Chapter 160: Frequency Hijack

Chapter 160: Frequency Hijack

Ordias sat up from his chair as he examined the scene before him. Something was different, the Hive was moving more precisely, significantly more precisely in fact. To an untrained eye it wouldn’t look that much different but Ordias could see what was happening.

An army formation could often be described as an obsidian shield. Hard and jagged with many ways to harm your opponent. However, obsidian was also brittle, it can cut most materials but if cracks start to form it was liable to shatter.

Most assaults were designed to create major breaches and to cause large “cracks” in the formation. When the cracks begin too much then armies tend to “shatter”. This was more certainly more common amongst the armies of the livings since they tended to rout. However, though his army could not rout, it could be carved into pieces and surrounded in smaller pockets.

The Hive was attempting to create smaller cracks in his formation. His Blood Knights were holding well but they were being pressured ever so slightly in precise locations. The commander of the Hive was also masking this with other concentrated assaults that took advantage of any small weaknesses that appeared.

Ordias could see his lines weakening ever so slowly, there were large breaches forming in certain areas but his Blood Knights were able to quickly plug the gap. However, he did notice those breaches seemed to lack purpose. Yes, it would be devastating if the breaches widened to unsalvageable levels but the breaches seemed to only be dangerous enough to draw his attention.

“Something isn’t right.” Ordias said as he stood up from his seat and scanned the holographic projection before him.

“What do you mean?” Rosa asked.

“The Hive is planning something, we need to push them back.” Ordias said as he continued to scan the projection trying to find some kind of pattern in all the chaos.

“Well obviously we need to push them back but I assume you spotted something?” Rosa stated as she too walked over to the projection.

“The Hive is pressuring us in strange locations, just enough to not be noticeable,” Ordias said as he pointed to small little dimples in the battle lines that seemed to be evenly spaced out.

“You suspect a trap.” Rosa said as she narrowed her eyes as she stared at the projection.

“Yes, the other more major breaches seem to be dangerous but we always to manage to contain them.” Ordias said.

“So why don’t we just remove those weak points?” Rosa asked.

“I’m afraid this is a double bluff. I suggest you get your best troops ready. When you attack you also leave yourself vulnerable. A counter-attack is certainly possible.” Ordias said and Rosa nodded.

“I will get them ready.” Rosa said with a nod.

“The beasts are different now, my mages have detected increased levels of Hive transmissions. Something new has taken command.” Rosa said and Ordias gave her a look.

“Anything else you can find out about those transmissions?” Ordias asked.

“They feel old, very old.” Rosa replied with a grimace.

“The Great Beast?” Ordias suggested and Rosa just shrugged.

“Perhaps but many hive leaders have powerful generals at their disposal as well. Perhaps up till now we have just been fighting a lesser lieutenant. True incompetence is more convincing than faked incompetence.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Great Beast intentionally began the battle with a weaker commander and switched to a more capable one. Or perhaps he even took command himself. Either way, something has changed.” Rosa said.

Then from the same doorway emerged a dozen more of the creatures the all clambered out of the doorway and some even went onto the walls. One of the beasts bore special markings on the side of its head and Erin also noticed this one had a larger head as compared to the rest.

The outlier in the group started to roar at the other beasts who all paused to listen before charging the Blood Knights. Some charged directly down the hallway, others went on the walls and a few even started moving on the ceiling. Their insectoid legs easily digging into the walls and allowing them to clamber along the walls and ceiling.

Erin turned and ran she had no idea where to run to but she just wanted to get as far away as possible from those creatures. She hurtled down the hallway feeling the cold stone beneath her feet. She rounded a corner just in time to see more of the beasts just burst out of a nearby wall. Erin froze as she saw the beasts look at her for a moment before running right at her. She felt her blood turn to ice and she raised her arms to cover her face as she let out a blood-curdling scream of terror. She waited with her eyes shut but she only felt these small gusts of wind blow past her. She opened her eyes and realised that the beasts had just run past her and disappeared down the hallway.

“Wha...” Erin sputtered as she stood there in shock. Then she heard the shouts and the sounds of combat echoing down the corridor.

It was then that Erin realised that the beasts were after the Blood Knights they didn’t have any interest in her. Perhaps they didn’t have any interest in any of the thralls. As her thoughts and her heart settled she heard the sounds of weeping coming from the hole in the wall. Erin shakily approached the hole and saw that the hold led into one of the slave pens for the younger thralls who were selected to be battle thralls.

Erin felt a shudder as she saw that the battle thralls in charge of the pen have all been slaughtered. Their bodies were lying in pieces as if they had been torn apart by those beasts. Even some of the young were not spared, although Erin did notice that many of their bodies were near weapons and all the surviving ones were unarmed.

Could it be that the beasts were only targeting those who were armed? It would explain why she was ignored, she had never held a weapon in her life so she was about as threatening as a bowl of gruel.

Erin heart ached when she saw the young children and teenagers shivering in their iron pens. She could see a hole in the metal wall of the pen that the beasts no doubt emerged from. The bars of the cage were horribly bent and broken as if the beasts have simply charged right through it. Beyond the bars was a corridor and she saw more mangled corpses of battle thralls that had tried to stop the beasts.

“Shhh, its ok.” Erin said as she approached a boy who was bawling his eyes out.

The boy must have been no more than five years old, he reached out as if she was his mother. Erin bent down and took him into her arms. Erin looked around and she saw the room was all staring at her. The oldest were probably only fourteen and were probably a year into a formal training. The vampires kept the battle thralls together in these cramped conditions to save space and also to get them used to the harsh living conditions that the desolate lands of Necoronas offered. It was a completely different life from what she has led. She spent her life laying on satin and velvet. She spent her days feeling the bare cold flesh of a vampire or the warm flesh of a human either on her skin or inside her.

Her life was one of luxury and comfort while these poor souls were being trained so that they could be sent to die in her master’s wars. It was the fate of the thralls and Erin had long grown numb to it. Instead consigning herself to acceptance and a sense of gratefulness of the comfort of her life. She had resolved herself to enjoy this life while she was still young, as once she was older chances are she would be assigned as a breeder thanks to her beauty. When that happened she could only hope her children were born healthy.

But now as she felt the small and warm trembling body in her arms she felt the numbness in her heart start to slowly fade. She remembers some of the other thralls mention a motherly instinct perhaps this was it. Somehow she felt that she needed to keep these children safe.

Just as she was about to speak she heard this bestial growl. Erin froze and she turned her head to see one of those beasts emerging from the hole behind her. She held the child closer to her as the beast slowly entered its white body gleaming from the magical lights that adorned the walls.

“Don’t touch the weapons...” Erin said shakily as she turned to face the children. None of them were making any moves towards the fallen weapons, Erin assumed the ones with courage were probably the corpses around her.

The beast slowly approached her as it bared it’s teeth showing off a maw filled with curved serrated fangs. Though it had no eyes she could feel it’s gaze on her. It approached abit more before pausing and scanning the room. The beast was constantly making this strange clicking sound as it moved it’s head slowly turning, sniffing the air as if looking for something.

Erin could see it’s arms, black serratted blades that were coated with blood. Then it froze and it turned it’s head. It let out a roar as it stomped on the floor creating this loud banging sound. Then it charged back through the hole.

Erin sat there frozen for a moment but then she saw this red glow from the hole and the beast was blasted back it’s body in mangled pieces. Erin heard the sound of high heeled shoes clicking across the stone. Then a woman appeared that Erin instantly recognised. She felt her fear reach new heights when she realised who this was. In all honesty Erin feared her more than the beasts, she would rather spread her legs for one of the beasts than be locked in a room with this woman.

The woman turned her head and she saw the cold red glowing eyes and the long fangs protruding from her upper lip. She was beautiful but also undeniably terrifying. The mistress of the Scarlet Palace. They say few ever leave those perfumed halls alive, and even fewer leave unchanged. The fear she inspired in the thralls and even the other vampires was legendary, none were as cruel, and none were as debased.

Instinctively she released the child and fell to her knees pressing her head to the floor, ignoring the blood that was covering it. The sheer terror she felt overrode whatever shred of motherly instinct she felt before. She didn’t care about the stench of blood or the sticky fluid that now covered her forehead. All she wanted was for this woman to leave her be...

Erin trembling like a leaf stammered out a greeting that sounded like she was on the verge of tears...

Lady Maledicta I am at your service...