Chapter 44: Broken Blood Ties

July 11, year 0 guardian calendar

Well past the dark forest and near the Feren sea lay a bustling cave of lizardfolk and half-Dragons. In that cave city, all who dwelled within worshipped Terra, the mighty dragon said to sleep beneath the earth and beneath the cave itself. Long ago foolish mortals joined forces to stifle her life only be the ones to die. But in their mighty battle, Terra had been wounded and forced to rest beneath the ground. She fled to the oasis and became a part of the earth itself, where she remained for generations, only waking to see what had become of the world six times since.

The lizard believed that one day she would bring forth a new age, one in which all lizardfolk could live freely and without fear of the mortals that hunted them. outside the revered cave lived dozen of colonies of lizardfolk in hope of one day gaining access to the cave. On the furthest edge of what is known as the dragon lands, one of the thirty-six territories in the Oasis lay four tribes of lesser lizardfolk. Here lived the decedents of heinous criminals whose crimes varied from murder and sexual depravity along with those branded of heresy. Over the generations, their crimes faded, but their reputation remained dark and muddy.

The four lizard tribes accepted their fate as the criminals and gladly aided their brothers and sisters for the coming day of Terra. tensions had been running high ever since the attempted uprising the year prior by the hands of a few lizardfolk. It had ended in the death of forty-two lizardmen from the branded tribes. The higher officials had been pressuring the branded tribes to surrender most of their food causing a state of near starvation among the branded. The majority of the twelve hundred and thirty-five branded lizards still held out hope and resisted an all-out rebellion. That was until a certain event on the tenth day of July.

“I will bring you your food, but you told” the proud lizard man stood tall in facing his lord only to be met with a slap to the face which left the mighty warrior unfazed.

"We want it now, your people are looking to healthy these days." The lizardman known as Aiem straightens his back and sharpens his tail, "I have not you ask, anything more and we starve to death." The lizardman known as Kiel spits in Aiems face and punches him in the stomach causing Aiem to fall to the ground gasping for air. "that is exactly the point of all this." While on his hands and knees Aiem spoke those legendary words that would go down in history, "ARE WE NOT BROTHERS!!! DO WE NOT SHARE THE SAME BLOOD?!!"Kiel crushes Aiems fingers underneath his steal boots. "the branded are not people nor will they ever be. You are cursed to forever be out slaves and such you will die for your masters." With a flick of his wrist, he ordered the two lizardmen beside him to execute the tribe leader of the third branded tribe. They took their fearsome spears and pointed it to the fallen leader. "you will regret this, of that I swear it." Kiel laughs at the thought and smiles as two spears tear through the Aiems body.

"You remember this Branded!!! YOUR NOTHING YOUR BELOW US!!!. AND TERRA RETURNS YOU WILL BE HER MEAL!!!" He shouts to the heavens as dozens of on lookers look at the grizzly sight. They watch with clenched teeth as their leader bleeds to death.

"do you understand now my people. The Royals think nothing of us and we should think nothing of them"Kiel's eyes fall back down to the earth to where Aiem should have died. His wounds were healing at a pace he thought impossible. In moments Aiem was back to his feet as the hole in his body slowly melded back into one. “Corruption!! So you’ve sunk this low!!!” Kiel in a startled state stumbles backwards behind his men.

"KILL HIM!!" the frightened soldiers raise their spears as Aiem walks closer to them. "RED WITCH!!!" Kiel's terrified by the name looks around him in search of that bloody witch. "SHE, it was she!!! That brought him back from brink!!!" He ran to his steed the mighty dire wolf. "I BESEECH YOUR YOU, TELL YOUR GOD THAT I ACCEPT HIS CONDITIONS!!" The soldiers attack Aiem but before the spears reach his body, a sudden snap crushes their spirit. Aiem with both his hands stopped their weapons in their tracks and snapped their spears like small twigs. He walked closer to them and grabbed both of them by their throats, slowly extinguishing their life.

Just as Kiel was feeling, his mighty steed fell to the ground and howled at the wind and begged for someone to end its pain. Below on the wolfs legs, Kiel saw three arrows on each leg sunk deep into the creatures muscles. "its over Kiel," Behind him he heard a familiar voice, Trom, a former high knight like him who joined forces with branded a year back and in turn became himself. "poisons arrows is that it?" Kiel asked and Trom responded, "yes, you know paralytics were always my style."

Behind him, he could hear footsteps, the footsteps of Aiem who approached his prey. "You will not die today." Kiel smiled for he had hoped for that answer, "for we brothers are we not?" Kiel mocked as he began walking the path back to the dragon's cave. He took seven steps and then felt a sharp pain on his right. He turned to look at a fierce Aiem, "From this day forth, we are longer brothers." Kiel's smile faded, he cared not for the wound on his leg, his mind was too preoccupied, Aiem had declared war on the royal family.

The following day a force of eight hundred soldiers stormed the four tribes only to find desolate razed villages.

"what is this?" Mial asked as he looked around the burned and charred remains of the village. Something had happened. "there is no one here captain." Mial asked himself the enemies options. Razing their own village wasn't something lizard men would do. Their home was their pride no matter the kind. It had to have been an outsider who burned everything to the ground. Every village before that one had been razed to dust and ashes. Several marks of fierce battle remained. "did Kiel said that the tribe leader here asked the Red witch for help?" he asked his second command beside him. A young lizard woman who had only recently joined with outstanding achievements in her training group. "yes fath... I mean captain."

"do you think she did this as some sort of payment that the tribe couldn't fulfill?" Soal looked around the charred ground and thought deeply on the question, pondering the red witch's previous behavior. "No, she may mystery but one thing certain, she doesn't make a deal that can't be paid back." Soal got of her steed and the surrounding wood. She looked around and on the third hour a soldier came to collect her. "vice Captain!" He called to her all the while she inspected a small patch of disturbed leaves forming a footprint. "they fled." She came to the realization that they had fled the area knowing that a war would end in their loss. "Smart, but we will find you." As she stood up she noticed that her subordinate's shouts had ended.

“he’s dead now” a voice suddenly permeated her mind. She turned to face the sound and only an empty tree. “you will not find me” the voice suddenly appeared from the opposite side. “did you kill the lizardfolk here?" The voice responded, "you did." Soal felt ice creep her spine slowly freezing all her senses. She turned to look at her tail fearing it to be magic spell only to discover that it was an illusion of her mind.

From with trees stood Robin looking down on her as his unit had their sights on her from every side. It was their kindness that allowed her to live. She fled from out wood in search of her captain. There she found a sight that brought to her knees, a pile of ash from where her father had stood. "father." She whispered as a hand suddenly grabbed hold of her shoulder. "I told you to call father while on mission."

“what?” she turned to see that where the ash was a moment earlier now was a dire wolf. She squeezed her eyes in search of the truth.

"Forgive me fath.. captain, I've been sleep these days."

“see to it that doesn’t cost your downfall… Daughter.” She turned to look at her father who she had idolized since her youth.

“I’ll see to it that it does not.”