261 The War Of Serpentis I : Solar Cannons

THE PIT

ETHERNALIA LEONIS ARMY CAMP

LADY XASEAH THEOLHEIM COR.

Xaseah stood over the hill, watching the 25 thousand strong Serpent's troops. For snakes, they were quite ordered, and prepared for this battle. Eleven massive solar cannons littered various parts of their formations, and their gleam under the moon lit night, has left a constant pressure in the heart of every vampire around.

The Serpentis were fighting a war on two fronts, but somehow they were resisting and even causing a lot of damage. It was a stalemate, but now that those cannons have come into play, things were bound to get very complicated for the vampires. This war was not going anywhere, the enemies had technology, they had better skilled magicians and skill users, they had numbers and fighters powerful enough to match an elder in combat. It was a stalemate that Xaseah really wanted to break, but still she couldn't help but wonder where her husband could be. She missed him, and his presence would make a huge difference.

Kodak and Gus walked towards Xaseah, dressed in the officer uniforms and accompanied by their subordinates. Xaseah looked at them, hoping for somegood news in regards to the current status of the battle about to begin. This so called war has only been in motion for a little over two weeks, but that was sufficient time for both Kodak and his brother to change.

Gus has always been cold and all of about everything, and only rarely showed his emotions. But this war had forced his emotional self to the forefront, as he has had to be an emotional support to his soldiers, and to the families of those that fall in battle. Kodak on the other hand was the complete opposite.

He has always only ever been everybody's big brother, but now there was rage and bloodthirsty aura to his being. Of all the people in Kael's inner circle, Kodak has seen the most death in this war. And there has been so much, in such a little time, that he was gradually becoming numb to it. But that numbness brought an anger, and a fierce need to defeat every enemy that's trying to stand in their way. He didn't know it yet, but he was gradually loosing himself to his rage, his anger, and no one was yet to notice his pain.

"The railway has made it to the red district. However Malek can't begin the move because immediately, because movement underground would be noticed by the Serpentis, given how perceptive they are." Kodak said to Xaseah as he threw his sharpened gaze at the enemies in front of them.

"So we have to begin our attacks in earnest and make sure we breach the green district's border. We have to draw their attention, and enough of it, so that our reinforcements can get to the red district, and attack them from behind. We could also transport the injured from the red district." Gus said to her with his eyes glinting fiercely.

Xaseah took a deep breath as she considered their options, making such a move was sure to have various repercussions. And the prime would be the casualties, she didn't know how Kael did it, but every time he has been in a conflict, he always managed to escape unscathed, and with the least amount of damage possible. Whilst launching an attack right now was the most probable option, it would be nothing short of suicide, since they didn't have the fire power of the range to counter those cannons, and their heavy hitters Kuyait and Asare were already badly hurt from a previous skirmish.

Regardless of his she looked at it, if she sent any of the vampires down there, then without a doubt she was sending them to their deaths. And even though this was a war, she couldn't handle having that on her conscience, not when victory was not really assured, and all that they would be was cannon fodder to stall the enemy for their other force to flank them. They were like sheep's being led to a slaughter.

*Greeeeee* *Greeeeee*

"Lady Xaseah they've begun marching towards us. What's your decision, you have to make it now, if we're to intercept them before they get to close to our side of the border." Kodak said to her, scrunching his face in annoyance at the sound the Serpentis armor made, when they moved. but annoyed or not,he twirled his Warhammer in anticipation of the battle to come, his rage and bloodlust palpable and evident.

Xaseah looked at the approaching Serpentis army, and felt heavily pressured. Regardless of which choice she made, there would be dire consequences for the vampires. This what it felt like to be stuck between a rock and hard place, and to be honest she really had no idea what to do. This was the first time, she's found herself in such a position, and usually she was the most decisive among the people around her, but now she couldn't even bring herself to make a choice.

"I don't mean to sound like a jerk or a nag, lady Ashe,but they're getting too close for comfort, and our window of opportunity would close soon, leaving us with no other option but to defend." Gus said to her, adding more fuel to the fled of pressure, currently burning in her heart.

She looked left, right and center, hoping to come with a better alternative on the spot, but alas she couldn't. And if she didn't give the order now, they'll be sitting ducks later and even in more trouble. She had no other choice but to lead everyone here to their most probable death, what a stellar leader she made. She hung her head for a few seconds to make peace with her decision, and strengthen her resolve for the order she opened her mouth to deliver next. But suddenly.

[Let them advance, I'll take care of it!]

She was so surprised that she could help but let a squeak of surprise, and moment's later a sigh of relief. As ashamed as she was to think about this, Xaseah was happy he was back. Because that way this huge and terrible decision won't be her responsibility anymore, but his.It was a rather selfish thought, but with the position she was put, she would willingly have such thoughts a million more times, if it keeps her away from such a situation in the future.

She couldn't help letting out a soft smile as she felt his presence. He was close, very close, though she couldn't pinpoint where he was at the moment. He had been gone for almost a month, and it was not to farfetched to say she missed him, though that would have been an understatement, considering every second away from him had felt like torture. But he was back now, and everything just seemed right with the world, even the burning rage and anger she could feel from him was so familiar and magnificent it made her feel comfortable.

Is this what it's like to be bonded to someone? Xaseah wondered. But she shook her head almost immediately with a silly smile etched all over her face. This is what it's like to love someone so much that they've become a part of not just your body, but also your soul. Love was crazy!

Her giddy expression and sudden lack of action did not escape Kodak and Gus's attention. Hell they worried if maybe she might have lost her mind due to the pressure that they, along with this situation have been mounting on her. They felt a little worried, and guilty too, and as Kodak looked at his silent brother with a questioning look on his face, Xaseah said words to them, that just as easily put their worries at ease.

"He's back!"

*Weeeeeeeeeeeee Boooooom!*

"And he's making a bloody entrance". Xaseah added.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

THE BATTLE FIELD

RANIDOM DUUDE

Ranidom duude has always been a soldier, as Naga, there was not much else that could be afforded to him, especially since he was born a peasant, and ordinary son of a soldier, who just like him was also am ordinary son of a soldier, and his own son would also be an ordinary son of a soldier.

But it was not as if he hated his job, no on the contrary he loved it. It afforded him a certain level of power, even though he was just a simple foot solider. He enjoyed the thrill being a part of the army gave him, and participating in the numerous and very regular civil wars that happen between the Naga princes, and nobles had helped hone his skills and valor in battle.

And so when it was discovered that their next enemy was going to be vampires, rather than other Nagas, he jumped at the chance for a little more excitement in his life. Because Ranidom much like many other Nagas, had never even seen the common gnomes that infested the dancing caves of Noxis Nyx, much less the legendary vampires, who were the true original inhabitants of this war torn underground war.

And so he joined them, and he fought, he killed and he raped, enjoying every moment of it, until they started fighting back. He along with quite a few soldiers all believed that they were all fighting a rabble of freed prisoners, that without a doubt, there was no way they could put up a fight against the superior battle skills, magic, technology and tactics of the Serpentis army. Hoe very wrong he was.

They may be a warmongering race, but vampires were made and built for slaughter. They were monsters in every sense of the word, and for every vampire that fell, five Nagas or more would have followed to them to the grave. And that was just for the Nagas, the gorgons and lamias had not even been counted. For the first time in a long time, Ranidom tasted defeat.

They were left in a stalemate and on even ground. Then the soy split open, and the sun shone through. It shocked them, but it seems most if not all the vampires were prepared for it. And while the sun did not affect the Nagas as much as it did the vampires, they were also vulnerable to it, so battles during the daytime was definitely out of the question.

So it was a back and forth volley of attacks with losses on both sides, but with the Nagas coming out worse for wear than the vampires with their natural healing abilities. And so it continued, until today. Because today the Serpentis had literally rolled out the big guns, and that was because the Naga king himself had personally decided to take an active part in this war. The legendary hero who emerged as kind, after slaughtering 86 of his very strong and formidable brothers in a bloody civil war for the throne. Ranidom was giddy with excitement at the prospect of what was about to happen here.

This cannons were a gift from humanity, to use as a failsafe should the vampires ever attempt to rebel. Who knew it was actually going to come in handy during his lifetime. Ranidom was so excited that he could literally taste victory at the tip of his tongue. They had powerful weapons, and the vampires seem so scared they've not made a move. And when the order was given, Ranidom felt like it was Christmas, but that's when he heard it.

*Weeeeeeeeeeeee Boooooom!*

A flaming man fell from the sky, head first towards the ground. And when he did hit the ground, it was with such a force that a massive shockwave was released, and threw more than six thousand front line soldiers to the ground, like they werenothing more than a house of cards.

Hundreds were dead alone from the impact, and a few more were terribly injured. Ranidom was placed at the middle of the army, so he was completely unscathed and untouched by the shockwaves. However the sheer scale of the destruction he saw, had left him shaken to his core. The soldier beside me, had his rattle tail shaking fiercely as his body was suffused with intense horror and fear.

"Fire the solar cannons!"

The order came at the right time, and the man who just dropped from the sky and took out almost 20% was just standing there, looking at the Serpentis army like they were nothing more than dirt beneath his feet. It was one man against an army, though Ranidom would swear it was the other way around.

The solar cannons picked up as the released a charged hum, only one of them was used, as they felt using all ten would have been overkill. Ten seconds later the beam of hot red orange light shot towards the man at the speed of sound. The ground beneath the pathway of the beam was burnt and turned to molten slag and lava, unable to withstand the heat from the cannon. But whilst some part were lava, others were glass, as the sand was super heated into such a state.

The beam reach the man, and exploded in a fashion that was nothing short of legendary, and the night lit up, like it was at the peak of the day, all bright and hot. And then the explosion began to disappear, shrinking in on itself as regal and deep voice began to laugh out loud in a manner that gave Ranidom shivers.

"Hahaha Hahaha such intense solar energy! It's like nothing I ever felt before! Thank you. And loath as I am to say this out loud, you bloody snakes have crossed my king. And the punishment is death!"

What happens next, was like a repeat of history. Something like this had happened a while back, but the Nagas didn't know about it. How could they. They had already fought the fake dragons before and even injured them, but even they couldn't deny the aura in front of them, the manic grin, that look of power and ridiculously huge cannons on his shoulders. Ranidom had no idea who said it first, or why they had to stutter.

"dra-drag-dragon!"

And then the world lit up in flames so hot the sun would have been proud. Kael Cor had returned.