KING OF BEASTS (Hiatus)

What a beast of a creature.

They towered over any other, as though they had been created from a dragon and a bull going to pound town. Yet there was a beauty within their appearance. The bronze-grey scales that littered their bodies, like the scale mail of the various Bitan, they seemed indestructible. Their giant horns that sprout up and around, pointing forward, were weapons in their own right. Their face was quite lizard like, slightly coned, yet with jaws that could crush through rocks.

The others weren’t quite so impressive, they were smaller and didn’t quite hold the same presence, many were only about a hand’s width taller than the Bitan.

‘God damn,’ Ares thought as his eyes flickered between the armies. The Reptai were some kind of bestial race, similar to that of the Bitan. They certainly looked more like the animals rather than humans with splashes of animal on them like the other beastfolk he knew.

The two armies were seas of creatures ready to fight one another. Stah’O had taken the lead as he stood a few metres ahead of his own soldiers. The enemy horned Reptai sat upon their steed, the only one to have a steed. The creature was a large round lizard being that didn’t interest Ares in the slightest, the horned Reptai was the one that he paid most attention to.

“So you have come, Reptai,” Stah’O said. “I had expected you to run back to the sands you squirmed from.”

“Little fish man, you have come to meet me. Have you no respect? We had come to aid you, and you have spat on us!”

The army of the Reptai began to hiss and roar, slamming their weapons to the ground.

The Bitan returned with their own dance and song, and Ares waited to watch. He looked down to Ezak, who was waiting. He was shaking slightly and was squeezing onto his spear.

“Relax,” Ares said.

Ezak’s head snapped up to look at Ares. He inhaled deeply and then sighed.

Ares looked to San’O and Sta’O, who were nearby him. They had taken two grounds of about a hundred soldiers near the river, the Reptai also having moved to the river, though were a few hundred metres away.

Then finally the two sides began to move. The skirmishers on each side stepped up and began to harass one another. Ares watched intently, keeping his eyes on the Reptai leader but kept his awareness out in case he could hear whatever it was he heard previously.

Then the armies properly clashed, loosing missiles before they finally slammed into one another. They were so small, just tiny specks of dust. Some of them dropped down, ash to ash.

The Reptai ahead of the river began to march forward. Ares could see the water began to darken slightly, the shadows within the water creeping closer.

“Careful now,” Ares said. “Something in the water, keep your wits about you.”

Sta’O looked down and then he dropped into the water, looking back towards Ares with a nod. He inhaled deeply and then he began to move his hands along slowly, arcing his arms around. It was like a wave was flowing through his body and then the water underneath began to shift around, beginning to spike up. Then San’O stepped into the water as well and then followed with the same movements as the water began to swirl and then the water span forwards, following the path of the river as multiple Reptai were tossed out of the river.

The Reptai that were marching ahead did not stop, they didn’t slow. In fact they sped up and the earth beneath them began to shake and shudder. Ares smiled as he looked down towards Ezak.

Ezak was breathing heavily, his hand gripping his bident tighter.

“Relax,” Ares said. “If you get too tight, you’ll die.” Ares spoke as though he was an expert in such matters, though he wasn’t entirely sure that was the case. It was slightly true for punching, so why not?

Ezak did as he was told once again, nodding to Ares.

The Bitan then finally stepped forward. They then stepped into the river and caressed some of the water. They stood tall, as tall as they could anyhow, and then their hands opened up with their palms facing towards the sky. Then they cut, as though their hands were blades, and the water disappeared.

Reptai roared in pain as some were struck by the water, which were now like bullets. Ares was surprised, though he could see those that were shooting the water in such a way were those that were older.

The Reptai continued to come forward, though many of them fell to the water bullets. Ares looked down towards the river and then raised a finger, watching a small orb of water pull itself away like caramel dripping. Then he dropped it back into the water, looking back to the fight.

‘Hmmm.’

As the Reptai drew closer, revealing that there were many more smaller Repain behind them, so their force seemingly doubled in size, both Sta’O and San’O stepped forward. Once more their bodies moved as though following the whims of a stream, and then the water fell still.

The next moment the water exploded, as though a bomb was dropped within the river. The water struck the wall of Reptai, sweeping them away. A few had transformed and darted through the water as their allies were swept away, and with that the enemy had come to the front lines of the Bitan.

The Reptai were vicious. Such savagery even surprised Ares, who had completely forgotten to speak with the leader in order to bring him down into his cause.

These creature were no longer recognisable as good, noble folk with the ability to speak. They tore into the Bitan with claws and teeth, though the Bitan were quite vicious as well. Their bidents pierced into the hides of such beasts, though some of them dropped under the assault of the Reptai, who had grown larger with each passing second. Then a few of them began to throw up, acid flying onto the Bitan who screamed and wailed in pain, though they stepped forward to attack.

Some Bitan fell into the river dead, swept away by the current. Ares did not move however, he had come merely to observe.

“Are you ready to kill, boy?” Ares asked Ezak.

“Yes,” he said with far too much excitement.