Her Blood On Your Hands: Part 5


 * This story is from Old Age Canon. Some of the lore may have changed.

Previous: Her Blood On Your Hands: Part 4 The document Nuly had received was written on a fairly large parchment, it's surface smooth and it's textual content written in black ink. Each line detailed the history of Luka Valias, Nuly's new Shigu identity. The walls of text presented on the document were not to be discussed, but learned and committed to memory like it was Nuly's own history. General Suklin wasn't specific about the date, but she stated the day for her to be dispatched was near. Even later conversations with Aduli seemed to have an air of finality with them.

"I usually take the time to teach my so-called students about the ways of Clan Shigu," she said, the walls of her room seemingly alive as the flames in the lanterns flickered. "Get them to radiate that kind of etiquette about them.  And I'm very glad to say you have reached that level." Her words strengthened Nuly's self-esteem, but she wondered where this discussion was leading to. "This means the time for your leave is very near, and many times it's unannounced.  They may wake you in the night or the early morning, and a group of soldiers will lead you to where you are to be placed.  Doesn't give much room for goodbyes." The look in Aduli's eyes hinted at some emotion, and Nuly knew what she felt.

Aduli had asked her to treat her like a northern sister, and Nuly had done so. Aduli had punctuated the formation of a bond between others, and indeed she and Nuly had created one. It was one of both business and friendship, and for such they could dispense an amount of trust towards each other.

"You are quite the example, Sao," Aduli said as she walked towards her. "You have the workings of a great soldier." She laid her hands upon Nuly's shoulders. "You have heart, strength, and determination." Nuly then remembered what General Suklin had told her, always keeping that strength she had in her heart. "When the day comes, and I find that you have left on your assignment, I know you will have all you need to survive." Nuly regarded Aduli with a proud expression, a feeling of great honor coming over her. "I have the utmost confidence that you will make your clan proud.  And when you come home, if you need a friend, and if you can find me," she smirked, "I'll be waiting." Aduli then leaned in to place the top of her muzzle onto Nuly's as they embraced one another.

"Thank you, Aduli," she said with a happy expression. "I will see you again after I have left.  I aim to survive whatever comes my way."

"There's that determination, again.  The duty of an assassin is perilous, and you must expect anything," her eyes narrowed, deep blues observing her, "especially in the presence of Shigu."

"I will.  Your lessons will secure my life." Aduli grunted a small laugh.

"I hope they will, but even when you're out there, either in battle or at rest among the soldiers, you will have to learn lessons I cannot teach you here.  Even so, I want you to remember your oath to your clan, remember the responsibility you have been given and the duty you are to uphold.  Never forget."

Nuly nodded. "Yes, ma'am," she said jokingly, and Aduli's ears twitch while her tail performed a quick lash when she heard that word before she gave a smile.

"But," Aduli began as she walked over to her bed to seat, Nuly settling herself beside her not a moment later, "I still have more lessons to discuss with you.  Lessons that will need your full attention." The serious tone removed the relaxed air that Nuly had felt until now. "Like I've told you before, teaching assassins is not something I do often.  But when I do, it's a very private matter.  I'm even more monitored than I usually am, your superiors making sure I don't funnel any information to Clan Shigu, even though I've stated I have no alliance with them anymore." She retrieved a cup from atop of the table beside her bed, lapping with her tongue at the warm tea inside after she handed Nuly her own.

"But this time, when they briefed me about my new student, they said they want me to teach you everything I know.  Everything, and everything I know about the Shigu commanders." She was watching the lantern again while one of her claws dug a hole in her sheets. "It doesn't take much to know what you have been tasked with." Her eyes returned to Nuly, her expression projecting some certainty in her mind. "Your oath of secrecy bars you from telling anyone, well, except your superiors, about your mission.  But you probably already know you've been tasked with one of the greatest responsibilities a soldier, even one as young as you, could be burdened with.  So let's start with the most important figure you will learn about." Nuly readied herself, wiping away all preexisting thoughts in her head to now listen to her instructor.

"You must of heard of quite a few things about General Rain Silves.  Most are probably just rumors, very little of it fact.  I've once heard that someone shot an arrow at her, but she caught it and threw it back at her would-be killer, killing him instead.  I have to question if it's even true, but it surely sounds like something she would try.  Even so, what I say now is true, so whatever you've been told about her previously, put that out of your mind, and hear what I've experienced first hand." She took a deep breath before beginning again, eyes watching the wall across the room.

"She is, without any doubt, a cruel beast.  She fights unmercifully, tortures when she so desires, and does whatever she sees fit.  But that's not to say she doesn't have a heart.  She will protect those that are allied to her, but if she smells even a hint of disloyalty, she'll rip your entrails out of your stomach in front of everyone.

"She's also a bit of a dunce considering matters that don't pertain to fighting or warfare.  But don't call her stupid, she'll kill you on the spot for that too.  She's a fighter, through and through.  And if she says she'll do something, she'll do it.  She's just that strong willed.

"On a similar note, you will see a talyxian by the name of Zyn Crotzwell by her side at times.  You will have to give him the same amount of respect you show Rain as he was apparently her mentor when she was a child, and most likely has a hand in much of the clan's inner workings." That answered Nuly's internal question of what place would a talyxian have in a sergal clan, but she had to question why this was a similar note to what they were discussing earlier. Nuly had found that Aduli was an erratic talker at times, moving from one subject to the next in the same breath. Even so, it kept her attention.

"Oh and on another similar note, don't talk or give questions about Rain's past.  She's not one to talk about it.  What she's told is that her mother tried to kill her because of her golden eyes.  Her neck scars hint at such a tale.  All you need to know is that she is your general and your loyalty is to be given only to her.

"Like I've said before, whenever you see her, salute her.  And whenever you speak to her, talk to her in a subdued tone, like you fear her, but not too fearful.  She talks almost always in a proud tone.  To get close to her, which your superiors most likely desire for you to do, is a tricky act.

"She doesn't take well to zealous supporters.  Instead she's more likely to surround herself with people that benefit her in some way.  She's one to surround herself with her lieutenants and squad leaders and captains, who relay everything to her.  Whatever she says, it is done.

"She also enjoys good company.  I only got close enough to her because of my background.  She admired members of Clan Aciouli and many of our members became notable Shigu warriors.  She also enjoys people who give good conversations, tell jokes, stories, anything really that interests her."

"Well," Nuly jumped in, "what are her main interests?"

"War, violence, sex, stories of murder and bloodshed, jokes that hold to the same subject.  Do you want to hear one?"

"If it will help."

"What is the correct way to shave off an enemy's face with a blade?" Nuly answered with a shrug. "Well, there is no correct way.  Just make sure they're alive so you can hear them scream as you do it." There was no laugh from either of the two females, just half-held smirks. "Not my kind of sense of humor," Aduli relented, "but you sure as hell better laugh at any jokes she makes.  Understood?"

Aduli went on to tell more about Silves and her relationships with the other commanders that worked under her, detailing a rough mental visual about the chain of command. Anything and everything, either in or out, went through the General.

"And, during some nights or some mornings," Aduli said at one point, who had sprawled her unclothed body across her bed, "you might hear screaming in her tent.  Can you guess why?"

"Bad dreams?"

"No, not usually.  Usually it's the screams of a male that Rain has made captive, and is now having her way with him." Aduli let that sink in, waiting for Nuly to respond.

"She forces males to have sex with her?" Nuly asked confusingly.

"Exactly.  She usually picks ones that are very young, virgins."

"Is that why you asked me if I was a virgin?"

"No, I was just curious.  Rain is more likely to go for males more than females.  But don't put it past her to find a female.  You would be quite the lucky spy if she started eyeing you," Aduli stated with a devious growl as she caressed the fur on Nuly's stomach.

"And if I refuse, since I am careful with my pick?"

"Then she'd make you." Aduli grabbed Nuly by the wrist, making her jump with a start. "And she's a rough one too," she said as she lifted up and pushed Nuly down so the top half of her body was pinned to the mattress. "Many males she has sex with don't get out with fewer than twenty scratches." Nuly tried to get up, but Aduli wouldn't allow her to.

"Alright, Aduli!  Stop!" she yelped with a laugh. Aduli wouldn't move as she sat on top of her, inching her mouth closer and closer with each passing second.

"She's even killed three or four before." Aduli snapped her jaws with a clamp at her face before she licked the tip of Nuly's muzzle. She giggled while she moved off of her, and Nuly then wondered if her preformed assumptions about Silves were as haunting as what she knew now.

=
===========================================================

At the end of a few more weeks of sparring and educational conversations, Aduli would be proven right. No goodbyes would be said, at least not face to face. Nuly said a quick whisper of farewell as she left the keep before the sun rose, fear at the unknown a clear sensation in her head. Her journey would start with the departure of Camp Hilitolo and move on to a four week journey into the desert. Such a trip called back memories of when Nuly and her family traveled with a caravan through the many rekusus of hot sand and sun-scorched rocks. And when such memories were evoked, a blanket of sadness feel over her. Once again she was leaving home to an unknown and unseen destination, but this time she was without family, without friends, without true allies. Nuly found that she couldn't stop shaking.

The temperature was falling, vegetation growing with each rekusu which meant another three weeks into the new life of the northern forests. First it was just shrubbery, then the occasional small fern, and after that, larger and larger timbers increasing in height, variety, and size as the grass grew under her treading feet. All the way, Nuly was escorted by a captain named Vot. She also caught that one of the other sergal's name was Yon, apparently Vot's lieutenant, while the last one remained anonymous.

They traveled relatively undetected, all four of their faces obscured by their brown cloaks. They would past through small towns and villages, the Reono army having a clear presence in each while many civilian mobs moved at the opposite direction, pressing themselves away from the war. Off in the distance, Nuly would catch the shapes of towers and fortresses, their walls imposing figures against the incoming Shigu threat. Once, a curious sight caught Nuly's eye. Down in a valley, through a number of trees, she could see the movement of hundreds upon hundreds of troops marching in the same direction they were heading. The size of the army was truly a sight to behold, Nuly thought. The sound of their advancing stride and the clacking of their armor was a tremendous noise in her ears. "Your destination is near," Vot stated before they headed back into the thickness of the forest.

They avoided the advancing army as they ran through the woods, Nuly's destination closing in after every rekusu before Vot slowed to a stop. "This is where we drop you off," Vot said as Nuly scanned the nearby area: just another highly forested section, civilization many rekusus away. "How are those restraints?" he asked and Nuly held up her wrists for him to see. The tight ropes were working their way past her fur and into the skin, making it blister, bruise, and bleed. She was required to put them on both of her wrists and ankles about a week ago, giving the illusion that she was genuinely held captive. "Looks real, that's good," he commented, "but we have to make it look even realer." His eyes locked with Nuly's and a serious type of air came over the place. "It's going to hurt, but don't fight back."

Nuly's confusion then turned to terror as Yon grasped her arms behind her back and wrapped another rope around her wrists. Her protests were silenced as a leather strap was brought around her muzzle. Vot then slammed his fist into the side of her head, a hit that made her kneel to the ground. The unnamed sergal then kicked her, almost in the same spot Vot had struck her. Nuly was on the ground now, the cool grass touching her face as more and more strikes and blows preceded to pummel her into submission. She could also feel the stinging sensation of a striking rod, something used by mothers to beat unruly cubs. Then came cold blades and claws digging into her flesh, but only muffled screams escaped her throat inside her tightly closed mouth.

"No broken bones," she heard Vot say, "Only shallow cuts.  Nothing that will cripple or kill her." The beating seemed to go on forever, Nuly's vision becoming hazy from the pain, her mind turning cloudier with each second. But they soon stopped, her restraints removed, including the fake ones and the one around her jaws.

She was lifted up by Yon and the unnamed one, herself present in full view of Vot. Her clothes were removed, cloth ripped from her struggling limbs. "Listen, Sao!" Vot yelled at her as he lifted her head up, "Listen!" Nuly could felt blood leaking from every cut, especially the stream of red flowing from her maw. "You will be heading north, right into the direction of the oncoming Shigu army." He pointed in the direction she would be going. "It should be about a day's run.  Make sure you present yourself as wounded and desperate.  It will lessen the chance that they will kill you on sight.  And avoid anyone you see to be Reono.  You know your alibi, right?" Nuly half wittingly nodded. "Remember," Vot placed his hands on her face. She could feel the other two letting go of her since she could stand on her own, "Clan Reono has entrusted you with this great honor.  It is your duty to see it through.  Go!"

At first, Nuly could barely hold herself up, but as her claws dug into the dirt and picked up speed, she was gone. With her heart pounding, head in a daze, and arms and legs full of pain, she just ran. Low hanging branches swatted at her face, unhidden roots hitting her toes and feet. She went as far as her limbs would take her. A sickening feeling resonated throughout her body, the desire to vomit a clear indication she had pressed herself too far. For the little time she rested, she observed the damage she had gained.

Both of her lips were busted in multiple places, one side of her face was heavily bruised. The same could be said about the rest of her body. The many cuts she had received were beginning to scab over, excluding one or two that were deeper and more serious. Nuly started up again, heading deeper into the north. She wasn't about to bleed to death before her mission had began, she thought.

The sky was turning colors, an overcast of pink and yellow coming over the blue past the trees which meant night would come soon. Nuly would rush as it closed in. She felt cold, unused to the north's cooler temperatures considering the years she had lived in the south's warmer locations. Each step she took echoed with pain, some of her wounds ripping open to blood once more. Aduli came to her mind, and just the thought of her made Nuly want to press on stronger and further.

Night was a long venture, the heavy darkness hindering Nuly wherever she went. Every sound was the noise of a potential threat, a Reono or Shigu soldier ready to finish her off. Then came a large clearing, the sky sparkling with the tears of Vilous. Dawn would be near, but Nuly's eyes had had time to adjust to the dark, the details of the night coming into her view. What she also saw was three figures running towards where she stood. "Get down!" one of the figures screamed before his foot impacted hard against her face. The strike floored her, her body slamming to the ground as another figure restrained her arms. They then dragged her past the clearing and back into the woods. "Who are you?!" the male yelled in her ear after they dropped her to the ground, claws digging into the scruff of her neck. "Who are you?!"

"I'm Luka Valias, junior spearlancer of the Huvio squad!  The Reono captured me!"

"Captured?!" the apparent captain echoed, "When?  How long ago?  Where is the rest of your squad?!"

"I don't know where the rest of my squad is!  It's been months!  I saw a lot of them die, all the way back near the Kukusza Mountains."

"The Kukusza Mountains?  Where is that?"

"South?"

"How south is it?"

"I don't know!  Hundreds of rekusus?  I'm not even sure where I am right now."

"How did you become to be here?"

"I escaped, ran."

"From hundreds of rekusus away?"

"No, I was brought here.  I was to be used as a sacrifice.  They were going to kill me for all Shigu to see they have no mercy towards our kind."

"And how long ago were you captured?"

"Months ago."

"They let you live that long just to be sacrificed here, today?"

"I was captured for information, and when they found I wouldn't tell anything, they made me a slave, made me work as a servant in one of their camps."

"Very interesting tale, soldier," he chuckled, "and who are you again?"

"Luka Valias, junior spearlancer."

"Of which squad?"

"Huvio squad."

"Who was your squad leader?"

"Vurnmon Taliok."

The male grumbled, processing the information Nuly had just given him. "Why didn't they keep you as a slave?"

"They didn't like me chewing off one of their commander's balls," Nuly laughed, a clear smirk coming over her face.

"Let's go," the male said, picking up Nuly off the ground before he was given a leash to tie around her waist. "We'll have the General take a look at you." They walked at a quick pace and Nuly struggled to keep up with them due to her fatigued muscles.

The four then came to another enormous clearing many rekusus away. The entire area was filled with Shigu infantry; spearlancers, squad leaders, communication leaders, commanders, every part of the Shigu military hierarchy coming into plain view. The northern army watched as the four passed by, Nuly feeling every one of their eyes watching her. "That's a fine catch, Valon!" one of the soldiers loudly remarked and a number of others laughed.

Simple tents and blankets populated much of the area, most of them being packed away as the army was ready to move on. A large crowd came into sight, and Valon pressed through them to pay mind to the very tall individual in the center of them all. The sergal was heavily armored, a strange weapon holstered behind her back. Valon and the rest of his posse regarded the figure with the Shigu salute. Nuly couldn't do the same with her bound wrists. "General, we've found this individual wandering the forest.  She says she is Luka Valias and is from the Huvio squad."

Rain's eyes then targeted Nuly, a familiar gaze she saw when she first met Aduli in Suklin's office. Interest mixed in with what could be called hunger in her facial expression. But this gaze was less tamed, more animal-like as she showed her white teeth. When she came forward, the person behind Nuly hit the back of her knees, making her buckle and kneel to the ground before Silves. A large hand wrapped around Nuly's throat, sharp claws burying themselves deep within her flesh. Nuly tried not to resist Rain's grip but it was quickly making her grit her teeth in pain.

Silves screamed in her face, the stench of her breath and specks of spit hitting Nuly's face. "Who are you?" she asked, her vocals less beastly than Nuly had imagined they would be. "Who is your squad leader?"

"I am Luka Valias.  My squad leader is Vurnmon Taliok, my General." She could barely form the words from the constriction of her throat.

"And what is your rank?" Her large pink tongue could be seen lapping out of her month, her breath pushing heat onto Nuly's face. She looked into her golden eyes, noticing the hint of green around the edges of the irises.

"Junior spearlancer."

"Why are you here?"

"They were going to kill me, the Reono." Nuly swallowed a gulp of air. "They were going to make me a sacrifice before the battle." Rain smiled at her, an amused growl coming from her maw.

"And you escaped?"

"Yes, my General." Rain then looked her over, reviewing the extent of her lacerations and cuts.

"And they just put some slashes on you?"

"I think they just wanted to hurt me a little.  They didn't want to kill me before the show."

"Where were you held captive?"

"I was held captive for months at some camp.  I don't know the name of it." The muscles in her neck were quivering now.

"Why didn't they keep you there?"

"I bite off a commander's balls when he wanted me to service him." Rain seemed to take that into consideration as her grip began to reduce in strength.

"Are you hungry?" Rain asked. Nuly threw a confused look at her, but restrained it as she nodded.

"Yes, my General.  Very much so."

"It's a good thing that it's about breakfast time then.  Gincul!" A soldier came from the crowd and stood front and center for the General. "Get me one of the saved meals, and find a rock as well.  A big one." Without another look, the soldier disappeared into the crowd.

"Now," Rain said when she turned back to Nuly as she applied pressure on her neck again. "Be truthful with me.  I don't like being lied to.  Lying gets people killed." "I would never lie to you, my General.  You are...all my faith is you."

"It's good to hear that, but can I say the same for you?"

"Yes, my General.  You always can trust me." Nuly was losing air quick as she looked at the purest personification of death in her mind in the eyes. But it didn't take long before the soldier was back, leading a southern sergal by the neck with a leash. In her left hand, she held a large stone. Silves relented her grip as she received both, but the captive sergal seemed to resist Rain as she gained ownership of the leash.

With a quick kick to the gut, the prisoner fell to the ground, couching for air as Nuly regained her own. Rain then cut Nuly's restraints with a dagger and handed her the stone. "Do us the honor," she stated with a grin, "of making the first meal of the day." Nuly looked down at the stone in her hand then at the male still lying in the dirt, knowing exactly the task she was given.

She didn't hesitate. She lifted up from the ground and towered over the captive, the fear very evident in his eyes. A muffled scream could be heard from his restrained mouth just before Nuly slammed the stone into the side of his face. She smashed it again and again as blood began to splatter on her fur. Nuly's heart pounded against her chest, doing her best to counterfeit her inner blood rage. All she thought about was her tormenters, the ones that threw trash at her mother, spat insults at her father, and had called her names in the streets before they chased after her. Blood soaked her hands and much of her forearms, the captive's head completely obliterated from being recognized. Her chest heaved with her breathes, her heart still jamming away inside her body.

A few soldiers started to move in on her kill, but Rain was quick to cease their movement. "This one gets the first bite," she told them as she presented a dagger before Nuly. Her movements were precise, even though her mind was in a whirl. She took the knife from the General's hand, it's edge straight and sharp. "Pick the first piece of meat," she said before Nuly looked down at the now dead sergal's body.

"The finest cut of meat," Aduli had said to her back at the camp, "would be at the thigh, around the front." The blade easily sheared through the flesh as Nuly removed the layer of fur from a portion of the leg. She cut deeply in the exposed muscle, cutting away a sizeable piece that she selfishly swallowed down. She then saw Rain watching, her smile never leaving her. Nuly cut another piece off, offering it to her while the blood dripped from her fingers.

She shook her head, "No.  Get your fill." Nuly obeyed and ate away at several more cuts of sergal flesh. The General would wipe her hand at the dead sergal's destroyed face and lick away the blood on her fingers. When her stomach was full, she relented the dagger back to Rain, who happily received it. "Are you well enough to fight?"

Nuly nodded. "I'm always well enough to fight the Reono, my General.  Especially after what they were planning for me."

"What happened to you in their care?" she asked curiously.

"They made me work for them.  Made me do labor, and...other duties." Nuly presented a shameful expression on her face, and Rain growled with recollection.

"And that scar, who gave you that scar?" Nuly unconsciously touch the healed wound, suppressing the urge to provide her with the true story behind the mark.

"It was during a battle.  Soldier caught me off guard and took a claw to me.  I cut open his chest for doing it." Rain appeared to be pleased with her response and looked to the growing audience around them.

"Hoonas!" she called out to the crowd again, and a blue furred individual appeared through it to salute the General.

"Check this soldier's wounds.  Patch her up and make sure she's able to fight."

"Yes, my General!" As Rain walked off into the crowd, the apparent medic started working on Nuly, supplying patches and bandages where he saw appropriate. The body of the southerner was taken to be finished by hungry mouths. "So," the medic ventured after applying some kind of gel to her cuts, "what's your story, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, I was a prisoner to Clan Reono.  I've been in captivity for at least a few months.  But now, I hope to take out some of my anger on them if it wouldn't be so much trouble telling whoever it needs to be that I'm able to fight."

"Well, if I'm not mistaken," he said after another quick review, "I believe you're able to fight." It wasn't long before another sergal had appeared and gifted her with a set of armor and a spear. Both were of noticeable design:  the armor pieces were a greenish gray and heavy in weight. Her spear was made of iron, it's spearhead robust and razor sharp. Both seemed to be crafted with great care and craftsmanship, form and function molded into one design.

Nuly was quick to put on the armor as the entire camp appeared to be in full mobilization. The small tents were folded up and wrapped while all the soldiers rolled up their sleeping pallets and started moving into lines. Nuly was grabbed by the arm, so hard she nearly lost her hold on her weapon. The soldier that had taken her appeared to be a superior, her armor's surface less glossy and more worn. The female paraded up to the front of one of the lines, the entire precession eyeing Nuly with empty gazes.

"Communications squad leader Reinado," the female caught the attention of another soldier, "I have been ordered to tell you that you are to receive this Luka, uh," the soldier came to Nuly's ear. "What is your last name again?"

"Valias." Nuly responded bluntly.

"Luka Valias.  She is now to be put in Axaluta squad." The squad leader eyed Nuly in a curious way, looking her over with gray eyes at the medical bandages she now wore. What was even more curious was her manner of attire:  Just a simple dress, no armor of any on her person. Quite brave or quite stupid, Nuly thought.

"I was told she might be added among my squads," the squad leader said. "I was also told she would be put in near the middle." The squad leader then escorted Nuly down another aisle of armored infantry to her rightful place, shoving her in between a female and a male. All Nuly could do was stand at attention and stare at the neck of the soldier in front of her. Soon squad leader Reinado came down the rows, calling out the soldiers' names before they spoke out a quick, "Here!"

Nuly partly expected Reinado to skip her, but with a loud "Luka Valias!" Nuly spat an equally powerful, "Here!" Without even a turn of the head, she was off checking the rest of her roll. The troop behind Nuly leaded in, his breath a warm wind on her right ear compared with the relatively cool temperature.

"Where'd you come from, new child?" he asked with a deviant tone.

"From there," Nuly jutted her spear towards the green wilderness. "I'm going to kill all those Reono inbreds."

"Calm down, sweetness.  No reason to impress the commanders."

"It's not about them," she said with a turn of her head, "It's about the grudge I'm about to settle."

"As long as you keep the blood flowing, I don't care what you're fighting for, sweetness." The male hissed in pain when someone apparently pushed him from behind, which in effect made him a little more quiet.

Past several more rows, Nuly could see the General's head towering over her subordinates as she walked up through the ranks of her army. "When the sun rises," she yelled out when she came to the head of the precession, "we will march forward!" And so they did, the air now filling with the scrapping of their armor and the pounding of their feet as the sun rose over the forest. It was truly an experience to behold as the Shigu army preceded through the trees and vegetation of the wilderness, moving ever closer to their next target, a village near where Nuly was dispatched.

At their pace, it took more than a day's walking to finally see any other sign of sergal life. Not surprising that sign was the defending Reono army, waiting for Nuly and her so-called new found brethren beyond the outskirts of the village. Rows and rows of gray-armored Reonos silently stood in the vicinity of the forest while they waited for them. When they were a good distance from them, Rain lifted up her double-bladed spear and the entire Shigu army shouted with a savage shriek. The sound burned in Nuly's ears, but she ignored it as she screamed in unison with them. The General felt the time was right, and called her troops to rush the opposing army.

Nuly felt as if she was adrift in a massive wave of enraged flesh, blood, bone, and weaponry. From the frantic cries of her new allies, she could also hear the calls of the Reonos, like coarse whispers increasing in volume with every second. The contact with the forces of north and south were met with the sounds of metal on metal and the barking calls, laughs, and howls of both armies. For Nuly, all of it was a rush, her first true battle experience. All the lessons she had taken, all the instructions her teachers had told her, all that Aduli had given her. All that seemed so quiet, so very tamed compared to what she was seeing and hearing now.

It all came down to her instincts. She made sure to stay with Shigu soldiers, focusing on the color of their armor to never lose sight of an ally. She brushed off the thoughts that told her to retreat. Shigus weren't allowed to do such cowardice acts. The only thing she could do was press forward into the increasingly bloody and furious melee that was taking place.

A Reono soldier landed dead on Nuly's left before the soldier ahead of her sliced open another one's torso, drops of blood dotting on her armor and fur. More and more bodies laid at her feet as she kept moving onward, waiting for an inevitable fighter to choose her as an opponent. That moment came as an opening became exposed to her left, and a Reono soldier caught sight of her.

The female's eyes angled angrily at Nuly before she ran forward, sweeping with the tip of her spear from low to high. Nuly easily dodged it, so easily that she felt it was natural. The next move was a small slash at her opponent's exposed left leg. She made sure to cut deep and hard and for it the soldier tripped, enough distraction for Nuly to smack her lower back with her spear. The soldier was nearly on the ground now, and the last blow for her first opponent was a deep strike to the back of the neck. A wave of surprise came over Nuly as the blade of her spear penetrated into the Reono's flesh, how it felt so causal to her, so impersonal. It frightened her partly, but most of her was still engulfed in the haze of her blood rage.

After removing the head of her spear from her kill, Nuly was quick to target anyone else that would challenge her. So many were in the mist of their own bouts, holding their own. "Do not interfere with other's battles," Aduli had advised her, "only come to help if they need it.  Otherwise, leave them to finish what they started." She wouldn't have to wait to help someone in need as another Reono came into her vision.

Nuly checked her surroundings, making sure no other Reono would take it upon themselves to cut her down with her back turned. Then she was off with her spear ready, almost blinded by her false hate. The Reono in her sights hardly had the time to defend himself before she was upon him. A look of fear came over his expression when Nuly yelled out with a savage call as she plunged her spear into the soldier's abdomen. Not a second had past before she unsheathed her spear and clocked it against the male's neck, dealing another killing blow to his throat while he was on the ground.

Her third opponent was more of a challenge, the male's arms seemingly bigger and stronger than a normal southerner's. But it only seemed he had a polished defense, something that Nuly wore down quickly. While her strikes were blocked, her spear nearly thrusting from her hands, she soon found a hole. The Reono blocked, but not quickly enough as Nuly embedded just the tip of her blade into the soldier's chest. She thought she heard his skin rip as she thrust her spear across his chest, red leaking from his wound. He heaved in pain before she put her spear through his neck from under his jaw. Nuly felt somewhat satisfied as a fountain of blood erupted from the soldier's gash, but she was gone again before the life would fade from his eyes.

It was a tiring plight as the fighting lasted onward. Houses and buildings caught fire as Clan Shigu took possession of the streets, the Clan Reono opposition losing it's potency. Places that were once market places and businesses were now splashed in flames and blood, sergal cries echoing through their hollow innards. Ambushes would be set up but to little result as the Shigu smelt victory was close.

Nuly nearly had to abandoned her spear, it's blade stuck firmly in a combatant's skull. The relinquished opponent's head soon give with a few more forceful pulls. The shaft of her spear was slick with the blood of her secret allies, her hands wet and sore from having to brandish her weapon so many times. She had to quiet the urge to throw her spear at oncoming soldiers, the last of their squads now using all their might to cover their retreat. It would be foolish of her to lose her only weapon in her excited state.

As the Shigu watched the last remnants of the opposition leave the village, the soldiers cheered in triumph. The only objective that was left was gathering the bodies and killing the few wanderers. Quite a handful of dead Shigus could be seen on the streets, their blood melding with the overwhelming number of Reonos. A number of fleeting screams could be heard in some of the buildings, all of them ignored as Clan Shigu went about it's business.

Nuly was numb to any mental feeling, her mind drained empty of any emotion through the course of the battle. She could feel nothing while she helped others pick up and carry the bodies of both enemy and ally to a singular location in the heart of the village. Fellow deceased soldiers would be burned while the remains of the enemies would be eaten. The commanders would watch as supplies was taken and recovered, discussing among themselves their own affairs. Nuly saw Rain watching her soldiers, standing still while her advisors milled about and informed her about the cost and reward of this siege.

Southern bodies were filleted, their meat cut into bloodily strips and handed out to all the soldiers. Nuly was content with her pieces, chewing on small bites and relishing the raw flavor. She didn't wonder too far from the fray of resting soldiers, placing her spear on her lap. Others would throw quick glimpses at her, making Nuly feel even more out of place and alone. But one group waved at her, beckoning her presence.

Nuly lifted off the ground and met with the sergal that had waved her over. The one in question was about her age, her fur a very dark blue with a bronze earring through her left ear. "You waiting for a second attack?" she asked her with a smile and Nuly questioned if it was a friendly one.

"No," she confusingly answered.

"Then take off your helmet and sit with us." Nuly then saw that all the soldiers inside that miniature circle had their helmets settled either beside them or in their laps. Even a few had taken off their chest pieces. Nuly cautiously removed her own helmet and placed herself on an empty spot beside the female that had called her over. She stated a hearty thanks, but she wasn't ready to put down her guard, expecting the several troops to jump up and attack her at any moment.

But none would. Instead, they silently stared at her. There were five in all, three females, two males in a variety of color and size. One of the females sported a large naked patch of skin under her right eye, the flesh heavily scared. She saw one or two were missing a few fingers and pieces of their ears. "So," the only talkative one it would seem ventured, "what's your name?  You're the one they found in the forest, right?"

"Yes, that was me.  My name is Luka Valias." The female put forward a hand to shake and Nuly accepted it.

"My name is Unkli Aplun." She began pointing to and naming all the members of their group. The largest female was Akuna and the medium sized male was called Rupland. One of the females was Niyi while the male she had her arm around was Budio. When they were called at they greeted Nuly either with a wave of the hand or a nod of the head. For much of the day, Nuly would relay her false story to them as questions were asked and their own personal backgrounds were dispensed. One of the females would offer her pallet for her to sleep on when they realized she didn't have one, but she politely refused. The hard soil would suffice as Nuly laid her tired mind to rest.