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Realms Converge	By : Candice Category: +G through L > Legacy of Kain Views: 3562 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Legacy of Kain, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.Don't get to Nosgoth itself til chap 5

Chapter List
- 30
- 31
- 32
Edits as of 05/2016

Chapter Thirty-one: Victory in the West

*-*/-Katrina POV-**-*

The hour that lead up to our departure was spent in a kind of pleasure ridden hell after I had donned my armor and the back-sheath that held my sword. Kain looked to be quite pleased with himself when he left me with Alma. Mainly due to the fact that movement of any sort set the kegel balls trembling and shivering within in my core. My scent spiked randomly because of it and his expression had rapidly turned smug. Because of those blasted balls, Alma and her Sisters were provided no end of amusement whenever they were near me as they, too, caught my scent.

If my assistance was not needed in order to help get the human troops organized properly, I would likely have bolted to find somewhere far away from the entire lot of them and their not-quite-good natured ribbing. As it was, I soldiered on through the constant, inconvenient, and yes... quite pleasurable, assault and fought to keep myself from blushing whilst I made sure that our group of humans were properly outfitted and ready for the battle ahead. It helped that the longer I moved about, the more I got used to the strange rolling sensation within my core.

New as I was to the art of war, I had still learned swiftly and out of necessity what needed to be done for larger attack forces. Kain had wanted me to learn as much as I could about running an army early on. As such, much of the tactics based games that we played included questions on just how I would arm, armor and provision my troops. I'd worked to be an apt pupil, not only for him but for myself as I wanted to not only survive on Nosgoth, but thrive. Especially after the startling revelation that he intended for me to be his Queen.

Part of those nightly lessons had taught me that I needed to make sure that, not only were the humans geared up properly, but to also ensure that the skins that the humans carried were filled with something other then water. Or alcohol. Some of the humans liked to sneak alcohol skins into their packs, which was just an accident waiting to happen. Instead the skins were to be filled with magically preserved and enhanced fruit juice, normally apples or other fruits that provided hydration. The preservation and enhancement magics were mainly to keep the juice from spoiling, or fermenting, but also helped to provide extra hydration similar to the electrolyte drinks on Gaia.

As our forces were primarily filled with humans at this time, a ratio of two-thirds human to one-third vampire with the intent to turn the best of the human warriors if they proved loyal, skilled and true, we needed to limit their access to water on the battlefield. This was to protect our vampiric troops in the case that someone got it in their heads to attack their vampiric commanders whilst still keeping the humans hydrated through the march. It did not happen often, most humans were living and living well under vampire rule, but on occasion we got a few humans who were yet loyal to the Sarafan and had only joined us in an attempt to attack from within.

Not that such an action ever worked out well for them...

I noticed Janos, Stefon, Leon and Emrys as they milled about and tended to the forces under their respective commands. Of Kain, I only caught a few glimpses as he stalked through the rank and file. He looked to be eager to begin the attack and that eagerness for battle transferred over to the troops. Cillian also kept to his instructions as he tended to his lot and stayed out of my way during the preparations just as he had been ordered. Of Vorador there was no sign as he would be remaining behind with a large cadre of his Brides in order to keep watch over the current batch of fledglings within our new Sanctuary.

Once everyone was geared up and ready to move out, the army made its' way Northwest through the forest toward the river. Several vampire scouts had gone ahead of the army to carefully and quietly knock down a series of trees to build the makeshift bridge that we needed in order to cross the river. We were thus able to cross the river in a timely manner despite one small mishap where a human in full armor had slipped off of said bridge. Being the only one with vampiric strength and an immunity to water, I was the only one who could drag the human male out of the water before he drowned. He would have been trapped under the cold water by the weight of his own armor. Not a pleasant end by any means.

I tossed the male onto the far bank with a huff and then moved to look him over with a soft growl. I wanted to make sure that he hadn't broken anything during his idiotic fall. Leon and Emrys made their way over to check on the commotion that had resulted from the rescue. They both had a mirrored frown upon their lips and they kept a careful distance due to the constant drip of water from the human's form.

"Are you certain that you needed to rescue someone foolish enough to fall into a river whilst wearing full plate?" Leon asked me in a quiet voice.

"Right now every warrior counts," I said. I then yanked the man onto his feet and pushed him back toward the rest. The human fell into line alongside the men that were assigned to the pair with a sullen yet grateful expression upon his face. I looked back at the twins. "It looks like he's one of yours. Make sure he's disciplined later for his carelessness. Nothing that would cause lasting damage, he may well fall ill after that little swim as it is."

"As you will, My Lady," Emrys answered for the pair. They then moved off to organize the rest of the troops as they too crossed the makeshift bridge.

Thankfully, the rest of the procession went smoothly as the bulk of the army finished crossing the bridge to follow after Kain, Leon, Emrys and Stefon. Kain spared me a faint nod as the groups split up and I returned the nod. Alma moved to my side and we gathered our smaller portion of warriors. There were a disproportionate number of standard bearers, but that was the plan. The goal was to space everyone in a way that would create the visual illusion of a larger force then what we actually had available to us. My portion of the army needed to wait within the woods for the time being. We would not move out toward the bridge until Kain and his men were just about ready to attack the city itself.

~Alert the humans in the city Katrina. We will be in position within the hour,~ Kain ordered using the Whisper.

~On it,~ I responded.

I looked at Alma and held out my hand to her. Once her hand was in mine, I wrapped my Gift around us both and we darted for the city gates together. It was past midnight at this point, but we had hours yet before dawn in order to take the city without putting any of our weaker vampires at risk from the dangerous sunlight that would drain and damage them over time. We were able to sneak into the city readily enough and we left the glass marble in the alleyway where we had met the urchin. We then darted back out of the city as carefully and quickly as possible. The whole of the process took twenty minutes all told, especially considering how careful we had to be to get in and then back out of the city.

Once back with our group, I let go of Alma's hand and then jumped into the air. I kept my Gift up and circled the troops watchfully whilst I waited for them to get into place at the bridge. My group settled into formation readily enough and I saw Stefon's group move into place and spread out near the second bridge as well. The guards of the city noticed each group and started to jeer and taunt our respective forces once the men had come to a halt near the bridges. The fact that we made no immediate move to cross caused them to jeer all the louder at our apparent cowardice.

I dipped in the air and dove close by the gate. I dropped my Gift just as I started my dive and flickered back into sight. The jeers suddenly turned into shouts of near to excitement and I had to back wing swiftly out of range when a net was flung almost immediately in my direction. The net was attached to a long rope that could then be used to drag whatever was caught within it into the city itself. I had to dive and weave in the air a second time when another net was fired in my general direction.

I continued to weave back and forth in the air in a taunting pattern whilst I avoided the nets. I edged back further and further in order to judge just how far the nets could actually be launched. Thus far, it seemed that the nets could only just reach the opposite end of the riverbank. I swooped down and landed on a boulder close to our group of troops. I crouched close to the boulder, ready to leap backwards if I needed to. The next net hit the ground roughly five feet in front of my position. I stood from my crouch and flipped off the human guards of the city. I watched as the nets were drawn back over the city walls whilst they worked to re-calibrate the small trebuchets. Alma made her way back to my side and let out a thoughtful hum of noise as she came to a halt next to the boulder that I stood upon.

"Perhaps we should all back away a few feet to be safe deary? It would not do for one of us to be dragged into the waters if they are able to set those nets to fly any further," Alma suggested thoughtfully at my side.

I eyed the human guards of the city as they worked and then turned with a disgruntled huff to look at Cillian. He kept his gaze low as I spoke to him.

"Back the troops up ten feet," I barked out at him. "Make sure they do not break the lines."

"As you command, My Lady," Cillian responded. He carefully kept his face blank and continued to keep his eyes down as he spoke.

He then turned and darted down the line to pass along my order. The line of warriors backed up the required distance and then fell still once more. I turned back around to watch the guards of Vasserbunde carefully as they worked on resetting the angle of the trebuchets. Alma started to reach for me and I gave a soft hiss of warning. I shifted my legs to a wider and steadier stance upon the boulder. Her hand fell back to her side but she looked ready to grab me in an instant if there proved to be a need. I shifted my feet just a little further apart, ready to dive off of the boulder in a second if need be, but I otherwise held my ground as the guards fired off another net in my direction.

The net fell short of my boulder by only a foot and the one that followed it a minute later fell short by almost four feet. They had reached the limits of the trebuchets ability to launch their nets. I laughed aloud at that, partly in relief and partly in satisfaction. I spread my wings wide in a taunting gesture whilst I crossed my arms over my chest. I was half tempted to flip them off too, but the gesture would have been lost on them. Alma relaxed when she saw that their efforts were in vain and she leaned casually against the boulder that I stood upon. She crossed her own arms over her more ample bosom and eyed the angrily jeering crowd of guards that had gathered across the way.

"Not much longer," Alma purred softly. "The other forces should nearly be upon the Northern gate."

"Once the trebuchets are disabled, I'll fly over and get those gates lowered," I said to her.

"A good idea deary, especially considering how distracted they will be," she responded with a nod. "Merely be careful once you fly over."

"Of course," I said with a small smile.

Barely five minutes later the sounds of desperate shouting filled the air and a group of guards at the gate darted away with panicked expressions. I tilted my head and I watched the sudden tense activity of those that remained upon the wall. The jeering had stopped completely and half of the men that had remained on the wall were watching us while the rest were warily watching the battle that now raged within the city itself. The ringing sounds of steel clashing against steel filled the air and my wings twitched with my eagerness to fly.

The sounds of battle grew louder still and I sent out a pulse of Aura energy to try to get a sense of what was going on beyond the wall. I nodded to myself when I sensed several dozens of vampires fighting within the city proper. Several of them were making a beeline for the gates that held the trebuchets. Moments later and I smiled grimly when several forms leapt onto the wall and started to cut into the ranks of human guards. It took several more moments before the vampiric warriors on the wall were able to tear into the trebuchets. They threw the broken pieces over the wall and into the river below before they were forced to focus their attentions back on the cities main forces.

~Kain, the trebuchets are down!~ I called out over the Whisper and I crouched low. ~I am going to get the gates lowered while we have the chance!~

~Fly swiftly then my Katrina,~ Kain commanded in a voice that was darkened with battle-hunger.

I leapt into the air with a powerful beat of my wings and launched myself over the bridge. I drop-kicked a lone human off of the wall and into the arms of a small group that had turned to run up the stairs to defend said wall when they realized that the others had been slain. I ducked to avoid an arrow and drew my sword. I then lunged forward to cut down the archer that had fired at me. The man fell with a gurgle and I turned to cut down yet another guardsman. I dropped down from the walkway onto the ground next to the lever that opened the gate.

I had to dodge to the side when a human missing his chest armor came roaring toward me with a great sword. I lashed out with my foot to trip him and then stabbed my sword upwards into his unprotected chest as he fell forward. I twisted my sword free of the man's corpse and then turned to look the lever over. It was a simple designed and I shrugged. I gave the handle a sharp kick and then smirked to myself as the chain rapidly began to unwind. The chain rattled loudly and the gate fell open with a booming, wooden thud of noise against the ground.

~Alma, call the charge!~ I called out to the other woman.

I heard Alma's war cry a second later and I leapt back into the air in order to wing my way toward the second gate. I had to duck and weave about in the air in order to to dodge another set of arrows launched my way. I had not wrapped my Gift back around myself as Alma yet needed to see me in order to make her way to my side as swiftly as she could. My being visible was also another distraction for the enemies in the city. Many of the men would see my shadow or catch sight of my form and turn in my direction. They would then be cut down due to that brief moment of inattentiveness. Several of the archers that had been firing at me abruptly found themselves dealing with either our vampiric or human troops within moments of firing a second volley in my direction.

I let out a huff of satisfaction when they went down and used the distraction to land near the lever that controlled the second gate. I dropped to my stomach an instant later when a larger then normal human in heavy Glyph-armor burst forth from the nearby building. The male wielded a huge battle hammer, a hammer that had swung through the air right where my head had been a mere second ago. The sudden movement caused my body to clench and I let out a startled hiss of breath, both at the flash of fear that filled me due to what might have been a fatal strike and at the rolling sensation within me. I pushed myself up and leapt back, aided by a violent beat of my wings, in order to get out of the range the male's second swing. The hammer slammed against the ground with a crash of noise where my arm and shoulder had been.

That... would have hurt... I thought with a gulp. I grit my teeth a moment later and forced myself to focus.

I went to wrap my Gift back around myself as I back peddled swiftly out of the male's range. The sparring battles with Vorador had long taught me that I would need to either get in close or keep a good distance when fighting foes who wielded war hammers. I let out a pained cry when something hit my right wing and that pain caused me to loose my focus upon my Gift. I hissed in rage when I realized what had happened. The armored human had pulled a small crossbow from the belt on his waist either as the hammer had been falling or just after it had hit the ground. He had then fired a bolt in what was a flight-disabling blow. The bolt had hit me right at the bend of the said wing. The ants-under-skin tingle that I associated with Hylden Runes ran through me and I scrambled backwards further still as I swiftly yanked the bolt free from my wing.

I reached mentally for my Gift and felt it wrap over me in a loose weave. I jumped up and scrambled onto a nearby rooftop. I winced when I heard my claws and boots scrape sharply against the stone. I moved swiftly away from the edge of the roof. Just in time too, as the massive hammer slammed viciously against the roof's edge and into the building itself. The forceful impact collapsed a large portion of the building's wall and I had to scramble to avoid being caught in the collapsing portion of the roof. I tested my wing as I backed closer to the center of the building's roof and winced at the slowed healing sensation along the joint.

~Alma!~ I called out across the Whisper. ~To me! Swiftly! I am near the other gate, but be careful when approaching! There's a huge human wearing Glyph-armor. He is wielding a massive fucking hammer and a crossbow that is armed with Hylden-runed bolts. Bastard got off a lucky shot and my wing needs time to heal before I can fly again!~

~I am on my way!~ she responded. ~Stay out of range of the hammer like my Lord Husband taught you deary. One good blow from a hammer is all it can take to knock even a vampire senseless!~

Another powerful blow from the hammer caused further damage to the building that I was on. I felt the entire structure shudder when one of the support beams was taken out by his next blow. The building would not stay standing for much longer. I turned and leapt onto another building just before the one that I had been on collapsed. I attempted to harry the large human from the rooftops. I would jump to the ground to get close to him and then strike out with my blade at the exposed joints in his armor. I then leapt up and scrambled up onto another rooftop as he flailed about in the hopes of catching me with one of his wide strikes.

After one such series of moves, I damn near ran into Alma and then had to barrel into her anyway in order to get us both out of the way. The hammer smashed into the edge of the roof where we had been with a loud crunch and we ended up rolling off of the roof into the alleyway behind the house. We landed with a heavy thud my concentration on my Gift broke when my forehead impacted hard against Alma's pauldron. I shook my head violent. As I pushed myself up, Alma let out a small groan beneath me.

"Deary, now is not the time for a grope, though I might appreciate the gesture at another time," she said with a near to pained sound.

I let out a soft meep of noise as I realized my left hand was on her chest. I pulled back and got to my feet with another wince. I could still hear the large human as he swung his hammer about and sent human and vampire warriors flying by the yelps, screams and crunching sounds that followed the whistling noise of the hammer being swung. I let out a soft snarl when I tested my wing again and winced at the flash of pain that yet seared through the joint despite the removal of the bolt. I drew my wings back within my body to better help the injury heal and then turned to help Alma to her feet. We shared a determined look before we leapt back up onto the roof and back into battle with the large human.

The male was fast despite the heavy armor that he wore, but he was not fast enough to prevent Alma and I from delivering concise and swift attacks that he could not keep up with. Together we were able to target the unprotected joints of his armor in order to hinder his movements. The bend of his elbows and his knees were the most vulnerable points. When one of Alma's blows took out his left leg and forced him to his knee, I leapt up and forward. I dodged the sweep of the hammer and stabbed my sword at the bastards face. He brought his arm up to block the blow with the targe attached to his vambrace, his attention solely upon me. Alma used his distraction to grab the male from behind by his helmeted head and she gave it a vicious twist. The resultant snap echoed violently through the air and his body fell with a heavy thud to the ground.

I panted softly for breath and ignored the cheers that filled the air as the heavily armor human was defeated. I looked around to see how many injured we had even as Alma bent to examine the substantial hammer that the male had been wielding with a critical eye. Alma had no true talent with blacksmithing like Vorador did, but she knew enough of the basics to recognize a high quality weapon. I couldn't help the faint smile at the knowledge that she would likely present the weapon to Vorador as a gift, but the smile didn't last when I saw just how much damage that one human had caused.

Several vampires lay off to the side of the area. Many held wounded limbs close and some looked to be out cold, possibly even dead. Several humans lay dead around the area as well, bodies broken... heads smashed open like melons. They had tried to help overwhelm the heavily built guard, only to have their bodies crushed by one massive, sweeping blow. We needed our healers for those who had managed to survive and we needed them fast. I rushed over to the gate lever and gave it a harsh kick. Like the other gate, it fell open with a loud, satisfying bang. I reached out through the Whisper toward the waiting troops on the other side of the bridge.

~Stefon!~ I called out. ~We have wounded! We need them withdrawn from the field. Swiftly now!~

~At once My Lady,~ Stefon responded promptly.

I waited long enough for Stefon and a few of his troops to cross the bridge. I watched as they started to move the wounded, those who could safely be moved at the least, back toward Janos' healers tents. A good number of vampiric guards moved to protect the area as many of the humans who had survived the battle with the Glyph-armored guard could not be moved safely and the healers would have to remain with them. I signaled to Alma and we started toward the main part of the city so that we could help with the main battle. We both came to a stunned halt when we reached one of the main streets. A group of guards sans breeches and armor had suddenly run screaming across our path. They were followed shortly by the pair of Alma's Sister's that had joined us for the battle.

"Come back here boys!" one cried out in a teasing, yet vicious sounding tone.

"We just want to play!" the other laughed and her sharp teeth shone bright in the torchlight.

I let out a disbelieving bark of laughter at the sight and I looked to Alma with a raised brow. She smirked and shook her head at her Sister Bride's antics and we shared a soft laugh. We then darted further into the city and tore through the remaining ranks of the city guard as we went. Several times through the fight we saw Urchins throwing cutlery and stones from rooftops at the guards. On occasion we saw the Bruisers as they grappled with unarmored guards. They would knock the guards into the waiting swords of several bedraggled looking Nobles that had obviously seen better days. The Night Ladies and Urchins mostly looked to be doing much as Stefon's group was. They were getting the wounded out of the streets to places where they could be treated if at all possible.

The bulk of the fighting was centered in the cities main square. In a melee such as this, my Gift would be more of a hindrance then a help thus I kept it down as we darted into the fray before us. Battle instinct took over for me at that point, everything that I had been taught thus far came to the fore. Alma and I tore a swath through the enemy forces in front of us. I twisted and spun about as I cleaved my sword through the air. My sword cut through armored and unarmored foe alike as I moved. Even though battle-lust had started to fill me and had begun to narrow my focus, I could still easily tell friend from foe by the standard that our troops wore. Kain's mark was like a beacon upon those standards.

I dodged back to avoid a blow meant to open my stomach and slammed into someone else's back hard. My Aura flared at the harsh impact as I instinctually tried to sense if I had run into another vampire or a human. I relaxed when I felt the answering flare of Kain's Aura. I could sense his battle-hunger pulsing through his Aura as it fairly teased over my own like the sharp-dangerous caress of his claws along my skin. I let out a pleased rumble of noise at both the metaphysical and physical contact and then lunged back into the fray to take down the human that was in front of me.

We fairly danced with each other whilst carving a swath through the enemy forces that tried to surround us. We spun, weaved and practically twined about each other in a way that made my vampiric instincts fairly sing with joy. A feral grin twisted my lips and I let out a fierce cry as I cut down yet another of our foes. The Soul Reaver began to hum its' high-pitched and grim song of death as it swung through the air. Kain's deep, darksome laughter filled the air in a dark counterpoint and the cities forces fell like so much meat before our own.

Finally the amount of warriors that dared to face Kain and I trickled down to nothing. I took the time available to catch my breath. I panted softly for breath and shook my head to clear away the haze caused by the Battle-lust. I straightened from my battle-ready crouch once I had calmed my breathing and surveyed the carnage that lay around us. Kain waved his hand at a few vampires and issued several silent orders over the Whisper as he pointed toward the few remaining city forces that were making a beeline for the gate that led toward Coorhagen. I nodded to myself when I realized he was issuing orders to cut the men off before they could reach the city to the North and warn those there that Vasserbunde had fallen.

He then turned his attention to me and a small frown crossed his lips when he looked me over critically. I glanced down at myself and let out a soft chuckle at the state I was in. I was pretty much covered from head to toe in blood. Nearly all of the blood that coated my form was enemy blood though. Indeed, other than my wing, only one other human had managed a lucky blow to my jaw. The blow had split my lip open thanks to the human's gauntleted fist, but the wound had healed over in swift order.

"Your wings?" Kain asked simply when he had finished looking me over.

"I got hit by a runed crossbow bolt, near the joint of my right wing," I answered. I tapped my right shoulder lightly. "I drew them in to heal rather then risk further injury to them during the fighting. They should be healed in full shortly."

"Hn," he rolled his shoulders and then looked around at our forces as they started to gather up. "The battle here took less time than I had expected, even with the considerable distraction caused by those within the city. There are several hours left yet before daybreak falls upon us. We will push on to take Coorhagen."

"Shall I organize Stefon's group and my own to clean up here while you push on ahead then?" I asked.

I flicked blood and bits off of my sword. I gave it a cursory cleaning with a cloth before I sheathed it and then tossed the cloth into one of the fire-pits that lit up the city square. I looked back at Kain and saw that he was still looking thoughtfully around the area.

"No," Kain finally responded and he shook his head firmly as he glanced to the North. "Stefon's forces will be enough for the clean up here and can easily handle the humans that remained out of the fighting. Gather the forces that you and Alma were with and then meet me at the North gate within fifteen minutes. We will proceed at that time."

"On it," I responded with a nod.

I turned and looked around for Alma. I saw her feeding upon one of our fallen foes and walked over to her side. I had to side-step around a few corpses in order to reach her. She looked up at me as I approached her and she pulled her face back from the neck of the male that she had been feeding on. She wiped at her mouth with her thumb and then licked the digit clean with a slow and delicate sweep of her tongue whilst she looked my bloodied form over. She smirked at me when I let out a soft sigh at her blatant, flirtatious look and dropped the drained corpse to the ground.

Alma then picked up, and held out, another body in my direction. The Battle-lust had actually left me quite hungry. I licked my lips and took the male form by the back of the neck. I looked it over with a critical eye. There was minor damage all over the partially armored form, but death wound was clearly seen; a gaping hole in his chest where a vampire's hand had likely punched through from behind. I looked back up at Alma a moment later and waved a hand toward the others.

"Go grab Cillian and round up our troops," I said to her. "We are advancing on Coorhagen in ten with Kain's troops."

"Mmm, it's good to attack before they realize that Vasserbunde has fallen," she nodded her head. "Feed and regain your strength. I will gather the men."

I nodded and then lifted the body up to sink my fangs into the forms throat. Even without an active heartbeat to assist my feeding, I had the body drained within moments of the life-giving, ruby fluid. I let the body drop to the ground and then extended my wings back out with a sense of satisfaction. I rolled my shoulders and then gave a few firm beats with my wings. The force of those wing-beats sent light weighted objects in front of me skittering across the ground. I nodded my head in satisfaction a moment later. My right wing still felt a touch stiff but I could tell that it was once again strong enough to hold my weight in the air.

I took a brief moment to test my Gift and wrapped it around my form. I clapped my hands together harshly and then looked around the area. I let out a soft sigh of relief when no one reacted to the noise that only I could perceive. I dropped my Gift and then leapt high into the air in order to wing my way to the Northern part of the city. I circled the gathering troops once and then landed next to Kain where he stood regally at the center portion of the Northern gates wooden ramparts. Leon and Emrys stood several feet away from their Lord. Their own forces looked eager to press on as they stood at attention near the gate. Alma and then Cillian jumped up onto the ramparts and approached us mere moments after I had landed. Our own men settled swiftly into place amongst the rest of the troops. Alma gave a half bow of her head to Kain and I as she approached my side. Cillian dropped to one knee before us and placed his hand to his chest.

"Our troops have finished gathering, My Lord and Lady," he reported in a stiff voice. "We are now ready to press on at your command."

"Hn," Kain let out a soft grunt and looked over our forces with a calculating eye.

His hands clenched and un-clenched around the hilt of the Reaver as it rested tip first against the wooden planks in front of him. He rolled his shoulders and then took a step forward. He shifted the Reaver so that he held it in his right hand and swept it in wide gesture over the troops. His voice carried over the din of noise caused by the men and the troops fell silent almost as soon as he began to speak. Every eye was upon him, including my own.

"You have all seen now both here and in Steinchencroe," he started in an authoritative and dominating voice, "how swift the Sarafan are to abandon those who have sworn to them their allegiance, their homes and their very lives. The same Sarafan that claim to follow a Holy cause, a cause in which they claim that their greatest duty is to protect the populace from the 'Great Threat' that is the Vampire. Instead of their promised protection, they have spread fear, pain and terror with their fists and their swords. These so-called 'Great Protectors' have murdered hundreds of innocents in the name of their cause. Homes have been stolen from those who were loyal, displacing those within. Families with babes have been put to the sword at the order of a mad man. And they claim that humans should fear vampires so? Have we slain those who have not taken up sword against us? Have we stolen homes from the loyal? Have we slain babes in their swaddling clothes?"

Angry muttering filled the air and I glanced around the area. I blinked in a small amount of surprise when I noticed that many of the humans who had either helped us take the city, and even those who had remained holed up in their homes, had started to peek out from the alleyways and the windows of the buildings in order to listen to Kain's speech. I noticed more then one woman peering out of a window's shutters, with their children held protectively against their sides or against their bosoms.

"Oh, how the Sarafan play their Game and they have played it well indeed," Kain said as he shook his head and let out a tsk of sound. "Ask yourselves this; Who has been proven to be the predominant menace? The 'Great Threat'? Or the 'Great Protectors' themselves?"

The crowd of humans in the alleyways had grown larger the longer Kain spoke. He was playing the crowd well.

"Look around you!" Kain called out in a sudden and forceful roar that silenced the mutterings as swiftly as a lightning clap. "There were no long sieges or engagements in our battles. There were no blockades to bar our path forward as there should have been. There were no hidden forces to bedevil us from the shadows and harry our progress. No, instead two cities are freed from the Sarafan's hangman noose within a week of each other because the Sarafan are cowards and have fled before our might! Our cause! Those who have remained to keep that noose tight around the neck of the city are nothing but mewling whelps to fall before us. They are Weak. They are False. They Protect nothing but their own hides."

A roar of voices filled the air. Swords were banged harshly against shields. Vampire and human eyes alike were lit up with a need for vengeance and blood. Kain held up his left hand and the army fell silent once more.

"Not only that, a third city lays primed for the claiming this very eve. A city not a mile from our current position," Kain swept his left arm back in broad gesture as he indicated the path North that led to Coorhagen. "Dawn is yet hours away. The night is still young. Your blades have barely been stained with Sarafan blood, the blood of these False Protectors. Tell me, do you yet long to fight? To bring their Game to an end?"

Another massive cacophony of noise filled the air and, as I looked around, I noticed that more then a few of the Bruisers and Noblemen of the city had moved forward from the back streets to stand alongside our own troops. A few of the vampires amongst our men took stock of those that tried to join the crowd. They either handed those humans weapons and shields and allowed them to stand amongst the army or sent them back to the arms of the Night Ladies that stood at the edges of the streets so that they could be tended to by the healers because they were too wounded to fight. Kain held up his hand once more and again the crowd fell silent. A ferocious, feral smile that bared wickedly sharp fangs flashed across his lips.

"I see before me an army that is ready to claim the last city of the West from Sarafan hands," he purred out in a fiendish tone that carried over the large crowd. "I see in you, huntsman all, a need to draw this pitiful chase to a close. It is time to hunt. It is time to kill."

A low growl escaped him and he turned to stalk to the northern-most edge of the rampart. He looked over his shoulder and slashed the Reaver's blade forward to point toward Coorhagen.

"Cry Havoc and let slip the Dogs of War!" he roared.

The din of the army was near to deafening as every individual now in our army let out a roaring battle cry. The army started marching through the gate at a fast clip. Leon, Emrys and Cillian each jumped from the ramparts to keep their respective troops in line whilst they marched forward along the canyon toward the Northern-most city. Alma jumped down to join her Sisters when they darted ahead of the group. I knew that they were going ahead to make sure that way along the main path toward Coorhagen was clear of any traps. Kain again jabbed the tip of the Reaver into the wooden beams in front of him and he smiled darkly as he watched their progress. I moved up to stand beside him and I stretched my wings out behind me. I ruffled them briefly and then drew them close to rest upon my shoulders.

"Act 3, Scene 1, line 273 of 'Julius Caesar'," I said softly as I watched the army march ahead.

"Indeed," Kain said in with a low, purring growl that made me shiver and caused my body to clench.

"I've a sudden wonder if you have Poe here," I murmured in a low voice after I'd taken a slow breath to calm myself.

I spared a glance at him and then looked back over the army as the troops continued to exit the city. I knew that we would not have to move from our own position for a few minutes yet. It would take time for our men to file out of the city

"Edgar Allen Poe?" he asked with a clarifying note in his tone.

"Yes," I responded and I flashed a small smile his way. He chuckled softly.

"I take it you like his poem 'The Raven'?" he asked as he sheathed the Soul Reaver at his back once more in a smooth and practiced gesture.

"'The Raven' is the most well known of his works on Gaia and I like it well enough," I said with a shrug. I shook my head a moment later. "But to answer your question; no. The one I have always liked best is 'A Dream Within a Dream'."

"Ah," he said and he tilted his head as he looked at me.

I spoke softly and half-closed my eyes. The poem, like many others, had been memorized in my youth what with my love of books. Those poems had then been repeated in my mind, along with many of the songs that I had heard while growing up. Songs that I had sung to myself, poems that I had recited to myself, all to get me through those long days trapped within Auron's hell hole.

"'Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow:

You are not wrong who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.'"

I felt silent and opened my eyes with a small sigh. His rumbling baritone picked up where I left off and I turned to look at him when he started to say the rest of the poem.

"'I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand-

How few! Yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep-while I weep!

O God! Can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! Can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?'"

I let out a low purr that rumbled in my chest when he had finished speaking and my wings raised enough to ruffle and fluff up as I shivered. They settled on my shoulders a moment later and I let out a small, happy little sigh of breath. I reached up to comb the claws of one hand lightly through his hair and I smiled up at him.

"One of these days, I am going to find a book of his works and demand that you read to me," I murmured softly. "I could listen to your voice for hours on end."

Kain snorted softly even as he grinned at me, "Vorador would accuse you of feeding my narcissistic vanity in demanding that I do naught but speak for such a time. He oft accuses me of loving the sound of my own voice as it is."

I couldn't help the soft snort that escaped me at his words.

"He is one to talk!" I said with a laugh. "How many times have we found him waxing poetic about this or that facet of vampiric life to the new fledglings? Or trying to talk my own ear off regarding the merits or inadequacies of a particular author when he finds me reading. He's spoiled more then one book or series of books for me that way you know... bastard."

"Was that why you threw yet another book at his head not two weeks ago?" Kain asked with an amused rumble of noise.

"Yes," I responded with a low growl of remembered annoyance. "I was getting rather attached to that series too. I was on the third book and then he goes and spoils it by telling me that a main character dies in the sixth book. Then he says that the seventh book reveals that said main character's killer was following his own orders in carrying out the deed in order to help the main hero of the story."

Kain smirked and his shoulders shook faintly with his amusement. I shot him an annoyed look and flicked my braid over my shoulder.

"And I didn't just throw the one book at his head," I continued with a prim sniff that made him chuckle aloud. "I found and chucked all seven of the books at his skull for his temerity. You just saw the last one as it flew."

As he continued to laugh, his arm coiled swiftly around my waist and he drew me in close. He then nipped at my neck, right over his Mark. My body twitched, clenched tight around the kegel balls within me, and my anger cooled to be rapidly replaced with a growing heat. I had to bite back the moan that wanted to escape my lips and I battled against the heat that started to pool low in my belly. I squirmed in his grip for a moment, not really in an effort to struggle free, but more so that I could gain enough room so that I could nibble at his own neck. He pulled back before I could do more then scrape my fangs against his skin in a light brush and he shifted his grip on me.

"Enough talk, my Katrina. The army is far enough afield now. Up with you and scout ahead. Be mine eyes in the sky," he ordered with a purr, though his grip did not slacken.

"You'll need to le- HEY!" I let out an annoyed yelp when I was abruptly tossed straight up.

I had to beat my wings rapidly to maintain, and then gain, height. I heard his dark laughter below me and I let out a soft growl. I circled the air above him briefly before I turned and winged my way North. I flew a bit higher then usual, but my vampiric sight was still superior even at such a height. I could still see the army clearly by the torches that they carried and yet I remained high enough that no one could reach me even with my Gift inactive as it was. I was also sure to stay high enough that I would be mistaken as a large, and low to the ground, bird. I flew a little ahead of the group to where the canyon ended, and the massive forest that surrounded Coorhagen began, in order to get an idea of what was going on with the Northern city.

I did not much like that we had not tried to start a railroad for the city, but with them being so close to Vasserbunde, there was really no time to do so. The moment they heard of Vasserbunde's fall, they would begin to fortify themselves further still. As it was, the city looked to be mostly asleep with a large, but tired looking, guard force stationed around the edges of the city. There were no walls around the large city. Instead there were several guard posts, some on raised platforms, some not. They were stationed at openings of each street. The buildings had been built so close together that many of the stone homes acted as walls in and of themselves. There were even a few guards stationed on several rooftops. I circled the city a second time before I winged back toward the army.

~Kain?~ I Whispered. ~The city looks to be asleep. No one was able to get out a warning to them.~

~Very good,~ Kain purred softly in my mind, his voice filled with dark satisfaction. ~That will make taking the city even easier.~

~I... isn't there...?~ I frowned as I circled the army and thought. ~Maybe I am remembering things wrong, but aren't there supposed to be underground passages here like there are in Steinchencroe? Should we use those during our attack?~

~Several of those passages either collapsed long ago or are no longer safe for vampiric passage due to the underground streams,~ Kain responded. ~A good idea my Dear Katrina, but a moot one at this point.~

~We... could also try to hide our standards and pretend to be reinforcements from Vasserbunde in order to get our army into the city before attacking,~ I said hesitantly as I looked over the situation strategically, just as he and the others had been teaching me.

~Clever girl,~ he purred in my mind. ~You are learning well, but again, no. We will continue with a frontal assault and take them unawares as they are now.~

I recalled the open side streets at the east and west of the city as I made another loop around the troops. Those would be good points for a pincer attack.

~But there is also...~ I started.

~Katrina,~ Kain said and his tone had changed to a dark rumble of warning. ~Enough. Still your mind. Now is not the time to reason out new tactics unless the situation changes drastically upon our attack.~

~I... as you will,~ I responded with another small frown. I spoke again a moment later. ~Will I remain in the air as your eyes during the fighting?~

~No,~ he responded in a tone that no longer held that dangerous note of warning. ~Come to me and land. You will be fighting at my side. Let the troops continue to see you in action. I would have them all know your growing strength.~

~Alright,~ I acknowledged. I turned and dived toward his position near the front of the column.

I back-winged to help slow myself and landed next to him. The landing itself was a little rough due to the fact that things shifted as I touched down. I let out a grunt of noise as I straightened up and I ignored the knowing smirk that he flashed my way. I grumbled and straightened my top needlessly. I would have nudged him with my wing had we been alone, but the sheer amount of people around us made me leery about attempting such a thing.

He drew the Soul Reaver as soon as the city was within sight. I pulled my own sword free and a moment later we darted forward in tandem. The other vampires in the army moved up to flank us and the humans began their slower charge. Using our superior speed, we were upon the human guards within moments like arrows that had been launched from the bow. We cut down more then a handful of Sarafan guards before one of them managed to successfully get out a single, bleating note of warning upon the battle horn that he had pulled from his waist.

More horns sounded when the others were woken by that broken off, warning call. Even then, the forces of the city were slow to respond in an organized manner to our attack. When our human troops poured into the city, dying screams and battle cries began to fill the air. As we moved deeper into the city, I saw several people come out of their homes to fight and dozens more ducked right back into their houses to avoid the battle if they could. A woman holding a child tried to dash for the forest and I darted forward to grab her arm, being mindful of my own strength. I then kicked open a door and shove both her and the youngling inside the home where yet another family cowered in fear. The older man in the building, a grandfather from the look of his gray beard, weakly held up his sword toward me with hands that shook noticeably.

"Stay inside and barricade the door if you want to survive the night," I said to them in a firm voice as I ignored the older man. "We are here for the Sarafan, not innocent blood."

Their faces were still filled with fear but my words caused the old man to lower his blade with a soft wheeze. He fell forward, drained by the energy he had needed to maintain his weakened battle stance. Two young girls caught the older man before he could hit the ground while a third, older woman moved to start shoving a shelf toward the doorway. One of the younger girls moved to help the older woman and I shut the door behind me when I heard the scrape of the shelf being moved. I turned to cut down a guard that tried to charge me and carved my way through the rest of the sleep roused guards back toward Kain's side. He shot me a bemused look and then glanced at the house that I had forced the woman and her child into. I let out a huff of breath at his look.

I heard the whistle of a sword aimed high and ducked low to avoid a blow meant for my head. I shifted my body to the right and then snapped out my wing in a swift blow to catch the human that attacked me in the throat with the bony edge of my wing as his blow had left him wide open. I heard a snapping sound and the human fell backwards and he clawed at his own neck whilst he struggled to gasp for breath. I had crushed his throat. I started in for the kill and a gout of blood suddenly erupted from his neck in a wave toward Kain. The body fell to the ground less then a second later and I turned toward Kain with a small, angry growl.

"That was my kill," I grumbled at him. I then turned and kicked another human with enough force that the armored body actually dented the stone wall that he was flung into as a result of my kick.

"Perhaps you should move faster then, my Katrina," he responded with a smirk. He turned suddenly to sweep the Soul Reaver through three humans at once.

I let out another angry growl and from there it became a competition to see how many enemies each of us could kill and how quickly. Even as he continued to steal my kills, I started to steal a few of his in retaliation. His eyes flashed hunter's white the first time that I took one of his kills, I had yanked the human out of range of the Soul Reaver and onto my own blade. He tilted his head at me and growled low. A dark promise of later retribution if I continued my actions could easily seen in his gaze. My wings twitched with my nervousness at such a look, but I felt a flash of vicious stubbornness as I continued to meet his gaze.

I flashed him a small, defiant smirk instead of looking away and then I tucked my wings back into my body with a flurry of feathers. I darted between his battle-stance spread legs in order to attack the legs of a warrior that had been trying to approach him from behind. As the human fell, I lashed upwards with my claws and opened the male's neck in a wide-sweeping blow that sent arterial blood spraying in a wide arch.

I was already drenched in blood as it was, what was a little more?

From there, our competition only got bloodier. The humans in the city actually started to avoid going any where near us and instead focused their attentions on fighting other vampires or humans in our army rather then risk being involved in our grim game. Near the end of the battle, Alma actually tossed an armored human our direction to see which of us could get to him first. I'd started forward to strike but an arch of lightning flew past me and forced me off course. The human then jerked in the air and fell sizzling to the ground. I let out a huff of breath and watched the body as it continued to twitch. I then stood and looked around for further prey, the battle-lust still strong in my mind.

Another huff of noise escaped me when I realized that the last of the enemy forces were falling rapidly to our own human troops. I swung my blade in a snapping movement in order to flick off the blood that had coated it. I let out a growl and cleaned off the blade with another cloth and then sheathed my blade. Kain let out a chuckle whilst he watched me before he then sheathed the Soul Reaver at his back once more. Alma approached the pair of us and issued a small bow before she turned a smile upon me.

"Nicely done deary, but you were still only fifty-six kills to Kain's sixty-nine in that little bout," she said with a voice that fairly purred with the satisfaction of a successful hunt. "And that is not counting the kills back in Vasserbunde."

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to hide my sudden desire to laugh at how many kills Kain had. Even then, I felt a faint flash of disappointment that I hadn't been able to beat his kill count. They both raised a brow at me, likely having sensed my sudden amusement through my Aura or even my scent. I knew that I had been able to keep from smiling at the least. Kain then turned to face Leon, Emrys and Cillian as they all approached. Leon and Emrys bowed their heads and put their hands to their chests whilst Cillian lowered to one knee and bowed his own head.

"The city is now ours Lord Kain," Leon said.

"The damage to the city is minimal as well, My Lord," Emrys continued. "Most of the civilians remained in their homes whilst the battled raged around them. Only a handful of them got caught in the fighting trying to flee and those that were cut down were slain by the cities own guard force."

I couldn't help the small growl that escaped me at that news and I glanced at Kain with a raised brow. He nodded his head minutely at my silent, questioning look and I turned back to his... our... Captains.

"What about those that remained within the buildings?" I asked. "When we took Steinchencroe, more then a few guardsmen tried to duck inside to slay those who had tried to stay out of the fighting out of a sense of spite."

"We were watching for such a thing Lady Katrina," Leon responded as he bowed his head to me. "We placed small contingents by any buildings that housed non-combatants in order to prevent such a thing from happening here."

"Most of the city populace remain docile within their homes even though the fighting has quieted," Cillian reported softly and he kept his head bowed. "We can gather them in the central square if you so desire."

"Not just yet," Kain said firmly while he looked around the area. "Let us... 'tidy up' a bit first. Feast upon the blood of the fallen and then have the human troops deal with the bodies as they have been taught by Katrina. We need no sickness spreading amongst the humans and a little more time waiting safely ensconced within their homes while the area is cleaned up will not harm them. It will also instill a stronger sense of obedience in them when we finally let them out."

"As you wish, my Lord," the trio said together. They each bowed their heads low and started to gather the vampiric members of our army to feed and recover strength.

"Katrina," Kain purred out in a soft voice that had gone suddenly dark.

I froze at his tone and looked toward him slowly. I raised a questioning eyebrow and my wings twitched nervously.

"Yes...?" I asked hesitantly.

"Feed and then run with Alma back toward our new Sanctuary," he growled in a low tone. He brushed a claw-tip down the side of my neck my neck. "At some point she will separate from you."

He tilted my head up and forced me to bare my throat. I swallowed roughly and he smirked wide enough to show a glint of fang.

"From there my Dear Katrina, run... or fly if you must," he leaned in and his lips brushed teasingly light against my own. "But know this; I will be hunting you."

A full bodied shudder ran through me when he pulled back and started to stalk toward the troops in order to keep them in line. I looked at Alma with widened eyes and knew that I had started to blush. She laughed at the look on my face and then led me toward a few bodies so that I could feed.

"Well my dear, it seems that you are in for some trouble this evening," she cooed at me.

I could only think of the 'favor' that I had wrapped around him earlier that evening and what might be in store for me. I let out an agreeing, shuddering, sound of noise. She laughed, a low throaty sound and she gave my arm a knowing pat. She held up a form for me to feed from. I looked over the body, noting that it was another clean kill and then shuddered when I abruptly realized that I needed to feed and feed well before we left.

With that knowledge in mind, I bit into the neck of the form she'd held out to me and I feed as deeply as I could.

Hope you enjoy!
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