565 CHPT 565: Forced in Fang…. Clique and Claw…. Back in Blood
Under the cover of psuedo night the battle field felt more sinister. The Wolfish Verdilak Vampires traversing the snowed in slopes felt as fake as the night sky. Their liquid black forms rippling over the white grounds reflected the red glow of the cannons in the distance. Their eyes held fast to each of the targets heading for their home.
Too many to count. Too many to kill.
In essence, that was war.
There was a nihilistic sense of comfort in that fact. But only if you knew how to let loose.
Claude was getting the idea.
Much like Sgt Bertrand's cannons, the warzone blew down some of his cautionary walls. The defensive measures built after killing Alpha in the Tower.
As a result, The Phantom Wolves and Gil exploded from his Lupine skin like fireworks. Bright and explosive in the two tone darkness of the black sky and dead white earth.
"HSAAA!!!" A Verdilak fell from the sky, arm missing and half its face gored. Its black skin was soaked in blood and steaming, causing its wolf head to look more like a devils face. Gil's flames ate up the snow and warmed the earth, giving the descending creature an even unholier visage.
Claude jumped to intercept the creature, hands open to catch the flaming javelin Gil spit at him from somewhere ahead.
As soon as the heated weapon landed in his hands, he was driving it through the Vampires face like a hot knife through butter. No crunch, no tear. Just in one side and out of the other.
As Claude fell with the creature he shook his weapon until the undead disconnected in torn burning tatters like clothing.
[+200 EXP]
The Stronghold was only a mile away. He could even see one of the cannons clearly. Without much hesitation he took aim and launched the javelin so hard it snuffed out the green flame, leaving only a trail of dark smoke as it rocketed towards the center most cannon.
He was no Archer. Thankfully the cannon was a large target.
BOOM!
The snap of metal and deafening malfunction of gunpowder explosives rang across the field as the cannon fell out of commission.
Another war horn rang.
Maybe it was the Wild Magic….. or the Lunar Artifact. Either way it felt like a challenge, leading Claude to letting off his own deafening sound.
From the patches of forestry, his pack of Shifters exploded like ambush predators led on a string. Beneath the snow massive WereCrocodiles with sabered spinal blades and multicolored scales slithered like snakes. In between their ranks, Lions and Tigers the size of small horses bounded like grizzlies in the tundra. Some with spots… others with stripes and manes that draped over their quadrupedal armor and spiked collars. On the outermost ranks of the horrifying herd Wolf-Men with grey skin and massive Wolfish Beasts led the charge.
From the gated and guarded stronghold, Verdilak soldiers in knights armor wielding Old World automatic weaponry took up their positions at the stone mounds of cover and began laying down fire.
He knew the bullets were silver. A General would be prepared for his worst enemies at all times. The beasts he ran alongside were surely there.
Thankfully so was Gil.
The floor was steaming. Brimming with life melted from below the permafrost. Supercharged with primordial wild-magic.
Claude dug deep and brought forth a Wild Forest in a tidal wave of vine and floral madness.
CRRRCKASHHHHH!!!!
Compared to the scale of the battlefield, it wasn't large, but it was enough to hide the Shifters as Claude grew the trees in a ramp-like formation and allowed them to dash through the upper canopy as silver bullets ripped through the low ground like heavy metal locusts of death. They were loud. Whistling and clanging as they bounced off of Claude's aura and bit into trees, splintering and burning wood. Eviscerating plants. Killing vines.
Guns were an ugly creation.
Claude enjoyed bursting from the forestry and descending on the first gunman.
He kicked through the stone wall of cover and yanked the Undead out by its snout, lifting the beast as it tried to enter its inky liquid state.
He roared, halting the shift and knocking out its earguards before slamming it into the cold earth repeatedly.
Up ahead, Gil and the Phantom Wolves unleashed hell, only seen in flashes of shadow and fire as they raced through the section halls of cover. Distracting the shooters as the Shifters fell from the sky like they were dumped into the stronghold by an anti-war god of madness.
The sky was still black as coal over their battlefield. Still occupied by him.
But not for much longer. As he vaulted the wall he could see Li— a massive black Tiger with red eyes leading his kin to destroy the artillery unit hidden under a shed in the distance.
Claude crouched on the top of the one of many cover walls placed in front of the stronghold.
Shifters ran through and around the maze, taking down the Verdilak where they could. Allied Vampires worked from all angles like assassins.
Some Shifters went down, under too much silver bullet hell.
But he could feel them. He could heal them. Gil could. They'd be up soon.
The enemy wouldn't.
"Retreat!" One of the Undead yelled from the rear.
"Terrible ide—" He was pulled into action before even finishing the thought as the Verdilak Vampires took off.
He reached for them. The forest soaked in Wild Magic behind him reached out at the same time. Vine, spike and floral amalgamations. They ripped through dozens of Vampires, staking them to their cover walls and the ground for the Shifters and Vampires to finish off.
[+200 EXP]
[+250 EXP]
[+240 EXP]
[+200 EXP...+400 EXP]
DING
[You have Leveled Up!]
[You are at risk of System Alteration….]
"What?"
Crshshshs…PK—
Claude flipped off the top of the cover wall placed ahead of the stronghold entrance just as a massive bullet wizzed past his already clipped ear. Thankfully in his time spent on the battlefield he'd learned to listen for a trigger squeeze.
Immediately following the notions of his mind, a smaller WereWolf burst through the gate of the stronghold, facing a tree to their left. The brown and black furred Wolf snarled at the tree, eyes lit ablaze.
CRACK!
Sparks lit up as a weapon malfunctioned in the upper canopy.
Soon after a Skeleton Soldier fell to the ground with a Sniper seemingly melted around and crushing its skull.
"[That Don boy will be a problem very soon….]"
Don barked at Claude and took off back inside.
"What a good pooch." Rupont said from beside him.
"You shouldn't patronize your allies, Rupont." Adjua said. Abina nodded vehemently as they watched the war befall the stronghold.
Guard walls were up in flames. Cannons were torn to metal shreds and talons that ripped into walls and Skeletal Ghouls. The snow melted. Leaving cold hard earth slowly beginning to grow blades of grass beneath the feet and paw of many.
In the distance a shadow gained form and function.
An Elder. The reek of death and gunpowder was heavy on his old military garb. Fit with an armored arm and a saber at his hip. His pale skin was like the snow. Faded and dead. Without sunlight. His hair was balding and swept back along his angular head. He didn't have Ruponts flair for style. Only function and pre old world formalities. At his left and right two Vampiric HexBlades followed.
He recognized one.
So did the others.
Claude staggered as he worked to hold them off. In their rage, they'd be committing suicide.
There were only two people on the field that could face the Elder as he was.
"We'll take the Hexers." Adjua and Abina transformed.
Their fangs glimmered as they were coated in some shining bio metal. The same thing coated the claws on their hands and feet that lengthened and curled like hooks as they grew freakishly tall and skeletal. Their clothing tore around the arms and legs. At their backs, their spines thickened, pushing out of their skin and stretching down into barbed tails. Spots popped into existence down their arms and legs like leopards.
Sgt Bertrand clapped. Somehow it was perfectly clear despite the warzone he walked through.
"The rare Sunlandian Vampire…. Two beautiful examples of the Asabonsam under the sun. It's a shame your clan dies after this. Unfortunately you chose to side with two great evi-"
WOOSH!
The two undead twin monsters pounced on the HexBlades.
In a blur the Vampires rolled into combat joining the clutter of everything.
Sgt Bertrand made a disgusted face as he glared at the two of them.
"The Shifter's Plague…. And The Scourge of the Vampires. Look at the two of you. One of you is already melding everything into a congruous pile of shit." Sgt Bertrand pointed to Claude.
He hadn't even noticed.
Beast Boost was active.
His stripes were more prominent. Scales covered his exposed portion of skin.
But the only animals were the Shifters.
Beast Tamers can't do that….
"Do you even know why they call him the scourge of the Vampires over on the other side of the globe? I didn't give him that name. Do you know how one can be so young and still be an Elder? Feeding on the blood of Vampires. So many you critically age yourself. A disgusting and brutal act of forced evolution. Our lord Dracula of old would be ashamed of you... a traitor….. a slaughterer… an Alucard. You're sick. And your half baked Elder Power translates that perfectly. Assume your form. Both of you. You die in a blaze tonight."
"Are you done talking? Fuck sake my ears have gone suicidal." Rupont rubbed his lobes and yawned.
Sgt Bertrand unsheathed his blade— attempted to at least, only to find the whole thing from hilt to blade bound in vines.
His hand hovered over the held blade, red and purple smoke twisted and sparked. Magic warmed the air before sucking out all the heat in the area as the weapon shifted into a holstered gun.
The vines loosened for a second before strapping down on the new shape in seconds.
Rupont chuckled and wagged a finger at the Elder, "You made a big mistake, General...tsk tsk tsk. You were so focused on exposing the skeletons in my closet that you misunderstood the event. This is a dinner. And everyone in this field except you has come to dine. You said I eat Vampires. So many so that I transformed myself into an Elder forcibly. With that in mind, the fuck are you doing here, General?…"
By the end of the question, Ruponts voice had dropped to Fenrir level octaves and his hair turned whiter than the snow on the ground, now equally as long as Claude's. It draped over his shoulders and laid against his back— standing out like colorless stardust on his grey skied skin. Skin that stretched and changed texture as he grew. His bones thickened, expanding his frame and body composition. Changing his face from the sly pretty boy to something inhumanely regal and masculine.
A singular batwing outstretched from the left side of his back.
And two blood spears filled his hands.
The General, Elder wielding the Element of War.
Claude didn't understand how Vampire powers worked but Bertrand had a skill.
Rupont had a transformation.
It felt old. Familiar. If he were to guess the namesake he only had one.
The Impaler.
The creature laughed, "And you have NO IDEA what the Lupine's on the brink of…."
DING!
