Suikoden V - Alpha Prince

Hix had been happier in his last unit. The Liberation Army had so greatly outnumbered the Imperial forces at the Northern Checkpoint that his company hadn’t even made contact with the enemy, just maneuvered across the battlefield a bit. Of course, Tengaar, had been anything but happy. There was no way he could become a proper warrior if he didn’t even get a chance to fight. So with her natural exuberance and overbearing personality she had managed to get him assigned to Viktor’s elite infantry company. Hix found it somewhat amusing that any other woman would be doing everything in their power to get their love off the front lines…not his Tengaar.

It wasn’t that he was a coward, he just didn’t like to fight, and he didn’t like to kill. Fighting one on one battles was one thing but as he’d quickly found out that in full fledged battles there was very little room for honor. In the chaos of the melee it was common practice to strike down an enemy when his back was turned or his attention was elsewhere. He also felt like it was too important a place for him…like he was going to screw up and cause the downfall of the entire battle. Okay, that was a little unlikely… he was only one man after all. Still, he figured he could mitigate any such chance by sticking close to Viktor which consequently was also Tengaar’s direct order to him, showing she actually did care about his safety.

Hix’s movements were defensive and cautious, striking out with his short sword whenever an opportunity presented itself. He kept his shield raised protecting his torso as he tried to stay with Viktor’s rapid and unpredictable actions while also managing not to get in the way.

Hix didn’t know how right he’d been when he’d impulsively called the brash warrior a bear when he’d first met him back in The Warrior’s Village. The title was apparently already in use by Viktor’s soldiers and it was easy to see why as anyone watching or facing him now could tell as he fought with incredible ferocity. Viktor’s massively muscled arms and torso could put such power into his swings that even if an enemy managed to block him they were always smashed backwards from the sheer force of the blow. The way he constantly threw himself laughingly into the fray with seemingly no care for his life had endeared him to his men even if they thought he was a little crazy. It was hard to be afraid when your leader was so little concerned about dying that he traded insults with his magical sword throughout the battle.

“Shut up, you over grown butter knife!” shouted Viktor as he slashed into one soldier even as his momentum carried him into another his elbow slamming up into his chin before the hapless imperial even had a chance to bring his sword into play.

The Star Dragon Sword’s unnaturally loud voice boomed, “Impudent ape! Do you see what I did right there? Clearly I’m not a butter knife but all of these foolish mortals are now wondering if this hairy beast before them is indeed a loathsome primate.”

“I said: Shut! Up! You! Stupid! Rusty! Hunk! Of! Metal!” He furiously beat down upon the soldier’s blade, slamming against it with each shouted word as if he was trying to actually hurt the Star Dragon Sword. Too bad for the Imperial, Viktor’s anger just increased his strength and he found himself forced to the ground as the huge man’s sword smashed his own blade down into his shoulder with incredible force.

Hix stumbled forward as Gharl crashed into his leg bonelessly. There was no time to mourn the soldier as Hix slammed his shield up into the descending imperial’s blade. His own sword lashed out piercing his enemy’s torso as his momentum carried him forward. The Imperial stiffened and Hix felt himself clutch the man to regain his balance. As he drew himself up he found himself looking into the man’s accusatory eyes as the life rapidly drained from them.

He had little time to digest that horrible moment before another soldier thrust himself forwards and Hix once again did his best to survive.

Victor lopped off a head with one powerful swing before lashing out to kick the leg of a soldier trying to get around Hix’s guard. Lin knifed in taking advantage of the soldier’s moment off balance. The big warrior grinned, “Nice one! Good teamwork there.”

“You might want to get down now.” Remarked the Star Dragon Sword almost casually.

“Huh?” grunted Victor as he ducked though there was no attack.

“GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW” Boomed the sword with such authority that not only did its bearer throw himself down but so did many around them including a few imperials.

Seconds later a horrific piercing howl filled the area along with a flash of green light followed rapidly by the screams of men. To those a good distance away it looked like a green disc eighty meters across had momentarily flashed into existence parallel to the ground about waist height.

Hix pressed his face firmly into the mud as something hit the ground next to him. Looking up he nearly wretched. Standing precariously in front of him was the bottom half of the Imperial he’d just been fighting. The rest of him was lying nearby blood pouring out of it in torrents.

The warriors of both sides who’d managed to be just out of range of the awful magic were momentarily stunned. All of them taking in the horrendous carnage that had once been friends and comrades. Their thoughts skittered across how close each of them had come to being sliced neatly in half by the never to be sufficiently damned rune casters. For the rebels their thoughts were paralyzed at the idea that their jovial invincible leader was suddenly gone.

Suddenly one massive form in the very middle of the ravaged area burst from the ground.
“What the runes are you slugs waiting for? What? Is it tea time? Is my battle interrupting your tea time?! Come on, Chaaaaaarge!” Victor turned and ran towards the enemy line.

Their leader’s sudden resurrection wasn’t enough to break the rebel’s paralysis but his shouted taunts were. Seconds after he began charging towards the imperials, the rebels were screaming and shouting as they sprinted to catch up.

Hix and the eight or so rebels that had heeded the Star Dragon Sword’s warning were right behind Victor.

“Victor! Shouldn’t we wait for the rest?” yelled Hix as he managed to get alongside the huge warrior despite the awkwardness of running over a never ending carpet of shattered bodies.

Lin, his wiry lithe body pumping along right behind the two added, “Yea..come on boss…I really find myself agreeing with the newbie!”

“Haha! No way! Do you know how intimidating this is? I mean…we’d have to be crazy, right? Nothing scarier than enraged madmen who have no care for their own lives!” laughed Victor.

“I find your analysis of the tactical situation to be badly flawed….but then what did I expect from an overgrown monkey?” commented the Star Dragon Sword.

“Phsah! Just you wait. There’s going to be a half a dozen bard’s tales about this charge!” shouted the big warrior as they continued to hurdle forward towards the enemy.

It had only been the smallest of chances that Fennel had happened to glance down and notice Lady Viki and her friends caught between the two cavalry forces. He’d been so mad when he’d drawn messenger duty… What bad luck! On the day the entirety of the Dragon Knights go into battle in who knows how many decades and he was stuck humping some stupid letter across the continent. Oh there’d been a small thrill carrying a top secret message from the brilliant Silverberg but that was nothing compared to every single Dragon Knight Wing flying gloriously into battle.

Goliath had been just as disappointed as he and they’d pushed themselves hard, flying faster than they’d ever had before. They’d delivered the letter in record time before finally making it to Shasarazade. Seeing the men fighting below and his fellow knights in the sky, he didn’t know where to start. Should he dive right in or attach himself to another wing? Eventually he decided to look for his own wing; Goliath wasn’t exactly the social type and wouldn’t be his best if he wasn’t flying with his companions.

Fennel’s eyes were on the skies as he searched for his wing, when he felt a tingling in his hand…..his earth rune…. Glancing down, he saw it glow briefly then fade. How odd…

Even as he stared at his hand he looked past it and saw a white form fluttering upon the ground. Paying closer attention, the image resolved into two people running apparently carrying wounded as they tried to escape oncoming cavalry….and they weren’t going to make it. Goliath was already turning, the mental connection between rider and dragon alerting him to Fennel’s thoughts and intentions.

They weren’t about to let them get trampled, not if they could help it. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot of time and they were very high up. Fennel grinned as Goliath suddenly folded his wings and dived. There was only one way to reach them in time and that was to drop like a rock. Wind whipped past Fennel as his stomach jumped up into his throat. The ground seemed to be rushing up to greet them.

Down down they went with ever increasing speed. Soon enough Fennel’s stomach seemed to be trying to escape out his ears but the sensation didn’t bother him in fact it thrilled him. He and Goliath were constantly being reprimanded for daredevil stunts but neither could help it. It was just too much fun!

The wind and force of their fall was forcing Fennel’s face into a ridiculous smile but the huge grin would have been plastered across his face anyway, just this way he didn’t waist any muscles maintaining it. He watched as the small forms upon the ground got closer and closer.

Soon enough it seemed as if they were going to crash into the ground within seconds. Fennel had to carefully not rush Goliath…he had to trust the dragon’s instincts but damn…they were getting close!

And then Goliath’s golden wings exploded open and the sudden change in momentum caused Fennel to slam down into his saddle with such force that he almost thought they’d hit the ground.

With only seconds to go before they would be crushed by the two walls of thundering cavalry, Faroush desperately sought the power of the Dawn rune. Hopefully he could instinctively use it to save them somehow but he doubted there would be time even as he ran as hard as he could under the weight of the beast girl. He felt a sudden strong down thrust of wind so powerful he nearly fell forward. He paid it no mind, just another gust from the storm…

Suddenly, the air exploded out of his lungs as something large slammed into him from behind but before he stumbled forward, huge claws closed around him gripping him like a vice. His pumping legs kicked into air as the ground seemed to swiftly depart beneath him. Looking up he saw a ceiling of blue scales and the beast girl pinned down against his shoulder by another massive talon.

A dragon!

Looking right he could see Oulan, Viki, and Ithan in a similar position in the great creature’s other claw. The beautiful martial artist’s eyes met his and he could see both fear and relief in them. Viki’s arms wrapped tightly around Oulan, her face pressed against the martial artist’s chest her eyes squeezed shut tightly. Though Faroush couldn’t see Ithan’s face he could tell the young pilgrim was rather frantic judging by the way his legs flailed in the air, which was understandable considering the way the dragon’s claws closing around them had pressed him downward, his head sticking out the bottom of the creature’s fist. Seeing the ground swiftly disappearing beneath them couldn’t be good for his peace of mind.

Faroush, however, was relieved He didn’t know what the dragon had in mind for them but it had to be better than being trampled underneath thousands of pounding hooves. He relaxed into the dragon’s grip, though he shuddered slightly as he watched one of its brethren swoop down upon the men below, its massive paws ripping them apart in droves and smashing others into the air. Faroush had no doubt that the giant claws, each as thick around as his torso, could crush him with ease. Still the fact that he wasn’t mush right now meant he could probably assume they weren’t in any danger- a lighting bolt flashed past less than five meters away and he amended that thought….danger from the dragon at least.

Since there wasn’t much he could do until the dragon set them down he sent Oulan a reassuring smile before casting his eyes downwards. He might as well try to figure out where the runes Viki had teleported them now. Dragons….that meant the famous Dragon Knights of Scarlet Moon. And now that he thought about it some of the banners down there matched his vague memories from his foreign studies. Of course, the really interesting thing was the Dragon Knights were attacking those marked as Imperial. Faroush didn’t recognize the other force’s standards and they seemed rather ragtag…no formal uniform that he could discern, though they fought with nearly as much discipline as the Imperials.

What the runes had Viki gotten them into this time?

Tir crouched in the small boat of ice as the rain continued to fall. It was one of 500 silently cutting through the waters of Lake Toran towards the small peninsula, their passage covered by the rune induced fog rolling across the surface.

When Tir had first heard Mathiu’s claim of producing such a vast fleet overnight he had scoffed. Of course he was assuming the strategist had meant full war galleys capable of going toe to toe with Sonya Schulen’s navy, certainly not little rowboats formed from ice. At least he didn’t have to row. The water runes embedded in their rears provided quiet propulsion as well as creating the mist that hid them from the Imperial ships. The idea being that Admiral Schulen would assume the fog was there to give the vastly outnumbered Liberation Navy a fighting chance. And indeed Anji and Tai Ho’s ships were taking advantage of it to make hit and run attacks upon the Imperial galleys.

The plan was typical of Mathiu and he’d once again waited till the last minute to unveil i—

Tir was torn from his thoughts as he became aware of people ahead of him, lots of them. He couldn’t see anything in the thick fog but the hunger of the Soul Eater was impossible to ignore. He could feel it yearn to tear the souls from them just as he felt its desire every day with every person that came near him. It was the reason he was alone in this boat…the reason why he never let anyone touch him. The longing…the craving from the rune was constant every day, every hour, every second, though it was even greater almost unbearable during a battle. As men died in pain and fear all around the Rune’s power grew stronger…it called to him with ever increasing power.

And it was the reason he was leading their little fleet. Avoiding detection was absolutely necessary if Mathiu’s plan was going to work and however much he hated the rune, its ability to sense people was invaluable in this case. He placed the paddle sideways in the water out the back and the boat obediently turned. He steered it around the group of souls that could only be an imperial galley slowly patrolling across the lake. Looking back over his shoulder, Tir could just see the five boats following change their direction as well. Behind them would be another line of five and another five after that all staying within sight of the group to the front and to the rear in order to keep the fog dense enough not to mention so they could see each other.

Tir noticed his member thickening as blood rushed into it and familiar anger welled up from within at this blasphemy. There’d been a time when he had been proud of his large manhood. Of course, he hadn’t even realized it was anything special to begin with. Ted had shown him that it was and had been the one to convince him that instead of sitting around fantasizing about the beautiful girls of Gregminister, that he should be out tasting their delights. Cleo had been the first. He hadn’t really believed Ted when he said how easy it would be. His bodyguard and tutor had always been sort of aloof. Oh but she had melted quickly…

But that was gone…ever since the Soul Eater had taken over…he couldn’t dare make love. It would be too easy to lose control…but more than that it seemed that the only time he acquired an erection was when the damned rune was excited. How horrible was that! The only time he grew hard was when he was fighting and killing and people were dying all around him. He hated it and yet he still couldn’t deny the pleasure…as he strode through a battle his staff moving with lightning speed dispatching his enemies left and right…it was better than any sex. With every death the pleasure was all the greater and his body seemed to become stronger and faster.

And inevitably at some point in the battle the death and destruction would reach such a crescendo that he would literally climax, cumming in his pants wherever he happened to be. It was one of the things he really envied about Ted; he always came in small amounts. But not him, oh no his heavy balls seemed to empty half a gallon of jizz into his pants.

And now as he got closer to the peninsula and the armies battling his cock hardened. He hated it! Reaching down he grasped the thick shaft running down the pants of his stolen Imperial uniform. He dug his nails into the flesh but his hard on was unrelenting.

After several moments he relaxed. There was nothing he could do about it just carry out this mission…one more step to ending this war and getting rid of the empire.

It wasn’t much longer before he could just barely see the beach shrouded in mist. He guided the boat towards a grove of trees. That would make a good staging point for his little excursion force. Once he felt the thump of the boat dragging along sand under the water he grabbed his pack and threw it over one shoulder. Pressing his staff into the mud, he leapt out of the boat grimacing at his suddenly soaked feet. Stepping around to the rear of the boat, he used his dagger to pry off the water orb. Without the power of the rune, within minutes the boat would begin to melt.

Soon enough the next five boats made landfall and Tir watched as the five people removed the water runes and carefully made their way up the beach.

Humphrey practically looked like he’d walked off an Imperial recruiting poster. His tall broad formed filled out the blue officer uniform as if he was born to it. The blonde confidently strode forward his head swiveling back and forth with a precise manner that spoke of years of experience. Tir saw him nod slightly as he noticed the trees, he apparently approved.

Cleo wore her own outfit for the most part. She still had the breast and shoulder plate that she preferred but the bodysuit she wore under her brown tunic was imperial blue rather than violet and so was her headdress.

Pahn looked distinctly uncomfortable. They hadn’t really been able to find a uniform that quite fit his impressive musculature. Even as he headed towards Tir with Cleo alongside, he constantly pulled on the material. Tir couldn’t help but feel a bit of warmth as Cleo elbowed him in the side in reprimand. Unfortunately, for Pahn he wasn’t a magic user and wouldn’t be allowed much leeway in modifying the uniform as Cleo could.

Kasumi moved gracefully even in the shifting sand and Tir felt that little bubble of happiness escape him as his eyes fell upon her. She wore her uniform quite smartly, the heavy fabrics disguising her lithe athletic form. Though she wore the typical imperial soldier’s blade at her hip Tir was sure she had her claws and several knives somewhere on her body.

He hadn’t wanted her to come. The last place he wanted Kasumi was on his team. Runes…the last place he wanted anyone was near him. Cleo and Pahn were too stubborn for their own good; even now he could feel the Soul Eater’s tendrils reaching out for them. He could feel it. He could feel the anticipation…how much it would enjoy tearing the souls from those he truly loved. He fought it….had fought it to a stand still. But who knew when it would finally succeed?

His feelings for the shy ninja were new and confusing but it didn’t matter cause he wasn’t about to give the accursed rune another target. Despite his feelings he couldn’t deny Mathiu’s reasoning for sending her along. She was Rokkaku’s best infiltration specialist and would be incredibly useful for this mission. The only ninja they had that was better was the independent Kage yet Mathiu had sent him on him on a secret mission that was apparently vital to this battle. Which meant he was probably already in the fortress…

The last member of his team almost made him think Mathiu was actively trying to draw him out of his self imposed isolation. It wasn’t going to work. Tir was going to have a very pointed conversation with his strategist. Kai may have once been a sort of grandfatherly figure to him but that was a long time ago. Well it seemed that way, that care free Tir may as well be a completely different person. All Mathiu had accomplished was creating another distraction for him…Kai may be a vigorous active old man but he was still an old man. Age cried out to the soul eater with great strength. He could hear its seductive whispers….how simple it would be to stop that aged and weary heart.

Though the owner of that aged and weary heart didn’t particular show it as he sauntered up to Tir along with the rest of his team.

“Well young master, it’s truly a beautiful day for such important works as we are about now, is it not?” remarked Kai as he leaned on his staff casually.

Glancing casually up at the sky that was still pouring down water with no signs of slowing down, he merely raised an eyebrow at his former trainer.
“Uh-huh…seriously, couldn’t we have postponed this for better weather.” Complained Pahn.

Cleo stepped up to Tir while grumbling about how he should have let her cast her water warding spell and how he was gonna get sick. Tir ignored her as she began using her fire rune to dry him and evaporate the rain before it hit him, careful not to touch him. It was a sign of his trust in her that he didn’t pull away. Pahn and Cleo were the only ones other than…he skittered over that thought as the familiar pain threatened to overwhelm him….they were the only ones he’d told the complete truth about what the Soul Eater was doing to him.

Humphrey was talking… “-a good thing. This rain will make the soldiers at the castle miserable, more likely to pay less attention.”

Kai grinned at an unappreciative Pahn, “Ah you see…a bright side is found!”

Humphrey turned to Kasumi and started to speak before noticing she was no longer there. He muttered something about ninjas, and then spoke more clearly, “Alright, Lord Tir you can go ahead and take shelter under the trees once Kasumi’s done scouting. I’ll stay here and organize out force…I’ll send each group to you once they’re ready.”

Tir nodded as his eyes swept the beach. How she had managed to vanish so completely in an area with so little cover was beyond him. The Rokkaku really had to be using magic…no matter how stealthy you are you can’t just vanish into thin air!

There was a time when he would have been the one running things, not Humphrey. But as the Soul Eater’s presence continued to grow within him he found it easier to let others take charge of such matters while he remained aloof. His mantel of leadership was assured by this point in the war. And really there were so many good leaders in this army he wasn’t really needed. In all actuality, he was just a good luck charm a morale booster for the men. Indeed, his isolation was adding to his mystique even if that had never been his intention.

The next five boats were coming in and Tir moved off a ways as Humphrey began taking control of the situation. Soon enough there would be almost five hundred soldiers on this little beach and it was important that control was maintained. Already the first five boats had nearly melted completely and that was important as otherwise they’d have five hundred boats stacked up that would be proof that something fishy was going on if any imperial galley happened to notice once they’d moved on.

Tir jerked away as he suddenly realized Kasumi had appeared next to him. He cursed himself as he took in the hurt in her eyes.

“Lord Tir, the grove is clear and so is the surrounding area. I did spot some retreating imperials but they are going to pass by a half a mile to the North.” She said calmly even as Cleo and Pahn moved not quite between her and Tir but close enough that they were obviously warning her not to invade his space any closer.

“Thank you.” Tir replied coldly. He wanted to be nice but he couldn’t. He had to let her know there could be nothing between them. Damn it…

He turned and walked towards the grove without another look.

***I reallize I've changed things about this battle....It's my story...makes more sense to me this way...thank you for all that have left reviews especially since they were more than just "awesome" "keep it up"...however, I would like to state that these kind of reviews have a direct impact on how long it will take for me to add another chapter....the more I get the faster and more I will produce****