Hello folks! wanted to wish a happy fourth of July in this chapter for all you lovely people as I doubt I will be able to post anything tomorrow.

I hope you enjoy the fun knowledge imparted to Rage, and the others on there journey to this outpost, and the fun things I have in store. :p

Rage

I listened silently to my Brothers and sisters as they slowly grew accustomed to the new conditions that had been thrust upon them in their lives. Listening to them, my eyes trained on the green Draconian. It was a curious species, they appeared to be lizard men with wings. I'd seen sketches in the books we had been forced to learn from.

I knew that green scales meant this was a member of their lowest social caste. There weaklings, deemed only good to be servants or fodder in battle. He was smaller than that golden lizard, there 'Master' by several feet though. Well muscles, his reptilian eyes darting everywhere, it seemed he hated being grounded.

My stare probably wasn't helping his nerves much either. But I enjoyed the reaction, he looked like a nervous bird 'tweet tweet, tweet tweet' I mocked in my mind as he stared back at me.

The eye I could see twitched visibly, a slight hissing cough echoing from his reptilian lips. "So...Rage was it?" I nodded, while regarding him and keeping my silence. The others had stopped there talking, likely wanting to listen.

"Not much of a talker I see...Well, what do you know about our mighty Empire?" this lizard, Craxus asked me this. Tilting my head to the side I could only shrug. The action not being enough, I grudgingly replied. "Nothing, beyond what was needed to fight the Falknir Demons." Nodding his head, his tongue flicking out momentarily he continued.

"With the peace treaty that knowledge is useless. I'll assume you know nothing of the actual nation our Empire rules, it's different inhabitants beyond the scattered Falknir tribe Demons, or our neighboring nations." I sighed, dear god, an intellectual. Knowledge held it's own power, but it tired me. Forge would enjoy the obvious lecture we would soon receive. Personally, I wanted to rip the Lizards wings off, and watch it hope around while I made it go Tweet tweet.

"First, the Draconian Empire is not our nation's name. We as a race simply hold the most power, and numbers. We belong to the nation Luxio; named after our Emperor, one of the few Dragons left in this realm." That, was interesting. It meant there Master was not the head of there people.

"She currently slumbers, and Lord Dravon rules as reagent. Our Empire's main inhabitants are Draconian's, we also have scattered orc Tribes, though fewer in number sense your people came to our lands, as well as a portion of humans. All refugees from destroyed kingdoms along the borders between ourselves, and neighboring nations."

"To the west, lies Formoria, it's rules jointly by an alliance of Humans, Elves, and Dwarves. None are strong enough to rule without the other, using the strengths of the other two races to make up for their weaknesses. Currently, they are focused on the pirate nations that reside in the archipelago several miles from their coast; as such they retain an ongoing cease fire with our people."

"The Falknir, are but one of many tribes, though their numbers seem concentrated within Luxio. The Demons are not natural inhabitants of Terra, as such they hold no nation of their own; instead relying on the Demon gates they build in each assembled mass of land they claim for there infernal overlord in the hell fire Abyss, another plane of existence. The Falknir themselves are rules by an Arch Duke sent from that abyss when he was strong enough with the Demons he rules over."

"To the East, our current direction lie the beast tribes. They are made of of hybrid creatures between humanity and animals. The majority appear to be canine oriented, with a few feline, like yourself but with ears and tails, primates that tend to reside in the mountains and act as their overall rulers, as well as some avian forms, and reptilian like the Lizard men. We are currently headed toward our furthest outpost, Tridant, which also happens to be embroiled in a siege."

Fuck he was long winded, the siege part interested me, battle, war. That I could understand, the rest was just knowledge I could use, dear lord...he's still talking. " We have never made treaty with these creatures, they are primitive savages just like your people, only they don't have the decency to bow down like you, there brethren...*gah*"

I had cut off his speech by knocking him to the ground, from behind, and grabbing his wings, pulling very strongly to ensure I had his undivided attention. His head was on the side, so his little yellow eye saw me very clearly as I leaned down, and gnashed my fangs by his face.

"Listen here you Lizard, we are not related to some half breed scum. We are Pridelings, we do not need to have their pathetic excuse of animal traits to know we are leonine warriors, or that we are animals." I could feel my rage buffet him as I spoke. If he could sweet, he would be. "Secondly, you are not our Master. You are a green Draconian, and the weakest of your kind to be a simple messenger, and escort. Don't you dare fucking talk down to me."

I kept him on the ground, pulling his wings more as I growled. I was satisfied that there was bluish blood seeping out from the joints on his back. Growling once more at him, I got off him, dragging him to his feet with me, and pushing him forward. "Go" I said.

We resumed our trip, the Lizard magically shut up, and the faint aroma of fear was lovely.

Anvil

I was next to Forge when I had heard the Draconian's words; I had even grabbed one of my maces before I had thought much only to be stopped by Forge placing a restraining hand on my arm. Looking at him in confusion, growling lightly,he told me to look at Rage.

When Rage had stopped, the scent of blood and fear in the air, I was speechless...more speechless anyway, that was by far the most any of us had ever heard him speak. What honestly shocked me more was the fact he had defended there people. It was no secret he despised most of our kind for the freedom they had, along with us to an extent by how he acted around us.

He avoided all attempts at what semblance of friendship, or connection we could get from each other in the Pit. What we saw here, was still Rage, but...Shaking my head I sighed a bit. There was no point trying to understand his way of thinking. It was to alien for most of us.

For once, I hated being unable to speak. I did not begrudge Forge for being the one who had so damaged my vocal cords, were were still only months old at the time, and lacked proper control. I only wished we'd held our healing abilities we do now, then. I wouldn't have to rely on grunts, and chest rumbling growls to communicate.

We continued on our way, I couldn't help but notice that Rage was much closer to Craxus, the green Draconian. He was toying with the man like I had seen him do to the strongest and final living member of each slave group we slaughtered. I just hoped he didn't kill this one, Forge seemed to like him, not in the sense others might. Forge was a secret hoarder of knowledge. When it had come time to learn to read, and write as well as all we could about our people, and the Falknir we fought, he had absorbed it all like a sponge seeking more and more. He was likely the most intellectually intelligent of them all.

I only felt this way toward Forge himself because we were closer to each other than the rest. He was the second to our Pride, I was the third. We followed Rage for his power, if nothing else; for me that was the case, I knew Forge held a form of loyalty to the seemingly insane man we called our leader.

I couldn't understand it, but it was his place to feel how he wished. Just like it was all of their own thoughts that led them to follow Rage. He was frightening, and cruel. But powerful, and fearless. I was confused by him more often than not, but respected him for his sheer power.

Rage

We had been walking most of the day, and had left Hyborium forest about three hours ago. Our direction was pretty simple, directly east toward the fort we needed to go too.

When dusk approached, the light beginning to fade I felt a pang of sadness that the warmth would be gone for a time. But shrugged it off. We made camp along the main pathway, finding decent enough shelter in a small grouping of trees, with a massive boulder not far off. I waved at one of the random underlings, and pointed to it. "Watch" I said simply, and he hopped up onto it, and began his vigil. It would change every two hours until daytime.

I only knew that the days were thirty hours long. fifteen for light, and fifteen for darkness. The weeks were ten days long, with each month holding four weeks. There were only nine months to a year, three main seasons. Spring, summer, and winter. The length of each varied on the weather itself, but we were currently in the middle of spring, the month by Prideling calendar was called Talmar, the second month of the years. The months themselves were Gradus, Talmar, Frox, Hummal, Yolmar, Xelt, Roxius, Legio, and Zeld.

Beyond that, there were no holidays to be celebrated by our people that I knew of. Perhaps for others this would be different, I hardly cared. When the camp was set up, my brothers and sisters gathering wood from the trees, and lighting it on fire for the night, while Forge had taken a small group to chase down a few of the dear we had seen. By few I mean ten of them.

We ate ours raw, I enjoyed the look of fear, and disgust in the Reptilians face was he watched us devour the prey. When I myself had finished what I wanted, the others ate. "How long" I asked, Craxus knew what I meant, and answered hesitantly. 'About....two more days to the Tridant. Hyborium was already close to the border." Nodding, I ignored him utterly, finding my attention slowly drawn to each of my eight. I watched as they ate in groups, I was the only one who ate alone.

I was not please to see that Hydra had taken his portion of deer with Bitter. Frowning lightly at the male who I knew despised me, I turned to regard Bitter herself. She was ignoring him, like she did every other male. The scent of fear never seemed to leave her. I found her weak, but I found her intriguing as well. There was strength in her, or she would have died long ago after all. The odd mix was curious to me, it helped she was attractive to look at. She had been for years. The gentle swell of her breasts, the curve of her hips, and her long legs. Personally I liked her hair, the way it shined in the real sun. It was an odd feeling for me, as I looked at her, and the sudden intense dislike I felt with Hydra so close, along with the few males that were her underlings that ate with her.

I would have to analyze this foreign concept later. I moved my gaze around further, looking at Envy, Hate, and Anvil who were eating together to find Envy looking at me, with her head tilted. Charming, I did not relish the idea of killing my sister over sexual requests but I would. I didn't want that, yet at least. Perhaps when I have had gained power, strength enough to finally break away. Time would tell.

Moving my case again I saw Forge, sitting on the rock during his shift. I rose, going to join him; reaching him I leaned on the boulder, crossing my arms over my chest. I could feel his gaze, and waited patiently. He was the only one I would speak to outside of orders, or answers.

"Why defend our people?" He asked bluntly. That, I had not expected. Looking up at him, seeing the genuine confusion I shrugged. "Felt right at the time" He still seemed confused, but let it go.

"We get to experience true battle soon Rage. Will you allow us to let go?" He meant our control, the single thing that kept us from being mindless beasts of death. I smiled, baring my fangs in the direction we were heading. Oh yes, we have waited to long for control on our first real battle." We spoke a time longer, menial things mostly with him rambling and I grunting in answer before I moved to turn in for the night.

Craxus

I would never be able to sleep in the presence of Rage. I felt it in my bones that I would never be safe around him, or the others. I had let my tongue run ahead of my mind. I had forgotten they were not weak warriors, regardless of their ranking in there own people. They were Berserkers. I knew I would have died if they didn't need me.

I may still die, I knew my Lord had sent me there to be rid of me in the end. But I had no choice. My breed of Draconian were hard wired to follow orders. Even knowing we would die from them.

It made me almost weep. I watched them eat, and sleep. I heard faint moans in the distance where I had seen the one called cruelty head toward with two females. Strange creatures.

In two days I could hand them to the Tridant border forts command. I knew that they were a single tribe of beast men that had been subjugated decades before, and forced to fight there own kind. They were also the weakest tribe at the time. They had sense proven themselves strong with Draconian training in the face of the other beast men. They were cat's, not like the larger predators, but literal house cats. There claws and teeth blunt compared to the other beast men, even to these Pridelings who held fangs and claws yet no ears or tails..I had made a mistake comparing them.

My wings still throbbed from when this youngling nearly ripped them off. It didn't matter, I just needed to live another two days. Two more days, and with luck i could leave them to their fate. By all reports the Siege of Tridant was massive, the beastmen tribes attacking as one. Reports told of several of the tiger beast men entering the fray, as well as those that resembled lion beast men, a species thought extinct after the last true war. A few Bears had even been sighted, a younger tribe of beast men made by a failed magical experiment by the humans.

I would leave them at the battles edge, and run home. My orders were to take them, they never said I had to stay after all.

Rage

The two days had gone by quickly, the second day of our journey was quiet, we walked, then camped and ate and slept. The third and final day of our journey is when we came across some minor trouble.

It was around midday, and judging by the size of the smoke, and the scent when the wind blew in our direction we were four miles from the battle. We had also begun passing refuges, beast men that smelled feline. I thought there tails were kind of cute, along with there quivering ears when they smelled us. To them, we likely smelled like predators, which we were. I began to wonder how they might taste, absently licking my lips while a few walked by as I stared at one of the tender looking females.

The male in the group, a short young one with an orange striped tail saw my gesture, and hissed, yes hissed, at me before beginning to draw his sword. Poor fool never got the chance. The second his hand touched the handle, his head went flying; the culprit was Hate, and her sword. The rest learned their lesson, and I silently mourned the fact I would not be able to eat the male. We were too close to the battle to stop for lunch. Casting a glance at the corpse, it's blood pooling around it, and cooling I walked on with heavy steps.

When we did reach the battlefields edge, my one and only thought was 'beautiful' all around there were bodies, arrows, and smoldering patches of earth. The air was filled with fire, screams, and the stench of death. It felt so much like home I almost wept in joy. The corpses seemed to be mostly refuges of those cats, and some warriors. There were notches here and there of canine looking beast men, wolfs and dogs mostly it seemed. Judging by the size of the hoard assaulting the wooden fort, parts of which were on fire but holding strong, I guessed them to be around one thousand and five hundred soldiers. Give or take a hundred. The fort's occupants, from what I could tell were fighting tooth and nail to keep the besiegers off their walls.

It was so glorious, none of us even saw when Craxus left after shoving a letter into the hands of one of my underlings who had the presence of mind to place it in one of the bags at his hips.

I was already pumped up, my muscles twitched with each half roar we heard, each yowl of pain. The scent of blood and death mixed all around. This was our home, the battlefield was life. We were Berserkers, and what little reasoning I held let me know the Beast men had never fought our kind.

Baring my fangs I let out a roar, twenty eight others ranging in pitch, and dept joining mine before we burst forth, covering the half mile between us and the back lines within minutes. We all let loose our control, or reasoning, our sanity and embarrassed our rage like an alcoholic would embrace a fine wine.

Fort Tridant commander

We were losing hope. We'd held this fort for years against each tribe on it's own. This is the first time they banded together to destroy us, and it was a losing battle. Of the few thousand of my people, all the civilians had left. Around eight hundred of the elderly, and those to young or weak to fight.

I had watched as my people were cut down in droves before only a thousand or so were left standing inside the fort. Running to each new breach, fighting to put out fires. It was a matter of time. The Draconian's would never send a relieve force. I knew this, and the subjugation of our people was just that. We were a buffer, something to be used until dead to weaken any possible invasion. We had no choice though.

When I had been prepared to ready a sally and charge out the gates with my remaining men in an attempt to take as many with us as we could, a messenger burst into my council room as I was leaving it nearly knocking me over.

"Commander! Coma..*oomph* Commander! you have to see this!" The youth spouted after bowling into me, and ran back out. What on earth? Fear suddenly welled up within me, had the bears breached our gates? No, please no. Rushing after the youth, and following him to the oddly silent walls. My men were staring dumbly out onto the field below, and my curiosity made me look to find why the siege has stopped, only to have my mind suddenly stop all action.

The scene below was...frightening. I watched as a small group of people who had come into the invading coalitions backside were systematically slaughtering everything in there path. There couldn't be more than thirty of them in that group, yet they were pushing deeper and deeper into the beastmen forces . I heard roars echoing from the group that dwarfed even the shouted burst from the bears, and tigers. I could only stare dumbly as they took the entire attention of this force from the walls, and butchered their way through the ranks. The one in the front, and center of their wedge held my attention most.

His silver hair flew around him, his chest was bare, and he wore only black leggings, while his arms were covered in what looked like bladed gauntlets. He threw himself bodily and forcefully into each enemy in front him him, kicking, punching, and slicing everything to pieces even as he was slowly hacked into, small gleaming metal could be seen from broken arrows that had pierced him, and yet he didn't slow or seem to notice.

I felt a thrill of fear watching him at one point when around him three enemies were seemingly engulfed in a haze of blackness, that when it faded but a second later, there was nothing; he also seemed stronger afterwards. Healing the wounds that didn't have bits of weapons still stuck inside of him.

I could only marvel before snapping out of it, and having my archers begin pelting the enemy with arrows from behind

"Fire soldiers! We may live after all!"

Rage

I had no idea how long we had been fighting, but I had slowly begun to control how I moved. Countless enemies fell before us, a spattering of the underlings falling behind or collapsing due to their wounds, or exhaustion. I didn't care, nor did the others. If they perished then they simply were too weak to continued.

I remember decapitating several enemies with the curved half sickle like blades of my gauntlets, and using the spikes along the sides of my forearms to shred flesh while piercing skulls with my fingers.

I knew I had broken bones, and blood loss was beginning to become an issue, but for the first time I could let go of my rage. No longer forced to keep it in check in the presence of those that would kill me for it, and succeed.

I heard horns, the beast men before us were beginning to pull back, and retreat. No, no NOOO! I roared at the cowards, moving to follow, and give chase, all but three of my Pride were even still with me, the rest having collapsed and behind in the sea of bodies we had created. I knew none of my eight had perished, and cared nothing for the underlings. The ones beside me were Forge, anvil, and oddly enough Bitter.

Trying to give chase, I was tackled from the side by something with a white tail and black strips and met with some odd form of roar that sounded pathetic in my own ears sense it came from something essentially half human. Dazed momentarily, I struck out with a vicious backhand and sent the small figure flying to the side.

Struggling to my feet, the bodies beneath me making it hard, I saw that my prey had escaped. I roared once more at them, this one deepening into a guttural snarl that was something no human looking young male should ever be able to make.

"Fuuuuck!!" I screamed. I had spent my rage at last, and turned in the direction that small figure had been sent flying. Moving with purposeful steps and made my way slowly toward the unconscious body. Anvil, Forge, and Bitter slowly falling to their knees in the mass of bodies panting, and gasping for air when the rage left them, and there pain hit them in full.

When I reach the figure, I grabbed it by the cheap tunic it wore, and lifted the light child off the ground with it's face, swollen and bruised looking at me...without fear? I smelled it, it was young. It looked like our actual age, a five year old, female. "Why did you stop me from my prey!" I screamed into it's little face, watching it wince as the yell became a roar.

By this time, the fort's soldiers had left their walls, and were making their way toward me. Slowing in hesitation as they felt the sheer desire I had to rip something to pieces at the loss of so much killing that had been taken from me.

I heard a pained gasp as the child tried to speak, barely being able to respond due to the shattered jaw, I could make out a few words. "Slave....ordered...unable to..." Nothing, for a moment a whispered "Kill...me" the last thing I heard before it lost consciousness again. I growled at the child, shaking it while holding it aloft trying to make it wake up again.

It wanted to die, then I would keep it alive. A pet, it would live as long as I wanted. I would show it suffering that made it beg me to die every day for the rest of it's miserable life for this.

Others of my Pride that had fallen behind first were moving forward. I saw some carrying there severed arms, and hands, or were carried with there legs in there arms. It would take days to have them attach and be usable. I growled at them, showing my frustrations, and they looked away from my eyes.

I had lost none of my Pride, though it looked like Hydra had taken a truly nasty stomach wound as he held his intestines inside and moved forward, fighting to hide his pain. 'Good' I thought, not forgetting the anger I felt when I saw him eating with Bitter.

"You, give it." I said to the one that carried the note. When I received it, I handed it toward the tall lanky male with a black tail and ears that was trying to get my attention by coughing.

When I handed him the note, I slung the child over my shoulder without care, and growled at my Pride, before taking one or two of the bodies that littered the ground for myself, and moving to a clear patch and began to butcher them, taking the eyes out before hand to enjoy. I had never lost my love for them, so juicy. It made me drool as I thought of all the eyes I could eat now.

Fort Tridant Commander

When we had reached the young group of warriors, I was stunned to see the child the silver haired creature held. Her face was broken, I had caught a bit of what had happened. The child had tackled him and he had back handed her so hard she flew to the side a good five feet.

I swallowed as I heard him roaring, asking why she stopped him from killing more. Did he not know limits? He and his people had slaughtered at least five hundred enemies alone. I could see there damage toll, I felt it odd how the injured with missing limbs were bandaging the limbs back to their bodies, and keeping them firmly in place. At least sixteen of these twenty nine soldiers would never be able to fight again.

I tried getting his attention, and froze when he looked at me. His killing intent was enormous; then a wounded member of his party came forward with a message. I read it slowly...twice.

Fredrick, these are your reinforcements.

They are members of the Prideling race that serve us through contract. Show the silver haired monster, Rage, the below letter that states he is to follow your orders without fail as if they were mine.

These will ensure you hold that border. Use the Berserkers well.

I read it a third time. Berserkers? Oh shit...I had heard stories of the creatures used in the war against the Demons. There shock troops, there death dealers that felt no fear of pain.

Shaking a bit, I went to the silver haired one, Rage, while he was *gulp* eating the dead, many of his kind following his example. I knew enough to know they were carnivorous in the truest sense. All meat was food.

"*cough* Rage.." he looked up at me right as he gnashed an eye between his bared fangs, the juices spraying out and hitting the child in the face causing it to moan lightly in pain. "This is for you." I handed him the letter, he snatched it from my hand and growled at the unconscious child as it groaned from the jostling. His eyes read it quickly, and he tore it to pieces before looking at me with hate.

"Master has said I serve you for now." I nodded, and he grunted lightly before taking a large piece of thigh meat and biting into it, ripping it apart with his teeth.

"The child...What are you going to do with the young tiger?" I asked as calmly as I could. I knew that the Berserker was in himself weaker than me personally. But I felt fear at the unknown power he had used on the battlefield.

"She's mine." he said simply, taking another mouthful. I went to say more when I felt two others slide up behind me. One held a shield, the other two maxes and were both huge masses of muscle. They glared at me, and I got the message. She was a spoil of war, and I had a horrible feeling as to her fate.

I sent my men to gather our dead before the Pridelings could take one to eat, shivering as I reached the gate and looked back. What manner of monsters had they been given?

Rage

When I had finished eating, I went to one of the only underlings aside from one of the eight who had water essence, and threw the child at her with no regard to her well being. "Pet, heal" I said she caught the child, and bowed before working on her face, no doubt looking for other injuries.

It took three hours for every one who had a severed limb to no longer need to hold them in place. They would be useless for a time though. sixteen of them unable to battle. I growled at there weakness, but cheered slightly as I realized it meant more for me to kill. We made our way into Tridant, the gates slowly closing behind us. The child had her face healed, and was once again thrown over my shoulder. Tomorrow would be a fun day, I would ensure this child lived in hell, while I did as I needed to ensure this fort never fell, and the needed improvements were made, as my letter had told me to do. I did not like having another Master, but I would manage it, like the rest.

Yes, tomorrow would be a good day.

Here you go folks! Also, woot woot this my story has almost reach sixty followers, and twenty favorites. I love you all for joining the fun!

If I manage to reach 100 followers I will give out a special treat chapter as well, just saying. ;)

On another note, I hope you enjoy the chapter, I didn't go into too terrible detail from Rages perspective on the fight because honestly, he wouldn't remember much of it; the commander I couldn't because no matter how keen his eyes sight it would be impossible to pick out every detail sadly. So I am sorry for that! I'll ,make it up to you all sometime.

Also, happy fourth of July once more. I will try to pop another chapter out since it's oddly silent at work.