CHAPTER 98: BLOODLINES IN BLACK INK

The Captain’s father, the late General Brutus Rixator, was a bull of few words, but he was adept at studying opponents, and especially so learning more about the techniques of the few opponents that had ever bested him.

As such, he had passed down quite a hefty bit of information from the library of the fallen human kingdom about that shield to his son. The captain had since been polishing Aster’s skills with that information without him ever knowing it.

He knew a second shield could form from the start. He knew the boy’s emotions made it stronger all along. He knew of the many uses and attacks it had and even had some speculated uses that hadn’t been tested yet that he wanted to... But he also knew what he was teaching the boy now could be used to bring entire armies to their knees... Quite literally.

It would make the human a true threat to Alora if he ever turned on them. The bull had been carefully watching the human to decide how much to coax from him in time, but time was no longer a luxury, nor was caution.

___

"It’s understandable to be nervous. It is your first real battle against fiends on this scale, after all."

Sir Corper was growing tired of watching the tiger pace back and forth, and felt he needed to say something. The cub needed to be conserving energy before battle, but that sentiment was often wasted on the young. Oust replied confidently.

"I am not nervous about that. They are living things that can be killed. I’m anxious to see how I actually stand up to such opponents. I didn’t have much chance to back at the Selection Grounds..."

Oust paused for a bit and glanced towards the ground before him as his brow furrowed. The bear gave him a moment to say it but gave a little coaxing when the cub faltered.

"... But?" Oust sighed, figuring he may as well tell the bear... He was making the effort to be a bit more open towards other beasts lately.

"Do you... Do you ever feel like no matter what, you won’t be strong enough when it matters the most? We can train endlessly, but when it’s time to call on that strength, it seems to never be enough... That likely isn’t a problem you have, though."

The tiger got a bit quieter towards the end. The bear surprised him by actually letting out a laugh.

"Hahaha! Oh, I’ve experienced feeling helpless before. Believe it or not, you aren’t the only one, and most of us have felt that at some point... Though... You were helpless to a lot of things growing up, weren’t you?"

Oust felt like he was just punched in the gut. Helplessness... That’s what that feeling was. The bear continued.

"That stuff can follow you around, and always make you feel like you aren’t enough to matter until you stop letting it. Rely on the strength you have proven to bear by surviving, and stop being helpless now. Matter now, claim your strength. Know you are enough to make a difference... We are going after the big ones, after all... Even I may need some help against both of them at my age."

The bear flashed another smile, trying to cheer up the grumpy cat. Oust almost let himself smile too, but just couldn’t find it in himself to do so before such an imposing task.

The tiger heard the crunching of hooves behind him and turned to see his captain heading his direction with a handful of fighters. The bull called out to him shortly after.

"GOOD! YOU BOTH SEEM READY. HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS, TIGER? IT IS YOUR FIRST TRUE BATTLE... SIR CORPER, ARE YOU CERTAIN YOU WANT THE CUB WITH US? HE MAY BE BETTER OFF FACING THE SMALLER ONES. WE CAN’T AFFORD TO BE SLOWED DOWN IF HE HESITATES..." Oust gave his captain a bow and answered for himself.

"I will not falter. Let me be of service."

Sir Corper spoke immediately after.

"I trust his ability. He caught my eye, after all. I’m sure you’ve had similar students?"

The bull flashed a huge smirk at the bear.

"IT SHOULD NOT COME TO IT, BUT YOU MAY JUST SEE A PEEK OF MY OWN PUPIL’S REAL POWER BY THE END OF THIS!"

The bear only chuckled, realizing this was quickly becoming a contest for the proud bull. Oust was puzzled. The bovine had been training the human more than anyone else the week prior to the village, so was he the pupil in reference? Did that mean the runt had been holding back during their fight after all?

The tiger found himself feeling a bit uneasy at that possibility but shrugged it away for the time being as he took his place beside his teachers and steadied his thoughts. It was almost time. The fiends were nearly in range.

___

Chief Crag was talking with the husky Dally when Stahl made it to his place on the field alongside their ranks of other orcs. Stahl had a small force of beasts with her, most of which were the ones she had been training under the Captain’s orders.

Their battalion was focused towards the end of the wall on the right side. The husky paused mid conversation to give the shewolf a wave, gesturing her over. As Stahl approached, the other canine spoke whimsically beneath that feathered hat.

"Ah! So you are among those I’ll be fighting alongside? That’s reassuring! The Aschefells always make for a grand tale after the battle is won! The people love cheering for you werewolves!"

Stahl grumbled to herself silently at the remark but answered in turn.

"I’ll do my best to live up to your stories. The honor is mine. Good luck out there."

The husky flashed a cheery smile that seemed out of place amid the pending battleground but happily barked out his own answer over the approaching rumble of the fiends.

"I owe you for playing that trick on you with the song, so I’ll try to keep up!"

Stahl only nodded at the smiling fool. Chief Crag spoke to the she-wolf after.

"Thank you again for the aid... You could have run. We would have accomplished little compared to what your mage and prince did alone... That bloodskill of his certainly comes in handy. To think he could channel half a village of energy through the rabbit... I can only have faith that our plans will work, and our tactics will crush those soulless abominations."

Stahl agreed. The prince really was something else.

The orc continued on. "And also, thank you for your help in our forge today. You and that fox really saved our skins... We even got our needles in time."

Stahl gave the chief an inquisitive stare as she asked her question.

"About that... What are those things anyway? Why are they so important?"

The chief looked at the she-wolf and pointed to one of the many black marks that covered his greenish skin. The one he motioned to appeared a bit red around the edges still, and the ink appeared darker than some. Chief Crag spoke in that gruff voice of his.

"Before any great battle, all orcs that will fight take another mark. This is a very important tradition for us. It tells the story of each orc and helps us easily identify the younger among us in the throes of battle. We protect our young, so they may live to someday protect theirs. There are many marks with many meanings. This one is for unity, more or less, or at least, our word for it. Unity is what I am taking into this battle with me. Those needles are how we apply these marks permanently... I assumed your human would have told you?"

Stahl’s puzzled expression grew even more apparent. The orc simply chuckled to himself before he answered.

"I suppose you’ll find out soon enough."

Stahl wasn’t sure if she had time to think about that, considering the foe was just out of range and rapidly approaching, but the she-wolf did give the orc a glance in a new light.

’One before any great battle, huh?’ Stahl marveled to herself. The orc had well over thirty of the black marks upon him. Chief Crag tightened the grip on his mighty club and steeled himself for the thrill of the fight to overtake him once more.

Stahl gave another glance over towards the husky and saw the canine had drawn a steady handed rapier back eye level. His cheerful expression had melted away, leaving in its absence an alert and analytical veteran readying for the pending clash of armies.

The she-wolf realized then that she was truly the least experienced among the three, maybe among most of the front line orcs fighting beside her.

Stahl unsheathed both of her swords and took her position, standing firmly and confidently beside such worthy allies.

The fiends would reach the front lines where they stood ready in mere seconds. The noble wolf was ready.

***