They were allowed to wander off a little so Chalybs went off to catch some fresh meat. He came back and saw their new temporary commander "Boo!" He said as he popped up in front of Sacorax holding a small dead rabbit up to his face.
Sacorax's eyes jumped a little but his body was as still as stone despite the small surprise. Winding up his fist, Sacorax quickly unleashed a silent but devastating punch on Chalybs' face, right into his nose. His hardened hand felt no pain at all. "That felt good," Sacorax said out loud, not caring who saw him strike one of his soldiers.
"He's been getting on my nerves for a long time. He doesn't care for authority much I suppose," Sacorax stated. There wasn't much more to say. However, Sacorax was watching the commander now, making sure he didn't try to get in Sacorax's way or try to take his position. Accidents happen in battle after all...
The commander looked at him suspiciously, then stated simply, "You are needed in the command tent." He turned around and began walking away to attend other matters.
Sacorax smiled softly and turned around sharply, walking off slowly to the command tent. He wondered what he was needed for. It was likely it was unrelated to Sacorax's recent actions but of course, anything was possible with these humans.
Sacorax quickly unleashed a silent but devastating punch on Chalybs' face, right into his nose "Oww..." Chalybs groaned. "I guess I should have expected that... Want some?" He doesn't care for authority much I suppose "Hey, that's not true at all. I completely respect his authority; he has just never told me to stop or to actually do anything. Would you like some rabbit?" He finished as he noticed that both the captain and Sacorax had already walked away, and that some of his metal blood was running out of his nose. "Dam*, look what he's done." He complained as he held his nose with one hand and raised his other hand. The blood that was dripping down flew towards his hand, hovered in the air for a minute as a shiny, silver ball then implanted itself back into is blood stream via his wrist.
"I'll take some." Rabbit was much better post-breakfast than apples. "Tenes. Pleasure to meet you." Besides the man having floating blood, he was perfectly normal.
Tenes. Pleasure to meet you. "Chalybs Ferreus, a pleasure to meet you as well. What cut would you like?" He asked as he started to skin the rabbit. "You didn't happen to see me repairing my self did you?" he asked as he raised his hand and a small clump of assorted metal flakes rose from the rabbit's mouth.
Upon entering the command tent, Sacorax saw three stumps arranged in a rough triangle, two of which were occupied by two other captains. "We sent scouts out half an hour ago to search for whatever it is we're attacking. Only one out of the five returned, and he was badly wounded. He said that he was searching a destroyed town when the ground suddenly burst and demons came out. I heard that some of the men from your barracks, including you, were attacked by a 'demon bunny'. I have a feeling that this isn't a coincidence."
"Hm, demons all around us," Sacorax said, sitting down on one of the stumps. "We were attacked by a sort of demon bunny. Cost us two men. If demons are coming from underground they could easily destroy any settlement. They'll always strike first as well. They might even be coming this way to attack us while we're vulnerable."
"Exactly. The scout also said that, while running away, he thought he saw several black figures on a distant hill. We don't know exactly what we're dealing with here, but I have a feeling it's the work of a magician, or a group of them."
"What would the two of you suggest then?" Sacorax asked the other captains. If he had his way, he'd send the commander who tried to scold him and several others from the battalion he was in to their deaths. But Sacorax had a feeling he'd be hunting these magicians down with some soldiers.
"Chalybs Ferreus, a pleasure to meet you as well. What cut would you like?" "Thigh would be nice. And, if by repairing yourself you mean whatever it was that you just did, yes, I did happen to see it." He bit the apple. It was soft and juicy. "Want some apple with that bunny?"
"I think the best course of action is to wait for the wizards and last battalion to arrive, then send everyone to investigate the hill where the scout said he saw the figures."
Thigh would be nice. And, if by repairing yourself you mean whatever it was that you just did, yes, I did happen to see it. Want some apple with that bunny? "I see" Chalybs said as he slid the iron, zinc, and other metals that came from the bunny into the new slit on his wrist. "Last time someone saw me doing that, other than our crazy king, I was nearly burned at the stake for being an "Unholy-Blasphemous-Heretic". It's not always fun having a metal heart and metal blood. Some apple should go nicely with this, thank you." Chalybs quickly finished cleaning their meal and the metal chunks at his side to start a fire and a makeshift spit. "This should taste good"
"Sounds like a fine plan," Sacorax said. He sat waiting for a moment.Their plan was very two dimensional. Waiting for reinforcements was so cliche. These humans were either smarter than the rest of their breed or far stupider than any animal.
Out of the forest bursts King Quoten, covered in pock marks, a slab of honeycomb in one hand and his sword in the other, followed closely by a very angry swarm of bees. "These provisions have been commandeered by the army of Cumber! I command you to stand down!" he cries, flailing his sword at the bees. In a surprising display of pseudo-competance, he seems actually able to hit his tiny targets. However, he is clearly overwhelmed by the sheer number of attackers (and the sheer stupidity of his actions).
These provisions have been commandeered by the army of Cumber! I command you to stand down! "Speak of the devil, there's our crazy king now. Hey! King! Get rid of those bees and come over here with the honey, I'll give you a cut of the rabbit!"
"Nothing," Sacorax stated coolly. He hated being told when to enter and when to leave. But Sacorax controlled his actions, rising slowly and walking steadily out of the tent. It wouldn't be long before the humans would be attacked by their enemy, they'd probably get crushed. Sacorax only hoped that their enemy would bring enough chaos for him to quell his anger with a few murders though.
I was nearly burned at the stake for being an "Unholy-Blasphemous-Heretic". It's not always fun having a metal heart and metal blood. "I know the feeling. I tried to read a book once inside a church. Those people take blasphemy way too seriously. So, what do you think the monster will be this time?" He said, throwing an apple core on the ground. How long would they have to wait? At this rate, Armageddon would come sooner that whatever it was they were supposed to kill.
So, what do you think the monster will be this time? "No clue, Giant-Demon-Sewer-Frogs maybe?" Chalybs said with a laugh. "Mind handing me one of the apples to season the rabbit with?"
"Speak of the devil, there's our crazy king now. Hey! King! Get rid of those bees and come over here with the honey, I'll give you a cut of the rabbit!" "Righto!" Quoten ran by the campfire where Chalybs was sitting, handing the honey to him as he did so, then jumped into the river. For a while, the bees circled the river looking for him, then eventually gave up and flew back into the forest. When he was no longer able to hold his breath, Quoten poked his head above the surface, gasping for air. "Are they gone?"
Are they gone? "Yeah they're gone" Chalybs said as he made yet another piece of metal into a sort of brush and started to lather the rabbit in honey. "Yes, this is defiantly going to be a good meal."
