Everyone groaned and grumbled as they settled around the unlit campfire, broad daylight above, everyone was already sore, everyone but Drun who sat alone. Even his own blood, Gerick and Tejil sat aside from him.

Three of them though were forced to stand, Erika, Gray and Lizbeth struggled to stay on their feet as Kei glanced over them alongside with the other three trainers, their trainees standing behind them with Seiki holding the flag.

“How do you think you did?” Kei asked.

“Well?” Gray managed albeit a wince, his left eye bulging and bottom lip was purple at this point.

“We did what…we could. With what information we had.” Lizbeth added, unable to meet Kei’s eyes.

Eyes which then landed on Erika, briefly going over her newly grown tail with narrowed eyes, they met her fargone gaze. “How about you?” Kei asked, but Erika’s mind was far off at that moment.

Needing a nudge from Gray, Kei asked once more, “How well do you believe your side did?”

“Oh…Horrible, absolutely terrible.” Erika responded frankly, as every one of the recruits stared blankly at her, Gray and Lizbeth included. “What? We had every option to ask Miss Kei to further explain the rules, but we didn’t thinking we already knew. Know there was a Traitor, we could have been far more careful. Also,” she turned to Lizbeth then, “You’re a good leader, don’t get me wrong, but you don’t understand the intricacies of strategy.”

Lizbeth went a bit pale at her words.

Causing Kei to break out chuckling, gaining herself a groan from one of the elders. “And why are you being so harsh now then?”

Confused, Erika stared at Kei. “I’m an outsider, I let myself stay as such because I knew none of them would listen to me fully enough to formulate a strategy without wasting loads of time…To be completely honest? It feels like most of them thought I was useless.”

Many gazes drooped to that statement.

Calming down, Kei turned to everyone else then, gesturing for the three to sit down. “Now you all understand this exercise, more so than bringing out your latent talents…some more literally than others…” She watched as Erika sat down, right next to Drun to the rest of the Snowtail’s surprise, and albeit faltering at first, both Gray and Lizbeth did the same.

“It was to force you to theorize on action before the actual action, as well as real time decision making amidst it. You’ll be doing plenty of that.” Kei sighed as she studied their sorry states, grimacing as she slammed her fist into a nearby post. “Wake up.” She growled.

“You signed up for this, you’re soldiers, not just any common citizen. Once you leave here, you’ll either go to common arms as a foot soldier, rarely you’ll join the Beta Spear’s Recruit program, once there…You won’t have the luxury of making mistakes!” Kei bellowed, “So while you are here, make those mistakes…” releasing her fist from the crushed wood letting splinters rain down to her feet, her cold dark gaze softened, “And learn from them. Because out there, mistakes won’t give you the time to learn…Out there, mistakes bring nothing less than death, whether it be your own or your comrades’.”

With lowered gazes, each nodded in acknowledgement.

“Every single one of you has yet to prove themselves,” her eyes then settling on Erika, “Some more than others.”

Even to her, I’m an outsider.

Erika thought, meeting her gaze unlike the rest.

“Take ten, we’ll continue another regiment once you’ve rested, I will be convening with the other trainers. Do not disturb us.” Kei warned, turning then to walk off with the others, including the trainees as they followed.

“You heard her, we should get something to eat and restore ourselves for the remaining torture of today.” Gerick mused a few silent moments after they left, breaking the ice he stood up as did most others. Gale, Celest, Lune, Gula and Lizbeth agreed and followed, heading towards the pantry.

But before leaving, Lizbeth paused before Erika, glancing at her she muttered, “I’m not falling behind you.” Then continuing on.

“Pfft, well haven’t you caught the shaman’s attention.” Gray chuckled.

“I…don’t even know what that is.” Erika said with confusion, still stuck on her tail that she just apparently grew, she groaned as her head just hurt.

“Ahh right, right. You’re a princess from another world! How much of that rumour is true by the by?” Gray then asked.

“Straight to the point huh?” Erika mused, “I guess I’ve got no reason to keep it secret, but it’s a long story.”

“Longer than ten minutes?” Gray said with a smirk, raising his right foot up onto his seat as he leaned back.

Erika shook her head with a slight smile, “Ten minutes should do, but I’ll do you a better deal, I’ll tell you my story, my world if you tell me yours.”

“Hah! An exchange of information? You’re an odd one alright.” Gray laughed.

“You’re the one talking,” Dust added with a chuckle as he sat across them spreading a strange liquid over his wounds that Tejil was passing around.

Simply grinning back, Gray returned to Erika, “So, what do you wanna know?”

“I guess we can start with why does it look like Foxy has it out for me?” Erika mused, looking after the others.

“That’s an easy one even I can answer.” Drun sighed, “She’s from the Darkmane bloodline, Lycans with a special power no other possess, Shamanism. They’re supposed to be the best, but, she’s the very first of her line to fail the trainee recruitment. Then, she’s publicly outdone by an outsider. Not to mention that absolute K.O take down you gave her this morning.”

“I wouldn’t say she hates you, more so, she sees you as a stepping stone to overcome.” Gray mused, “That’s how she sees life, a staircase.”

“Hmm, I think I get it.” Erika said, “But what’s this Shamanist? What even is Lycanthropy to begin with?”

“Simply put, we’re all cursed by our blood,” Gray began to explain, “Once, our ancestors were Human, but some wicked God decided to create an apocalypse over this world. We were that apocalypse, well, the first Lycans were. They though, unlike us of today, were beasts through and through. The lords of this earth, fought hard to defeat our ancestors, those lords were Human. But even the Humans of then knew, to defeat a monster you must become one so…One faithful day, a monster was born.”

“The first Vampire, born from the joining of Human and Demon blood.” Tejil mumbled out, shivering right after at the thought.

“Count Drac Von Astrophel, a name that has been passed on alongside the legends for centuries.” Gray continued, “Said to be immortal, he was slain by his own son in the same way he was created, using a human and a demon, his son who then used his powerful magic to escape the legions that Drac left behind and went into another realm. Nobody knows where he went, just that he left a gap in power.”

“Having mostly fought off the first Lycans, the remaining Vampire legions albeit Drac’s wishes to have us extinguished entirely, instead enslaved us. Using us like very volatile pets. One then had the bright idea, to breed a pure Lycan with a human woman. That’s were our line began, I guess you could more specifically call us Demilycans.”

“Humans who possess the keen senses of beasts, and can transform into the beast we come from, but not fully. Except, the Shamans.” Gray finished. “The Sha-” He was about to continue until a basket full of food was placed down on the bench nearby.

It was Lizbeth, “It’s more than just that, we Shamans feel and see things others cannot. With a focused glance,” She looked at Erika, “If the ancestors allow, we can see the true nature of things.”

Gray’s eyes narrowed at her words, briefly muttering something inaudible to himself, “You saw something…” He returned to Erika, “As for the vamps, well three hundred years ago we revolted and won, escaping into the great forest we lay within now, and our vaster kingdom that grows past it. While the Vampires settle beyond the fields of green east with their human slaves, we Lycans grow to the west, as in between open warefare has been going on since.”

“Wait so...we’re right dead set in the middle of a battlefield?” Erika then asked with widened eyes.

“Not…exactly,” Tejil interjected, “The Great Forest is extremely vast, traversing from here to the actual battlefield to the east would take weeks, and even longer to reach the first village outside the forest west.”

“Weeks…” Erika didn’t fully understand the stretch of time they were speaking of, having lived a mostly sheltered life, something so vast escaped her comprehension. “Hah, so you’re fighting to survive, for your own freedom.”

“And you?” Lizbeth then asked as everyone there reached for some of the food she brought. “What do you fight for? To go home?”

“My father was a revolutionary too.” Erika added, “He fought to free his people, to unite his world. I’m sure he’s looking for me right as we speak-”

“Cut the crap, it’s always your father this, your father that, with you.” Lizbeth then snapped, tearing a bite off some bread.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Erika then said, glaring up at her.

“Why are you here? You’re not fighting for us, only for yourself, you joined the fighting just for your own self-interests yet…Why you…” Lizbeth grumbled, her gaze seemingly peering right through Erika.

Erika was about to stand up but before she did Lizbeth turned away and stormed off, stuffing a whole loaf of bread into her mouth and tearing into it. “I don’t understand you.”

“Phew, she really doesn’t like you.” Drun mused.

“I wonder…” Gray pondered.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I understand her less…” Erika sighed.

“Liz is usually a good person…” Tejil mumbled out, “Unlike…” her gaze then went over to Lune and the rest who set up at another campsite, where Lizbeth headed.

“I guess?” Erika added with some disbelief.

With a soft smile Tejil then gestured to the basket of food, “I don’t know what’s up with her recently but, yeah, if any of us are going to make it to the Alpha’s Den then she’s it.”

“Ahhh! Another term I don’t know!” Erika sunk forth, grasping her head with both hands.

“Hey, you first, we had a deal remember?” Gray added with a cheeky grin.

“Fine fine,” Erika sighed, moving on into the long tale of the Dragon King.

She told them of the misunderstood drake slain by the heroes of man and their neighbours, of his meeting with the God Grim, his reincarnations and exploits.

“Alone he stood, faced with the three largest armies known to our world. Sick and fading to the power of our bloodline, my father knew he was passing into the dark side of what we are.” Erika explained, “There, he turned it all around. Single-handedly buying time, before losing himself to the power, his comrades then summoned up a spell to help him retain it with a semblance of control. Now faced with a Lord of Hell and the malevolent Hell itself pouring into our world…He won, closing the hell rift. There he used up all his power to revive my previously deceased mother, planning to die there and then allowing her to continue what he had achieved. Instead he survived.”

“Then, his allies came, surrounding the enemy forces and before him they all kneeled. From that victory, our kingdom of Draconia was born, and flourished with my parents leading it forward.” She finished her telling.

“Damn, your pops sounds like a bad ass.” Dust mused.

“Yeah, wish I could make this world my bitch like he did.” Gray chuckled.

“Hey…it wasn’t like that.” Erika grumbled, “My father is more than just powerful, he is a great and very wise man.”

“Wow, yeah he sounds like i-” Tejil was cut off as Lune approached them.

“What you two doing? Come on, we gotta discuss next week.” Lune said, glancing between Tejil and Dust.

“Wait this will be happening every week?” Erika asked.

“Yeah pretty much.” Gray confirmed.

Lune though completely ignored them, “You shouldn’t be wasting your time with…them, anyway.” She snidely said.

“I’m fine where I am.” Dust replied, continuing to munch on his jerky.

“But-” Lune was about to continue.

But Dust snapped back, “I sit where I damn well please.”

Lightly growling at him, Lune turned to glare at Tejil who shrunk beneath her. “I’ll come…” She said meekly before rising up.

“You don’t need to listen to what she says just cause she says so.” Gray mused with a smirk, causing Lune to glare back at him with hate.

“It’s okay really, come on Lune…” Tejil tapped her shoulder, as both then walked away.

“Bitch,” Gray rolled his eyes, “Where were we?”

“The divisions.” Dust grumbled.

“Right, well to know what the Beta Spear and the Alpha’s Den are, ya gotta understand our military structure.” Gray began to explain, “Each part of our civilization, be it a village or town like ours, even the cities, all have their own version of recruiting for the army. Depending on the population there, the army requires a certain amount of recruits each solar cycle. As for the training itself, two groups are chosen from those who sign up. The trainees, meant for leadership positions or elite guard for the Alpha’s Den, and us recruits meant to be common foot soldiers or rarely to join the Beta Spear, even rarer the Alpha’s Den.”

“So the army doesn’t ask for a specific recruitment procedure?” Erika then asked.

“Nope, the elders decide that, but the army can request more leeway if they need larger numbers.” Drun added.

“Ah, so what are the Alpha’s Den and Beta Spear then?” Erika returned to Gray.

“The Alpha’s Den is our great leader’s core military regiment, lead directly by him on the frontlines. The Beta Spear on the other hand, is divided into three divisions, represented by the three ends of a spearpoint. The Left regiment, defend and patrol our kingdom. The Right regiment, craft, create and study new ways to wage war. The Front regiment, lurk the shadows beyond the frontlines.”

“Great leader huh? How’s the Alpha like?” Erika asked with a raised brow.

“He’s a monster.” Dust said with a melancholic chuckle, “Cause, it takes a monster to beat another.”

-

-

The Frontlines

As Dawn rose upon the forest, a large man stood in the shadow of a tree, wielding a cruel and massive blade of jagged metal fangs, donning wide black platemail lined with crimson streaks and skeletal designs of grey.

His sleek silver hair lay flowing back as his crimson red eyes shook, staring forward.

An Aura of power radiated from this man, as before him stood a thin, almost sickly looking man wearing rugged clothes.

The warrior’s whole body shook, as the sickly man held him by the throat, albeit the warrior stood a whole head taller than the sickly man, he was held bent forth and choking.

“I will never tell you…a single…thi-” The warrior said with a shaky voice.

“You higher up humans never do, ever dependant on your masters and ever loyal.” The sickly man said, “I’m sure you’ll even take pride in being killed by the one and only me.” He chuckled.

“Zarkon you bastar-” The warrior tried to say as he swung his blade into the other.

Only to find his sword arm suddenly ripped off its shoulder entirely, Zarkon’s clawed hand having swiped up so fast it was as if it had simply appeared as it is. The warrior almost breaking out into a squeal of agony, yet he held on, he pushed the pain down.

“Endlessly you assault our forest, knowing full well you come to die…Well, you may not but your masters definitely do…” Zarkon sighed, “Ah well, if you will not speak the one beneath you will, if they do not then the one beneath them. Informants tend to live longer lives you know?”

“Not…a single…word!” The warrior exclaimed through gasping breaths.

“Before I kill you, I just want you to know…You know technically you just spoke, more than a sentence worth so I’d ask what’s the point of making those your last words? Which yes, count as words too so…” Zarkon began saying, “I mean, how about ‘I’ll never give in to your torture!’ or ‘You will never break me!’ Or or! ‘I’ll take what I know to the grave!’ Although I doubt anyone will be burying you…Most likely you’ll be left here to rot, just another body on the butcher’s grounds left to be devoured very slowly by the scavengers of the forest. Birds will eat your eyes, rats your fingers and ears, while bugs take apart your insides, then the wolves will munch on your bones.” He said cheerfully.

Before his gaze then turned cold, his ferocious eyes settling to stare deep into this human commander’s gaze.

“There will be nothing left of you, no legacy, no memory, everyone you knew will eventually be sent here to die. Your name lost, your body consumed, not even the shit you’ll in due course let out after I end you. That is what it means to be a soldier for your masters, to acknowledge all this, and still fight. Tell me, do you accept all this?” Zarkon mused with a low growl.

The warrior met his eyes with his own ferocity, “I…Accept.”

Zarkon smiled, a warm understanding smile. “I see, yes of course you would.” Shaking his head as he once again sighed, “Why wouldn’t you? It’s all you’ve ever known, you poor blissful thinking cattle!” His voice then filling with rage as with a swift swipe away of his clutched hand tore out the man’s throat.

Watching as the warrior fell to the floor choking on his own blood, Zarkon pushed away his anger. “It is a shame, that while amongst your kind lay the most interesting of individuals, but most of you are simply fools living whatever lie is most convenient.”

Kicking the body over, Zarkon kneeled down before it, “That is why, I’m going to save all you idiots. By my blood, and the blood oath we owe you, for saving us so long ago. I will save you from both our demons.” He said, passing his palm over the man’s face then, closing his eyes.

A moment of solemn silence followed, after which Zarkon covered up his nose.

"How long have you been holding that log in? Good bloody moon..."