro lepus," or "Fight for the rabbit." All of the viera could hear her without problem, since they had their ears thingyed toward the former lieutenant general. "On your command, Lady Lourette," one young female said.

"Hold yourself back, leveret," the white-haired woman replied, holding up one clawed hand. Grabbing up her bow, she notched an arrow to the string. "Bows at ready," the viera said, loudly enough that all the viera could hear, but softly enough so that human could pick up what they were saying. "When I give the word, fire..."

[Aden Vigil]

Aden’s mind was focused on the other army as he watched their beasts. He knew not of these creatures from hell so it would be an interesting fight. He turned to those around him and spoke calmly. It was time to start this fight, no matter how touching those around him were. He looked at his men with a calm, yet friendly smile as he gave them all one last nod before looking down to Freya, “Thank you very much for choosing to aid us. I truly am sorry for Tallan, though she is not around at the moment. She left weeks ago.” He said simply as he shifted his position and looked to Lourette. “When the armies meet let your arrows fly.” Aden called over to her. He had many things to do within the short period, such as give Yuno his orders. He looked down at his second in command and saw the look he gave Freya. He knew the other wished for a single night with her before his disease took over the General truly felt for him. Softened blue eyes looked around him at their setting for a moment as he let things play out in his head. He would give this as much thought as he possibly could before he chose his direction that he would be moving in.

“Yuno, take your men to the other side of town. I wish for you to fight next to me, but I need someone I can really trust to lead the other side of protection.” He said calmly as he looked at Freya, “Since I have Lourette here would you please accompany Yuno to protect the other side of the village with the other half of our forces?” He asked simply as he thought of Lady Bassettes warning on the fact that he may be attacked on two sides. “Be wary of scouts or messengers looking for you though Yuno because there are chances the plans will change.” He said calmly as he took one last look to his men before he smirked. He had spotted Osiris atop a beast from Hell and he couldn’t and wouldn’t risk his steed’s life for a chance to get up. Slipping from his mount atop his horse he gave a calming smile to those around him that were worried about his action. He whispered a few words in his native tongue and then gave the Stallion a gentle pat, which set it off around the army and away from the fight.

“Men, now is the time to take the action that I know you wish to. Let us make the first move for the farther away they are, the stronger we can fight!”He said with a devilish grin that alerted people to the fact that he was ready to fight. Aden was more than ready, Aden knew what he was going to do and he quickly looked around, his headpiece hiding that fact from the King and his General as he spotted them both out and looked at the front line formation of their army. His eyes caught on a new person who appeared, but he was more focused on the creatures from hell that had remained nameless to him. “Do not charge those beasts!” He called to those around him. Looking over he called, “Arrows headed on the beasts first! Then worry about the men!” That was for Lourettes knowledge really. He didn’t have many archers with him and none were in the upper lines with him.

“Forward men! Be sure not to rush towards those creatures from Hell and watch the General and the King for they are certain to want to take as many of you down as possible!” He said as he started moving forward, he had those around him following him that was all he needed. He looked to where his horse had been a bit before and was glad to know that the beautiful creature wasn’t in any immediate danger. That was his most trusted steed and he would hate for such a strong creature to go to waste in a moment like this. “For the Order of Lumen!” [/b]He heard people around him scream it and he raised one weapon along with the rest.

‘Please Lumen, let us come out victorious, let good triumph over evil for we only wish to save this land from his reign.’ Aden prayed without it being visible on his face. He would need as much confidence as possible with his men to win this.[/font][/size]

[Lourette]

"As soon as the first whistling of a weapon can be heard, release your arrows," Lourette said softly, and got nods from all her viera. She was going to say more when a pair of young male viera leaped up into the tree beside her. "Lady Lourette," the first one hailed her attention.

"Are the ballistae at ready?" Lourette asked. She knew the viera had a pair of ballistae that they were working on, and this was the first time they were to be tested out. The ballistae, of Dracanian invention, were huge bows that shot arrows five feet long each. They were strong, yes, and could shoot far, but how accurate they would be..." When she got a nod from the second one, Lourette grinned. "Take two of the sharpest archers and station them at the ballistae. Take their places up here..." The two males nodded and leaped off. /So...it's finally begun.../ the female said softly, narrowing her eyes. Turning her gaze to the young female beside her, she said, "Go down to Aden and tell him to holler to me when he's ready for us!"

The young leveret nodded and leaped down. She ran as fast as her viera feet could carry her until finally, she saw a black stallion with the general atop it. "Sir Aden!" the young viera cried. "Lady Lourette says to give a signal when you want her to fire. We have ballistae, and we want to make sure we're ready to fire when you want us..."

-----x-----

Freya nodded to Aden and turned to Yunosuki. Seeing the look he gave her, she returned it with a gentle, sincere smile. "Well, sir Yunosuki, should we go?" She noticed the ribbon that held his two swords together, and thought it looked a tad familiar, as did the black robe he donned, but she wasn't going to say anything about it.

Lucian watched Yunosuki with a blank look in his eyes. If this man was really the lieutenant general of the Order, he guessed he could be trusted... "Freya..." the tiger said softly, "If things start to get hectic...should I trigger the curse?" His gaze flicked to a mark on his left flank, a pattern of stripes formed into a crescent moon. It looked like it may have just been a mark, but in all three of his forms it appeared, though he tried to hide it. It was really a curse that, when unleashed, would turn him into a monster much like those Behemoths, but only to be commanded by Freya.

"If it comes down to it, Lucian...we both may have to trigger our curses..." The prophet involuntarily rubbed her left arm, which was covered in black markings. "Let's just hope it doesn't come down to that..."

[Israfel Deu Ausgard]

Israfel made quick work to the back of the village. Ambelthorn was not much of a war city. Its only protection from the outside forces was a tall, but scalable wall that merely kept the dust storms at bay. There were entrances on the north and southern ends of the walls and these entrances were merely guarded by wooden doors. With Aden's army out to meet Osirus, the doors at the northern end were shut and barricaded. With but a few trees and huge boulders on the outside of the desert oasis village, hiding wasn't much of an option here. So why had Israfel made such quick and easy time to the southern gate? This ran through the Sergeant's mind as he skid to a stop in front of the southern gate. From what he could hear, this gate was currently unprotected. And if it was protected, Israfel would know soon enough. He planned on simply destroying the wooden door and barging his way in. But something made him stop. An uneasy feeling suddenly hit him. Looking around quickly, he noticed a young archer aiming for him. Trying his best not to snicker to let the man know he had been spotted, Israfel opened his arms, his possessed chains unraveling themselves from behind his long, wing-like armor on his back. The chains hovered around him like living snakes, preparing to strike. As Israfel lay his hands on the sand blasted wooden door, he stood there for a moment, as if listening to the door speak through his hands.

The young archer wouldn't even know what hit him. Without warning, his chest exploded, a curving chain end coming to meet him in the face. Israfel, without the archer even knowing, had manipulated his magic chains to sneak up behind the archer on the wall and stab him in the back. The young archer choked for a moment, then his limp body fell from the wall into the sand below. Chuckling lightly, Israfel moved so that the four ended chains raised up behind him and struck the door all at once.

Dulcimer heard an explosion of wood behind him as he quickly stood, looking over the shingle roofs to the shattered southern door.

"What the hell!? No way someone could have gotten in already!" Dulcimer searched the top of the wall for Gen and Boulard, the two men who were supposed to guard the southern gate. Gen was gone and Boulard as currently shooting as many arrows as he could into the walkways between the huts.

"Intrusion! We've got an intrusion!" Dulcimer heard the cry echo throughout the village. He winced in aggrivation. Useless! The whole lot of them! They're way too young to be fighting! God damn it Osirus...to force young men to fight like this...

"Everyone! Stay off the ground! Stay out of the center of the village! He'll get what's coming to him!" Dulcimer yelled, his message being echoed throughout the village through different voices.

Osirus laughed heartedly as mere yards separated the two armies now. He could clearly hear Aden's words of encouragement to his army.

"Tis foolish, Aden Vigil! Your men will fall, like lambs to the slaughter! That's all you are! Mere lambs being fed to my wolves! The wolves of Nocens Atrum will herald in a new beginning for Alyssus! A beginning which you and your foolish men can enjoy if you hand over the sword and the Prophets! But the time for talk is over...NOW YOU WILL DIE!" With a trumpet of his behemoth, the men clad in black rushed forward, Osirus' laugh echoing through the night sky. The fight had finally begun. Osirus watched as the two armies finally met in a clashing wall of bodies. Just as the war exploded out in the sand, inside the village, an explosion rang out, belching fire and smoke into the air.

Dulcimer could barely contain his excitement as he leaped from roof to roof, occasionally slipping on a shingle. When he finally made it to the last roof facing the middle of the village where there was once a beautiful court made of white stone and a pool of oasis water guarded by a well; he could see nothing but a gaping hole in the ground. Dulcimer was always proud of his inventions. But one such set of inventions he was particularly fond of was his explosives. Even though he had created a fiery mess (one of the adjacent homes had caught on fire), he also knew that no man could have lived through such an explosion. The hole it had created in the ground was at least three feet deep. He hoped to Lumen that the intruder was caught in that fiery hell hole.

"Archers at the ready! Aim! Fire!" Dulcimer gave his command and all the archers gathered on the roof tops let their arrows fly. Although they were no where as good as aim as the Viera, Dulcimer knew that if they all aimed at the gaping hole which was issuing black smoke, they could at least hit something. Or so he hoped.

[Lourette]

"Viera, ready!" Lourette cried. "Ballistae ready!" Taking a deep breath, Lourette pulled back on her bowstring and screeched, "PUGNA PRO LEPUS!" At the sound of the first syllable, the viera loosed their arrows, sending them flying at the gigantic Behemoths that were approaching. The two viera that were controlling the ballistae loosed their gigantic arrows, making sure they aimed just right so they would hit the approaching beasts.

"When you run out of arrows, those of you who have spears, throw them!" Lourette shouted, beginning to shoot arrows at a rapid speed, focusing on trying to get them deeper and deeper into the gigantic Behemoths. "And be sure to not stay in the same place for long! Shoot, then leap to the next tree!" With that, she was in the air, landing on the limb of a second tree. /Laties.../ the former lieutenant thought. /Please be alright... I'm coming for you.../

-----x-----

Seeing the Behemoth that carried Israfel make its way so easily to the back, Lucian shook his head. "Forgive me, Lady Freya, but I have no choice..." The crescent moon marking on the retainer's flank began glowing an ominous red as the tiger began to grow, larger and larger until he was the same size as Israfel's Behemoth. Blood red crystal-like plates began shooting out from his fur, covering him like plate armor. Rows of red spikes jutted out from two rows down his back, and two pairs of horns were positioned behind his ears, sweeping forward to his jaws, and above his brow, also sweeping forth. Roaring, the huge beast-like creature stood before the Behemoth, digging blood red claws into the ground.

"Lucian..." Freya whispered, leaping up into the air and lighting down between the first pair of spikes on the beast's back. "Let's just hope you're doing the right thing..." Black sparks shot forth from her right hand and a multi-segmented sword appeared in her hand. "And let's just hope I am as well..."

-----x-----

Seeing the battle begin, Akikaze tapped one foot and got her Simurgh into the air. Standing atop the winged beast with such ease was no easy task, but she knew what she was doing. Pulling one scroll from her kimono sleeves, the kitsune let it flutter open to reveal a gigantic serpent with eight heads, each head with a different-colored diadem. The painting dissappeared and reappeared on the battlefield, but at a much larger scale. The huge serpent was about the size of two behemoths, but, due to the fact that Akikaze hadn't thought of where to put it, it had appeared far away from the battle. Muttering a small curse, she was about to wheel around when she felt her Simurgh begin to shake. Taking a glance down, she saw that it had a huge arrow sticking out of its stomach. "Dammit!" the kitsune cried as she plunged down to the ground.

Down, down, down she fell, finally falling through the thick foliage. Luckily, right before she hit the trees, a blast of violet flame burned a hole through the limbs and leaves and cushioned her fall, though not very well...

"At least, I'm--" she was cut off by a surge of pain coming from her chest and both her arms. "Dammit..." Aki growled. "I can't...move..."

[Takashe]

The Dark King's proclamation of a painful death to his rebellious enemies immediately signaled the psychopathic General and his equally disturbed mount to begin their merciless slaughter. Letting out a wail comparable to nails scratching against a blackboard, Ashtaroth rushed forth into a crowd of enemy soldiers, madness flaring in its demonic eyes. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting soldiers, they did not recognize the flash of bright white coming toward them as the insane General Takashe until it was too late. Over half of them fell to the creature, either decapitated by its swiping claws or fatally wounded by its lethal tail. Without even glancing back, the mount charged on, seeking out another cluster of soldiers.

A particularly courageous swordsman, who had noticed this bloodshed, gritted his teeth in anger and charged the madman, taking aim at the man's protected neck with his blade. Takashe, taking notice of this, lunged his head forward as soon as his attacker was close enough, ripping his artificial fangs into the right side of the young man's face, ripping it off with one powerful bite. As he rode off further into the mass of death and bloodshed, he only heard the man screaming in unimaginable agony. And it made the small fragment of his warped self not dominated by Eltana's programming chuckle inwardly. The helmet chewed the flesh intuitively, the blood seeping into Takashe's own mouth, nourishing him.

Noticing another cluster of soldiers, Ashtaroth rushed toward them, swiping at an occasional lone soldier or two that it passed along the way. It did not go out of its way to ensure that they died; it would have liked to, yes, but its programming mandated that large crowds were the paramount priority. Instead of going along for the ride as he did before, Takashe dismounted with a graceful back flip, landing on his claw-like greaves. He let out a screech identical to that of his mount, then charged at several nearby civilians with his massive glaives drawn, easily ripping through them like a knife through butter. The artificial eye of his helmet caught a glimpse of a mother trying to hide her daughter in a small hole she had dug in the ground. In the blink of an eye the woman was dead, and Takashe was holding the little girl above the ground in his vice-like grip, pondering the most gruesome way he could end her short life.

The girl's demise was stalled, however, by a sugary command from Lord Remarque himself:

"Above you, on the rooftops -- archers. Eliminate them all, leave no survivors. Primary focus: blond man giving orders. Name: Adrian Dulcimer. Your mount shall return in approximately seven minutes."

In addition to being given a command by Eltana, part of his mind was also restored; he was once again able to converse with his stunted, foul vocabulary -- something that was stripped of him by his 'friend' shortly after the battle began. He smirked sinisterly, noticing Dulcimer shouting orders to archers atop a roof just above him. The psychopath leaped upward with great agility and landed right behind the rows of archers, still holding the child in his left hand, war glaive brandished in his right. After decapitating the nearby bowmen with his glaive, he turned his attention to Dulcimer, cackling madly from beneath his demonic mask.

"Well, if it isn't one of Bitch-ette's man whores, g-giving commands to... her little pets! Thought only good.... servicing her in bed! HA!" he taunted the man with a wild cackle that, unlike his previous ones, was actually human. "I gots a message for your bitch from... -- Baphomet's waitin' for her in HELL! Prepare to meet your... end at General Takashe!!"

Eltana, who had only restored his logic so that his enemy would know exactly who was killing him (which is what egotistical Takashe would have wanted, after all. No harm in giving his pet a little treat, is there?), once again stripped the man of his ability to reason, and restored the pure, unbridled psychosis that made him such an effective fighter.

Transformed from violent idiot to evil monster, Takashe brought the screaming child to the mouth of his helmet and mentally forced its jaws wide open, revealing a pitch black void where his head should have been, effectively demonstrating just how ingrained with dark magic he was. He slowly shoved the girl into his 'mouth', artificial jaw expanding on its own to fit the girl in. He then snapped his jaws shut on the child, resulting in a loud, gut-wrenching crunching sound. Unsheathing the other war glaive, he pointed the massive weapons at Dulcimer and emitted another demonic screech, blood pouring from his helmet's mouth.

The predator had found its prey, and was ready for a meal.

[Draken]

Dehydrated, injured, hungry, sleep-depraved, and extremely confused and pissed off.

Draken was hidden behind one of the huts. He arrived in the warzone early, so he camped out behind enemy lines without them taking notice. He looked over both armies, rather impressed that the Order came up with forces that they did. From what Osirus spoke of, they were very dwindling in numbers. He spotted Aden instantly, decked in his gleaming red and gold armor. Adrian Dulcimer, he one he was supposed to kill the day before, still held a recognizable scent to Draken's keen senses. When he heard Osirus yell- that's when he got worried. He had no idea he was supervising his army on the battleground.


Dehydrated, injured, hungry, sleep-depraved, extremely confused and pissed off, and now has the premonition he is committing long, painful suicide. For the past few hours, Draken had been vacillating on who is his enemy in this war. Trying to weasel his way out of trouble. With Osirus here, this would just make the desicion that much harder and the operation much more delicate. Which is a fancy word for 'risky'.


The chaos began moments later, and the Draken's descision must be made quickly. He was already in quite a tangle. Later, he knew, he would deeply regret his inane mistake... He gathered all his strength and finally stood, drawing his hood over his head to veil his face and kept his wings tucked tightly against his back to minimize the number of people that might recognize him. All this happened as Takashe- or that 'thing' he thought to me Takashe- made his rampage across the town and noted his last attempted victim, Dulcimer. Draken was just beneath the rooftop he stood on with a throwing knife in hand now, using Dulcimer as the bait.

[Lourette]

Where Akikaze had landed, she was lucky enough to have found herself beside one of the two Dracanian ballistae. The viera operating the gigantic bow, not missing a beat, whistled three short, high-pitched whistles. In a couple seconds, Lourette leaped down from the trees.

"What is it, Claret?" the viera female said.

"The one atop that winged beast fell over there..." the male viera said, one ear pointing toward Akikaze.

"Damn, is that Aki?" Lourette asked, coming to kneel down beside the injured kitsune. "That was quite a fall... It's a wonder she's still alive..." Rolling the fox woman over onto her back, she put her fingers to the corners of her mouth and released a loud, shrill whistle. Two young females dropped out of the canopy.

"You called, Lady Lourette?" the first one said.

"Marette, Ceret," she spoke to the pair, "Bind her wounds and get her to cover. I'm going back to the lines." With that, she was back up in the trees. The two viera, with deft skill and gentle hands, began treating Akikaze's broken arms and ribs.

-----x-----

Seeing the general of Osirus' army leap down and come to face Dulcimer, Freya leaped up, her whip sword morphing itself into a double-bladed glaive, with the staff sectioned into five, connected by a length of chain. Making the staff snap together, she leaped between Dulcimer and Takashe. "If you want to get to him, you have to get through Lucian and I..." The huge, red crystalline beast roared and swished his crystal-spiked tail. The huge tiger came face to face with Takashe's Behemoth, ready to face it and fight it to the death. /As long as Freya lives...I will gladly give my life...to save her's.../ the beast thought as his blue eyes began to turn a blood red, and he was giving into the curse...

-----x-----

"Oil arrows, go! Shoot one of the supply beasts!" The viera released a shower of arrows with tiny vials full of oil tied to them. The arrows pierced through one of the behemoths that held the men and supplies, and the vials dangled there.

Lourette threw her head back and let out a howl. "Now break 'em!" There was a second shower of arrows, and those arrows shattered the vials, covering the behemoth with oil.

"Now let's watch 'em burn!" Lourette shouted. A few of the viera, including the former lieutenant, lit their arrows up and shot them, lighting the oil aflame. "Now, release the big one!" From the top of the trees, a huge flaming arrow from one of the ballistae flew forward toward the burning Behemoth. All of the viera threw their heads back and howled, sounding like a bunch of werewolves.