《Fiend Master》


 Chapter 1 - Destro

    Chapter 1 - Destro


    Destro''s eyes scanned across the sprawling display of extravagance that lay before him. Perched precariously upon a crumbling rooftop the eight year old youth looked down upon the rugged cobblestone street covered in sand below him. Wisps of Brown hair flitted deviously in the wind as he narrowed his amber brown eyes.The boy was clad in grey worn linen clothes whilst a black cloak rustled behind him. The aura emanating from him was raw and intense, if others were around they would definitely feel unsettled by the billowing pressure he was giving off. Muttering under his breath Destro cursed the people below him.


    The very people he was cursing were five ancient old men who walked down the crowded street. Their skin was shrivelled  and worn from many long years residing in the desert but none the less their crafty glittering eyes flitted around sizing up the surrounding crowds revealing a rather fierce intelligence. Behind them came a procession of both Beasts and younger men. Around two dozen young men strolled leisurely with their hands behind their backs, amiable smiles gracing their faces.


    Their noble stature was only further promoted by the five ferocious beasts that followed in each mans wake. Metre long scorpions with carapaces blacker than midnight showed off insidious stingers that hovered in midair, swaying threateningly. These BlackIron Scorpions walked side by side with majestic crimson dogs that were at least two metres tall, they''re fiery coats rippled with each step barely containing their power and might. These great dogs were RedDesert Mastiffs that prowled at the heels of the young men. There were even three BlueCloud Kestrels perched upon three of the men''s shoulders, they sat up high looking down at anything they''re eyes fell upon.


    This arrogant and powerful procession strolled onwards to there base of power in the area. The Shakur clans grand manor located in the centre of the small town of Shuda. The town was called Drego until five years ago however in recent history the Shakur clan produced a Beast Taming genius which led to their prompt rise to fame and power. But only five years ago this prominent genius was felled in battle. In honour of the great talent the council had decided to rename the town to remember and glorify his achievements.


    After the awe inspiring procession had passed hatred still burned inside of Destro''s eyes. Slinking off the rooftop he made his way down through the ramshackle mortar building and out into the broken streets. Sand piled up against the houses on either sides making seats for the beggars who were wrapped from head to toes in sand encrusted rags. Rugged wooden boards filled the windows of the houses that had been turned yellow from the sun and sand. The poverty riddled streets could thank the Shakur clan for their current state. Because they''re the local overlords they charged protection rates from the citizens of Shuda, claiming that if it weren''t for them Shuda would''ve been wiped off the map by bandits long ago. Of course bandits and Dark Guilds were a problem however Shuda had enough military might to protect itself sufficiently, all the Shakur clan was doing was using its power to suck the towns citizens financially dry.


    Therefore within the town there were two factions of people, the naive fools who thought the Shakur clan was like royalty whom only had their best interests at heart and those who weren''t deceived and saw the wolf in sheeps skin for the wolf it truly was. Destro fell firmly into the second category of people. Destro had no clan and was the offspring of two beggars. His parents were cold individuals who showed little love for their only son. His mother had scarcely fed him until the age of four at which point they were framed for the murder of a lowly scion of the Shakur clan and executed. The only grace his parents had given him throughout his life was to kick him to the streets with two gold coins as the Shakurs clan men had stormed into their ramshackle hut, had he been affiliated with them he would of been killed out of the public eye.


    One gold coin was worth a hundred silver coins which was worth ten thousand bronze coins. Destro had no knowledge of where his parents had encountered such a grand fortune, he was only thankful that his parents had left him with something before departing this world. A loaf of bread was worth ten bronze coins so logically if he ate a loaf of bread a day the two gold coins should of lasted for over six years. However foolishly the inherited fortune went to his head and he ended up spending a whole gold coin in just a year. At the age of five he had realised his error however he could only grit his teeth and regret his choices. So for the past three years he had lived frugally not spending on anything apart from food.


    Digging his slender hands into his pockets he pulled out the meagre amounts of currency he had left, which amounted to fifteen bronze coins. With a sigh he placed it back into his pockets, showing wealth without sufficient strength was never a good idea on these streets. Without another word Destro pulled his cloaks hood up and quietly padded away.


    Slipping through a few back streets and gaps between houses Destro hastily arrived in a decrepit market square. The few ragged merchants present had little wares to sell and even less buisness. Aside from Destro the only other patron of the square was a old man browsing the goods available. The reason for the frugal youths arrival at the market was because he had decided that having five spare bronze coins was of no benefit hence he decided to treat himself to a bit of meat. The only meat he had ever tried was the occasional burrower he could get ahold of, as well as a rare desert fox every now and then.


    Strolling into the bakers whom also dabbled as a butcher Destro pulled down his hood and was met with a friendly nod from the baker. The room was divided into two by a large counter that Destro could only just peek over, behind the counter was a door leading to a storage room. A large man strode out from the storage room behind the counter as he heard the shop door close. Displaying beefy arms and a large stomach the man was enveloped with a deathly air however as his eyes fell on Destro that grim aura partially dissipated. Having come here to buy bread every day for the past three years the two had become rather familiar as one would. With a fluid motion the baker removed a large steaming loaf from below the counter and started to wrap it in paper. "Actually Jufer I came for your skills as a butcher today"


    A flash of surprise ran across Jufer face before he recovered with a smile "What''s the occasion Brat? You made your fortune?" Jufer knew exactly how frugal this boy was, during the past three years this boy had never bought anything apart from a single loaf of bread each time he came in.


    Destro smiled awkwardly "I suppose you could call it a last meal of sorts" he replied slightly remorsefully.


    Jufer narrowed his eyes as he heard that and sized up the kid with his eyes. He''d seen many people come in to buy food with that same remorseful smile and whimsical look upon their face, it was the look of a person who was resigned to the fact they probably wouldn''t be eating anything else in the little remaining life span they had left. Jufer''s heart had long ago calloused after seeing such a scene many times. However Destro had been giving him patronage everyday for the past three years in addition he knew the boys harrowing story. Knowing he was the only adult the boy came into contact with daily made him feel a slight inclination of responsibility towards this youth.


    Weighing it up the beefy butcher let out a deep sigh before he tilted his head towards the youth "Wait for me outside brat" saying so Jufer turned around and walked back into the storage room. Slightly puzzled and bewildered as to what Jufer was doing Destro gingerly padded outside of the store to wait in the decrepit market square. Eight years experiencing a harsh life made the boy wary and tense but he waited, on the balls of his feet ready to flee but waiting none the less. After a couple of minutes Jufer walked out of his shop carrying a bundle of black cloth. It looked small in his arms however Destro knew it had to be at least half the size of himself.


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    "When I was a youngen I had a mutt called Gret. Goddamn mutt was always causing trouble for me, nicking my stuff and fucking off or worse nicking other people''s stuff and fucking off, anyways one night some bad types took me aside and started laying into me real good but just as it was looking pretty bad Gret came tearing down the alleyway and scared those bastards off. She got mashed up real bad though poor thing passed whilst nuzzling my hand. Had a soft spot for degenerate mutts since plus I ain''t got no clientele looking for mutt meat. Take it, salt the meat good it''ll last for a week or two" Saying so Jufer handed the rags over to Destro.


    The bundle of rags shrouded a prone figure, all Destro could see was a red paw hanging out the side of the rags. Speechless Destro could only stammer his thanks to Jufer and hastily handed over his fifteen bronze coins. Smiling sincerely Jufer accepted this meagre amount as if it could cover the price of the item he had gifted the young man. They both knew there was clientele for any type of meat in Shuda and a dog carcass as large as this could go for at least fifty bronze coins. Grinning from ear to ear Destro sincerely thanked Jufer three more times before he hefted the bundle upon his shoulder turned and departed the square. Jufer watched the figure fade from his sight before turning and sighing to himself "Your getting to soft and senile Jufer"


    Sweat soon broke out on the young boys brow as he carried the carcass that was as big as his upper torso on his shoulder to the outskirts of the desert town. Soon he had exited the town but still he carried onwards into the desert. For two hours the boy trudged onwards in the blistering heat becoming entirely caked in the sand that was flayed and whipped by the scorching desert wind. Rivulets of sweat cascaded down his forehead however after two hours of constant walking a rocky outcrop covered in lush vegetation came into view atop a great sand dune. Rejuvenated the boy picked up his pace and soon arrived at the rocky outcrop.


    The town of Shuda was like all settlements in the desert founded around the discovery of a water source. This water source was a great rock twenty metres tall that stood atop a sand dune. Crystal clear water leaked from the north facing side of this porous rock which had eroded out a giant rocky pool that collected this crystal clear water, moss and vegetation grew among the rockery surrounding the pool turning it into a veritable oasis. The towns founding citizens originally built there settlement directly around this oasis however the founders records tell of a fearsome Beast Rider who came with his great Beast and told the original settlers that he would reside quietly in this oasis, however he would not impede them from taking water from the rocky pool. Being in awe of the venerable master and his Beast the citizens had relocated their buildings five miles away from the oasis and set up pipes that carried the water from the pool to their settlement.


    For a few hundred years this was the arrangement and everything was in a symbiotic harmony. However a mere twenty years ago Shuda Shakur found a great freshwater lake below the towns people''s feet. So they abandoned the oasis and dug deep wells to draw the water up from the great underground lake below them. Just like that the man made pipes around the oasis fell to ruin and the solitary rock gained its previously lost tranquility. That was until Destro chanced upon it whilst tailing a desert fox out of hunger. As soon as he set eyes upon the tranquil land he decided he would reside here, out of the town and away from the poverty that besieged him and many of the other citizens.


    The rock that Destro had finally arrived at was indeed the oasis Shuda''s founders had built their first settlement around. Using the meagre decrepit remains of the piping system Destro had been able to make a small hut beside the great rock. It was a beautiful view Destro mused to himself as he approached his hut. The solitary lone rock stood tall and proud against the yellow sand background whilst to its right was an iridescent shimmering pool of water practically circular with a diameter of twenty metres. The pool was framed by lush moss and vegetation that grew like grass around the edges of the rocky pool. However the thing Destro found the most strikingly beautiful was the small hut he had erected. Corrugated iron served as the roof whilst bits of piping functioned as the walls. Cyan rags cascaded down the front of the hut serving as the door. The piping used as walls was arranged in a way that gave the huts roof a slight lean to the left. Destro had arranged it in such a manner after his previous roof collapsed upon him during monsoon season, the flat roof had accumulated to much water, the roof not being able to bear the weight had fallen directly on him, both squashing and drenching him.


    Reaching his living quarters he hurriedly slipped inside of his makeshift home. The standing rock was used as the back wall of his hut whilst on the floor was a brown rag he had laid out. The hut was constructed in a square shape with each side being about two metres long, a pile of linen blankets in the right corner served as Destro''s sleeping quarters whilst all of his worldly possesses were placed on a makeshift shelf to the left. Items that had caught his eye were placed here. A mess of roots that had entangled and strangled each other, a large blue tinted egg, the two foot long horn of some Beast, a sparkling rock that glittered luminescently and the small skull of a lizard type creature. Each were objects that Destro took great delight in studying and admiring, especially true of the luminescent stone.


    A rare smile graced his face as he walked into the home he had made for himself, placing the carcass down gingerly on the floor he took out a rusty iron dagger from underneath his blankets. The edge of the blade was blunt and dull however it would still serve its purpose. Unwrapping the rags from the mutts body Destro happily mumbled to himself "A Dog skin would certainly look nice on the stone wall" after finally unwrapping all of it Destro looked at the animal in the tattered ruins of its previous glory. The dog was at least a metre in length, probably a metre and a half if you measured from tip to tail. It had a graceful curved snout with small ears that obviously were permanently stuck in the air, long slender legs were attached to a broad chest and slim wasit. Adorning the dog was a black coat that could''ve once been beautiful and glossy but was now all tattered and covered in sand, rusty red splotches of fur were distributed throughout the dogs coat.


    Remorse flashed through Destro''s eyes upon seeing such a beautiful creature dead, however it''s body would sustain him for at least two weeks maybe a bit longer if he ate sparingly the remorse was replaced with glee upon such thoughts and Destro went to move the carcass outside. However his hand froze as he touched the dogs midriff.


    Faintly ever so faintly the dogs chest rose before falling again, as he saw his food for the next week breathing an incredulous look appeared upon Destro''s face. "It''s not dead" His jaw fell with the realisation.

 Chapter 2 - Leo

    Chapter 2 - Leo


    Bewilderment was stark on Destro''s face as he pondered on just how great of a favour Jufer had granted him. The carcass of a dog this size could go for at least fifty bronze coins however a live dog could go for upward of five silver, which is five hundred bronze coins. The reason for the vast price difference was that a domesticated dog like this would definitely have Fiend blood somewhere in its lineage, meaning there was the potential for it to become a Fiend Beast similar to the BlackIron scorpions and RedDesert Mastiffs the Shakur clan had been proudly displaying earlier on.


    Fiend Beasts were creatures only wealthy clans and families could posses and rear due to the exorbitant price for any Beast with the potential to become a Fiend Beast. If one wanted to buy a Fiend Beast directly they would be looking at prices upwards of five gold coins. A well off family in Shuda would earn around fifty silver annually. To spend one tenth of their annual savings on a dog that wasn''t even guaranteed to become a Fiend Beast was folly hence there weren''t many family''s in Shuda whom had domesticated animals as pets. For Jufer to give him a living dog was the equivalent of giving him five silver coins and potentially even five gold coins.


    Shock and gratitude were the two emotions most present on Destro''s pale face. He fully understood the magnitude of Jufer''s gift to him. The gratitude and shock soon faded from his face to be replaced with a slight frown. There was a problem. Instead of buying food he desperately needed he had just bought another mouth to feed. His eyes darted back down to the still mutt lying before him. There was more meat than he had expected on its body and there was obviously something wrong with it. Although the mutts ribs were visible it didn''t seem as if it was starving so it was very likely that there was a deep rooted problem that couldn''t be cured easily. Such thoughts stacked upon the hunger he knew would set in tomorrow nearly made Destro take the dog outside and get the job over and done with.


    However a little voice told him that wasn''t what he should do "It''s easy for a Fiend Beast to catch desert foxes and burrowers, if I could save it and through some miracle it does become a Fiend Beast I''ll be able to eat as much meat as I wanted to in the future." Optimism that an adult wouldn''t have still existed within Destro''s eight year old mind. The thought of having meat to eat whenever he wanted caused a sparkle to glimmer into life in his eyes and a slight smile to twist into existence. But his fantasy was dashed away as he came back to reality and the situation he was currently in. "Such a large dogs going to need a lot to keep it going, even more if its fighting an illness, as it is I''m all out of coins and food, how the hell am I gonna feed myself and the dog?"


    Destro heavily sat down on his blankets with a sigh and watched the butterfly like motion of the mutt drawing in breath and fighting for its life. For several hours he sat and watched the dog waging an intense internal debate with himself upon the best course of action. Several times he got up and made to take the dog outside with knife in hand but each time he could only sigh and sit back down. Finally he got up and took action "Damnit even if I eat it now I''ll still run out of food some time after" mumbling to himself he dashed outside.


    Moonlight filtered down onto Destro''s face as he came outside, it had turned dark long ago as he was debating what to do with his newly acquired purchase. Destro had familiarised himself with the local vegetation surrounding the rocky pool a while ago trying to see if any of the plant life was edible however he was put off eating plants after he spent three days vomiting whilst curled up in pain after consuming a fragrant purple flower.


    He walked away from his hut heading back towards Shuda observing the sandy ground closely. He was only walking for a minute before he found what he was looking for, a single lone flower grew up through the sand. It was a small flower with three white petals that were slightly withered from the blistering heat of the daytime sun. Destro deftly took out his knife and started digging down around the flower. He dug for a small while before he eventually pulled out what appeared to be an oval shaped stone. The oval stone was a deep brown in colour and a bit smaller than Destro''s head, the stone was connected to the flower through one thick root whilst about thirty smaller roots spread out from the stone.


    Smiling slightly Destro took his knife out and started cutting the oval plant directly in half. After cutting for a while crystal clear water that rivalled the water found in the rockery pool for clearness started dribbling out of the plants centre. The plant was commonly referred to as the Aqua plant. It would fill its stone up with clear mineral rich water during the monsoon season and then use it to sustain itself during the dry season. Travellers often planned their journeys to incorporate stops around areas where the Aqua plant numbers where particularly high so they could refill their water sources. Caravans were often killed by using incorrect maps that showed an Aqua plant area only to find the map was wrong and the plants were in another area, resulting in a slow painful death for the caravan members. Not that Destro knew any of this.


    Finishing sawing the plant into two bowl like halves he discarded one half before turning around and making his way back to the rockery pool. Filling the oval plant bowl with water he placed it down by the pool before he headed back inside the hut. Gently lifting the mutt he carried it outside. There was a clear contrast between the way he carried the dog now and the way he had carried when he was returning from Shuda. Gingerly placing the dog down he raised the plant bowl and opened the mutts jaws, he then proceeded to dribble small amounts of water directly into its mouth. At first the water only dribbled out of the sides of its jaws however obviously a partial amount trickled down its throat as the dog started coughing and spluttering weakly. Not deterred at all the boy continued trickling the water down the dogs throat.


    The mutts eyes flickered gently before opening slightly. Destro didn''t notice the opening of dogs eyes as he was intently concentrating on the task at hand, however if he had he would''ve seen something he could relate to, contained in the dogs black eyes was a ferociousness and deep distrust of the world. The mutts eyes flickered shut soon after opening, Destro never noticed their opening, the only thing he saw was the mutts throat start constricting and opening as it began drinking the water trickling into its mouth. Smiling jubilantly Destro increased the dribble to a small flow.


    After making the dog drink a whole bowl Destro was satisfied. Looking at the coat of the dog another frown creased Destro''s forehead. Taking the bowl he proceeded to wash the dogs matted coat. The dogs coat was relatively short however it was caked in sand and mud making it all matted and greasy. Washing the fur throughly he completely rinsed the dogs coat, the water running off the rocks into the sand was coloured brown and yellow a testament to how filthy the dog had really been. Hurriedly Destro fetched one of the blankets he slept in from his hut and dried the dog as quickly as he possibly could, worrying that if he let it stay wet and cold it''s condition may worsen.


    Delicately lifting the dog back up again he moved it inside of his hut before wrapping it up in dry blankets and laying it against the back rock wall before placing the plant bowl filled with water beside its head. Doing all of this Destro sat down heavily with his back to the pipe wall. During the day the rock absorbs the heat from the blistering sun so much so it take a while for all the heat collected to disperse, so for most of the cold desert night the rock wall gives out a comforting amount of heat. Normally Destro would curl up against the wall and fall asleep there however he decided the dog needed the heat more than he did.


    Sitting motionlessly he stared at the dogs prone body and fluttering chest. Destro closely observed the hounds features pondering upon the different types of dogs he knew about in Shuda. There were the RedDesert Mastiffs that the Shakur clan reared, GreenJungle Dingos that the Shuda guard raised and the RedPlain Dobermans that the Shuda elite guard were gifted upon promotion to captain. Destro had seen all three types of Fiend Beast and yet this dog resembled neither one.


    The most vivid memory he had was of a RedPlain Doberman that had been part of the raid team sent to capture his parents, it was the only time he had ever seen one but he could remember it as if it happened only minutes ago. He clearly remembered the foam frothing at the Fiend Beasts snarling mouth and the crazed rabid eyes that made him shudder involuntarily. Destro knew that the head of the dog before him was almost identical to the RedPlains Doberman he had seen four years ago the only deviation being a slightly shorter snout. However it had the thick neck and deep powerful chest of a RedDesert Mastiff as well as the thin wry waist and long slender legs of a nimble GreenJungle Dingo.


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    After pondering for a moment on the species of the dog before him Destro gave up without much further thought on the subject guessing it was a crossbreed mutt. He knew that currently he didn''t have time to be wasting pondering upon the species of the dog in front of him, he had to think about how to feed both it and himself.


    The moon reached its zenith in the sky and yet Destro still sat still motionless in the exact same position, his mind was racing thinking of ways to acquire food. The two options he could come up with was to pickpocket a few nobles or to find and hunt wild animals. Pick pocketing was a serious offence however and he would have one of his hands chopped off if he was found guilty, something he''d seen happen to many times, it wasn''t rare to see starving beggars of all ages who only have one hand or possibly even no hands. As for hunting, the wild animals in the desert were just to sparsely spread out, he''d have to spend a week looking before he found anything so that wasn''t an option either. Frustration was written all over Destro''s face.


    Destro''s concentration as well as the absolute silence of the night was broken by the sound of soft ripples as the rockery pools water was disturbed. Looking up and around Destro dismissed it as an nocturnal animal coming for a drink, at which point he realised how much of a fool was. He thought he would have to look for the animals if he were to hunt however he lived by an oasis in a desert, all manners of animals came here for something to drink especially this time of year, the dry season.


    Quietly pushing aside the blanket that served as the huts door he looked outside. Across the moonlight lit pool sat a small desert fox. Brown in colour with exceptionally large ears the fox was cautiously lapping at the pools water. A grin was at Destro''s lips as the eight year old half heartedly cursed himself for his own stupidity.


    For the entire night he sat by the entrance to his hut watching the comings and goings of the nocturnal creatures. Throughout the night six foxes and nine burrowers came to drink from the pool. By sun rise a predatory sharks grin was plastered across Destro''s face. Quickly rising he dashed across to the other side of the pool and looked at the vegetation at three points. In each of the places the vegetation was flattened. Apart from a single fox these three points were where every animal had come to drink. Throughout the night Destro had been thinking up ways of catching his prey and now he sprung into action quickly building the contraption that he had envisioned in the middle trail.


    After an hours work he admired the contraption he''d crafted, as he did a smug look crept onto his face, satisfied he turned and strolled back to the hut. Sitting down and placing the dogs head in his lap Destro began dribbling water into the weak mutts mouth again. The response was pleasantly surprising for Destro. The dog started vigorously swallowing down all the water he tipped into its mouth, on top of that it appeared that the dogs chest fell and rose a lot more steadily than it did the day before. The positive results put him in an even better mood.


    Nuzzling down into a pile of blankets Destro contently fell asleep.


    Awaking to the sound of his stomach growling ferociously Destro sighed discontentedly. Hastily he took a quick peep outside. Seeing the moon just beginning to rise a flicker of anticipation emerged in his eyes. Once again he gave the dog some water and once again it appeared to drink it a lot easier than it had previously. The dogs breathing was a lot more pronounced and visible as well, appearing to be a lot less laboured than before. Destro''s mood would''ve been grand seeing this however his stomach was letting him know that he hadn''t eaten in forty eight hours.


    Sitting down just inside his hut he looked out across the pool. His mornings labour still sat there and upon seeing it Destro couldn''t help but chuckle at his own ingenuity. Two large rocks sat either side of the trail to the pools side. Directly above these rocks was a metre long bit of crescent shaped piping, suspended by a rusty iron pole placed in the centre of the piping. Both of the pipings ends were balanced precariously on the individual rocks, the only real support was the pole in the middle, without the pole the piping would fall to the floor instantly. If they followed the trail to go to the pool to drink both burrowers and foxes would have to knock against the pole to get past causing the piping to come down, at that moment both ends of the piping would be blocked by the two large rocks trapping the animal within.


    Sitting expectantly in the doorway of his hut he watched the trap like a hawk. After some time a desert fox trotted over. Destro''s entire body tensed, he was silently praying for succes. Sniffing dubiously in the direction of the trap the fox chose the trail to the pool on Destro''s left. Two more foxes came over and each one displayed some form of interest in the crudely crafted trap before going down another trail to drink from the pool. More time passed and Destro started lulling off into a slumber despite himself.


    A piercing squeal startled him awake. Snapping his head round to look across the pool he found the piping had come down and something was currently squealing inside of it. Rushing over Destro pounced on the piping before whatever was inside could try to get out. Excitement was evident on his face as he pulled the rock from one end of the piping out. Before whatever was inside could react he stuck his hand on and grabbed ahold of something furry. A sharp pain came from his hand as he felt a pair of keen incisors bite down upon the back of his hand "Fuck!" Pulling his catch from the piping he found a large burrower gnawing furiously on the back of his hand. Burrowers were about half a metre long with stubby back legs and giant front legs, they had small beady eyes and tiny ears.They were covered in thick soft brown fur while the only teeth in their small mouths were two pairs of small canines on either side of their mouths. Tears were bought to Destro''s eyes as the burrower loosened his jaws a small bit before bitting down again harder. However his hunger wouldn''t permit him to let go of his catch. Pulling his knife out of his pants pockets he quickly stabbed the burrower through the eye before it chewed a hole in his hand.


    Destro dropped it and kicked the corpse away while tentatively holding his bleeding hand "Little Fucker" Mumbling to himself he reset the trap and headed back to the hut with his contraptions first kill. Sitting just outside of the doorway he skinned and gutted the burrower as fast as he could with the dull knife he had, preparing an animal for consumption was one of the only things his father had taught him. Squatting on the floor Destro looked at the heart and liver of the burrower he had in his hand. Ideally he''d be able to make a fire and cook the meat but it didn''t bother him that he couldn''t, having eaten meat raw before as well as being as hungry as he currently was, the fact it was raw wasn''t to disconcerting. He eat the heart first, consuming it as fast as he could to appease his stomach before he slowly ate the liver savouring its taste slightly more. Feeling satisfied after eating the heart and liver he took the corpse inside to the dog. Cutting a leg off and setting it aside for himself for the morning he proceeded to cut the rest of the burrower up into tiny slivers of meat. Sitting down he then placed the dogs head on his lap before taking the small pieces of meat and forcing them down the dogs throat. As the first piece of meat entered the dogs mouth it fully opened its eyes for the first time.


    The dogs eyes met with Destro''s and he instantly felt a sense of comradeship with this canine. He could sense the dogs ferociousness and unrelenting will to live, it was a will that sparked a fire inside of him. Only two days ago he had been resigned to the fact he''d probably starve, his desire for life gone, however seeing the raging fire in the mutts eyes sparked a will to live in him that he''d only felt once before. He''d felt it once before when he was shown his younger brother by his parents. A protective instinct was awakened along with the desire for life when he laid eyes on the tender babe his parents held. But by some cruel twist of fate the child was born two weeks before his parents were seized by the Shakur clan. His younger brother was taken with his parents and just as his brother and parents were taken his desire for life was taken as well. Feeling the dogs unrelenting will he immediately associated it with his younger brother and breathed out in surprise "Leo"

 Chapter 3 - Desert Dire Wolf

    Chapter 3 - Desert Dire Wolf


    A deep sorrow seeped into Destro''s eyes as he reminisced about his brothers life that had been mercilessly stolen, however an indomitable steely determination surged as he stared at the prone dog laying in his lap destroying any sorrow left in his eyes. "I was powerless to protect my little brother, but I won''t allow myself to fail twice I promise you that" mumbling to himself Destro swore a promise both to himself and the dog who''s life was precariously balanced in his hands. The heavy somber atmosphere surrounding the boy quickly evaporated as he laughingly turned to the dog "I suppose that''s what I''ll call you from now on then, Leo"  With a gentle smile he started caressing Leo''s head as he continued to feed him.


    As Destro was feeding him Leo''s eyes fell upon the youths face, appraising the boy whom had taken in him. Distrust was the most prominent emotion within Leo''s eyes however he gratefully eat the meat delicately placed in his jaws. Creatures with Fiend Beast lineage were innately intelligent, possessing feelings and morals, it wasn''t entirely unheard of for such animals to follow complex commands and orders. Fiend Beasts themselves possessed at least the same level of intelligence as humans and as for of the strongest Fiend Beasts, well to compare their intellect with the intelligence of a common man was like comparing the sun to feeble candle. Such knowledge was common in Shuda and Xiandem, so when Destro observed Leo looking at him so appraisingly he fully understood that he was being sized up and analysed by his canine patient.


    Destro finished feeding Leo the entire Burrower at which point he cast a glance and the slightest of sniffs towards the leg that Destro had put aside for himself in the morning. Watching this Destro couldn''t help but chuckle, elated with the rate Leo was recovering from whatever had been plaguing him. Tentatively placing Leo back down by the rock wall Destro turned and creeped outside of the hut to resume watching over his trap.


    The next three days and nights were spent in the same way. Each day he fed Leo a single bowl of water in the morning and at night as Destro woke up, he would then settle down inconspicuously outside his hut for the night to stealthily watch his trap. Every single night he caught one Burrower, which was enough to feed both himself and Leo over the three days. On the third night Destro observed that more Burrowers would come to drink before anything was caught however the moment a Burrower was caught there would be an immediate decrease in the numbers of Burrowers whilst there was a greater influx of fox numbers. After pondering on it for a while he shrugged it off assuming it was something to do with the distressed squeaking Burrowers made when they were caught.


    With a content look Destro sat outside the hut skinning the latest Burrower his trap had caught. Destro''s spirits were at an all time high, he enjoyed eating raw meat far more than the bread he had lived off for three years and watching Leo recover a little more every day felt intrinsically good to him. Getting up he slipped past the rag door and went to sit against the rock wall, before lifting up Leo''s head and resting it on his lap. Taking a large bit of the freshly caught Burrower meat he placed into Leo''s jaws, at which point Leo slowly chewed on it before swallowing it all down. Over the past four days Leo had gone from being completely and entirely paralysed, unable to move at all to being able to feebly move around. Such a recovery rate might of ensured that Destro was grinning from ear to ear however on the second day he had the horrid realisation that after putting food and water in, it had to come out at some point. Unpleasant as it was he could only grit his teeth and curse before beginning to wash the blankets Leo was wrapt in whenever it started smelling pungent.


    The distrust that had been so blatantly stark in Leo''s eyes whenever their eyes had met had been partially eroded away over the past four days, to Destro''s pleasure, a slight sense of familiarity was starting to replace it. On two separate occasions now Leo had attempted to get to his paws. The first time he had struggled for a while but had eventually clawed to sit upright before collapsing back down. The second time was only a few hours ago and he had meekly made his legs stand below him, just standing there shaking and wobbling dangerously. Shock had been plain on Destro''s face as he saw Leo standing upright however he didn''t have long to admire his feat, Leo''s legs gave way and before he could hit the floor Destro had dived across the hut and caught him, delicately lowering him back down to the ground.


    As Destro knelt over him Leo let out a minuscule whimper in what Destro guessed was gratitude. Shock at the speed of Leo''s recovery wasn''t the most prominent thing that struck Destr, shock at Leo''s height and size was what left a lasting impression from that event. As Leo stood his shoulder was around seventy centimetres off the ground, that was with his legs bowed and wobbling, to put that in perspective whilst Leo was crouching his head came up to Destro''s chest. Although Destro realised Leo was large he hadn''t fully comprehended just how large he actually was whilst he was lying down, despite most of his height being attributed to his sleek elongated legs. Destro''s shock was quickly replaced with glee as he thought of the innumerable desert foxes Leo would be able catch with such powerful long legs, that could obviously reach their maximum potential for speed.


    Like the deserts arid breezes three more days passed rapidly. Leo was now up and fully mobile. Destro was still awed every time he viewed Leo''s magnificent stature. Destro sat on the roof of the hut with his legs crossed, completely relaxed and savouring the serene environment. Leo majestically stood facing the sunset to Destro''s left twenty metres or so in front of the hut. He stood completely upright framed by the desert sand that sparkled crimson in the setting sun. His pointed ears stood to attention whilst he''s eyes glittered with a surprising intelligence, his head was supported by a burly neck that was ramrod straight and attached to a deep muscular chest that looked like a sculptor had carved it out of obsidian. Sleek slender front legs held up his powerful chest whilst bulky muscular back legs were attached to a wiry thin waist by fearsome hip muscles. Complementing his majesty was a slender tail that curved upwards. He had a small spear shaped patch coloured a dark rustic red in the middle of his chest, all four of his paws shared the colour, apart from those splotches of colour his entire coat was a glossy black.


    The first time Leo got to his feet and unsteadily walked outside Destro''s heart had been palpitating with nervousness. He squatted upon the balls of his feet ready to chase after Leo and drag him back into the hut if he made to get away. However after wandering a few metres outside and solemnly looking towards the pool for a few minutes Leo had turned around and shakily meandered back into the hut. As the rag flapped shut Destro collapsed flat onto his back as profuse sweat rolled down his forehead. "Looks like this is his home now" Destro said it shakily and as the words came out he felt as if a titanic weight had been lifted off his shoulders now he knew Leo wouldn''t be running off as soon as he recovered. Thankfully as soon as Leo was able to walk freely Destro''s excrement cleaning duties were liberated.


    Anticipation bubbled in Destro''s belly as sat atop the huts roof contemplating the ambitious plan he had for tonight. Looking at the pile of Burrowers innards he had stacked in the distance a slight smile played at his lips. Leaping down from the roof of the hut he strolled back in it to wait for the sun to set for him.


    Yesterday night after catching a Burrower Destro didn''t feed all of it to Leo instead he diced some of the meat up and placed it in his pockets. Throughout the day he had called out "Leo" after whistling then holding a bit of meat out to him. The first time Leo had hesitantly padded over and cautiously took the piece of meat from Destro''s hand, however after the tenth time Leo would head towards Destro with out any hesitation, with his level of intelligence he soon realised that when the boy called "Leo" and whistled he was getting meat if he went to him.


    Sitting with his back to the rock wall he let his eyelids slide shut savouring the heat that caressed and tried to subdue him into a slumber. Destro pursed his lips and let out a low whistle before calling "Leo" Hearing the rags rustle Destro waited expectantly. The few days Leo had regained mobility he had slept beside the rock wall whilst Destro gave him his room, sleeping by the door. He had waited for Leo to go out before purposely coming in and sitting by the rock wall and calling him. After a few minutes Destro felt a body slowly and cautiously come lie beside of him. Smiling inwardly Destro gingerly stretched an open hand out that held meat whilst keeping his eyes shut, he felt a wet nose brush against his palm and then the meat was gone. Smiling Destro gently moved his hand and delicately placed it upon Leo''s back, he felt Leo tense up instantly. However after a few minutes Leo slowly relaxed and Destro''s inward smile turned into a scream of triumph. Settling down, euphoric with the progress he''d made with Leo Destro sunk into the embrace of sleep.


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    Groggily blinking the sleep out of his eyes Destro awoke feeling refreshed. Hurriedly getting up he crossed over to the other side of the hut sitting down, then peeping out past the rags, checking on the pile of stinking Burrower innards he''d placed fifty paces away. Ever since he started catching Burrowers he had been at a loss as to what to do with the guts and bones, the skin he could make use of, skin and fur could always be used for insulation and clothing. However four nights ago as he was watching his piping trap he saw a fox sniff in the direction of the guts he had been piling up outside of the hut before warily making its way over. However as it got around twenty paces away it had suddenly turned tail and backed off. Seeing this a flash of inspiration had hit Destro. From that night onwards every morning he placed that nights kills guts fifty paces away, foxes would come the very next night and devour everything he left out. Tonight he''d take advantage of that.


    Looking back into the hut he softly whistled and called out "Leo" Leo''s head slowly rose as he looked at Destro before he got up, took a few lazy strides over before flopping down beside Destro''s right hand side. Leo''s big eyes looked up expectantly at Destro as if to say "I''m here, now make moving worth my time" Chuckling Destro flipped a bit of meat out and chucked it to Leo. Snatching it out of midair Leo snaffled if quickly before letting out a satisfied snort whilst dropping his head to the floor contently. Chuckling at the canines antics Destro shook his head before starting his watch.


    Hours passed and the moon got higher and higher in the sky as it followed its destined path across the heavens. Destro was wide awake after sleeping for most of the day so he saw the silhouette of the fox climbing the up dune early on. Watching the foxes path intently he grinned as he saw the fox wasn''t heading to the pool and was instead heading straight for the pile of innards. It obviously wasn''t the first time this desert fox had feasted on the guts as it wasn''t as skittish as most of the others that Destro had seen eating his bait. As the fox got closer and closer Destro got more and more excitable, glancing to his right he saw that Leo was fast asleep, breathing deeply. The fox was only a few paces away from the bait and Destro couldmt wait any longer, he swiftly jolted Leo awake. Leo''s head was pointing outside of the hut in the direction of the fox so as soon as he jerked awake the first things his eyes alighted upon was prey.


    Destro had been ready for Leo to react however he was still left floundering as Leo''s body hurtled forward like a black arrow flying in the direction of the fox. Destro rapidly got up and chased as fast as he could after his dog. Leo was closing in rapidly on the fox however as soon as Destro rose to his feet the fox spooked, turned tail and fled back down the sand dune. Leo was tearing after the fox, every muscle in his body was perfectly synced as he pounded upon the trail of his prey, every step he took he gained on the fleeing fox.


    The predator and prey couple reached the bottom of the sand dune and had started flying across the flat desert sand long before Destro was even halfway down the two hundred metre tall dune. Leo''s advantage of having longer legs wasn''t as pronounced on the flat sand surface, he stopped gaining so rapidly however he was still drawing closer and closer to the fleeing prey.


    As Destro finally reached the bottom of the dune the shrill sound of a foxes dying shrieks momentarily rung across the desert before being cut by Leo''s clamping jaws. Laughing as he ran Destro carried on sprinting as fast as he could. Leo and his trophy soon came into sight at the foot of another smaller dune. Leo stood over the dead fox tearing away at it consuming the fox where it was killed. A smile spread across Destro''s face and he picked up the pace, intent on getting some of the meat for himself.


    His eyes happened to stray upwards and what caught his sight froze his blood. Framed by the moonlight at the top of the dune was the solitary silhouette of the peak predator in the desert. Cold white light filtered down onto a Desert Dire Wolfs raised hackles, snarling lips and bloodthirsty eyes. As soon as Destro caught sight of it it flickered into the shadows provided by the dune. Destro knew exactly where it was headed and panic and fear exploded in his head, had it not been for Leo sitting unaware of the imminent danger he was facing Destro would''ve turned and sprinted straight back to his hut to hide in his blankets. But he couldn''t leave Leo, he didn''t want to leave the only friend he''d ever made to die behind of him, he had a future if he had Leo.


    Raggedly drawing air into his lungs Destro sprinted onwards. He saw Leo look up from the fox and he watched as two blood red dots charged down the dune drawing closer and closer to Leo. Destro pumped his legs harder and roared with all of the air his lungs could spare "LEO!" Like a dam breaking its banks the Dire Wolf charged out of the shadows and collided with Leo who was crouched defensively growling throatily over his kill. Sand was kicked up everywhere as the canines collided, tears streamed down Destro''s face as his legs screamed in agony "LEO!" His pain filled scream was drowned out by heart chilling snarling and heart wrenching squealing echoing from within the sand cloud. He was getting closer and he could see the furry limbs thrashing about with each other on the floor, the impassive white moonlight glinted off a fang before it pierced through both fur and muscle. Crimson blood sprayed staining the disturbed sand, Destro''s heart clenched as he saw the sand turn scarlet and heard a pained howl. More sand was kicked up obscuring his vision further, Destro frantically tried running faster, charging straight for the sand cloud metres in front of him. His worry and grief transformed explosively into an uncontrollable fury as charged ahead intent on killing the Dire Wolf with his own two hands.


    Time suddenly slowed down as a two grey shaggy paws emerged from the sand cloud. Two paws emerged and a ferocious rabid head followed. Foam mixed with blood frothed from the pouncing Wolfs mouth, a terrifying rabid insanity was stark in the Beasts blood red eyes. The Dire Wolf was leaping out of the sand cloud its two bloodthirsty eyes entirely intent on killing its prey, the prey which had never been Leo but in fact was always Destro. Destro realised it, before he had even seen the Dire Wolf it had seen and targeted him. Time started to speed up again and Destro could only watch as the vivid stationary claws turned into grey flashes of light. Searing heat bursting into existence on the left side of his face and a large impact was all he felt at first. Then the pain hit and his conscience wavered. He couldn''t see anything he could only feel the sand beneath him and a weight on top of him stopping him for breathing. Distantly as if it was happening a few miles away he heard some howls and snarls and growls. Then the weight was taken off him and he found breathing a little easier. The snarling and growling and howling kept going but he wasn''t sure what was making the noises all he knew was that it worried and scared him. Then all the snarling stopped. After the snarling stopped he felt gentle heat washing away the intense painful heat on the left side of his face. He relaxed then, he didn''t know why but the gentle heat made him feel safe and secure. Feeling safe he happily felt the heat and sound and the touch of the sand get further and further away until it was all just a distant memory.

 Chapter 4 - Jared

    Chapter 4 - Jared


    Underneath the impartial setting desert suns rays a stalwart figure was ungracefully scrambling up a sand dune. Clad in great baggy white robes that were constantly being caught underneath his sandalled feet and tripping him up, the lonesome figure would of been rather comical in his antics if it were not for the splattered crimson blood stains up his chest. Long blonde locks fell around the fifteen year olds face as he pushed onwards, framing a dark tanned face and delicate nose. Two desolate striking blue eyes kept their gaze focused dead ahead of them, terrified of looking back and seeing figures pursuing him.


    Ripping air into his lungs Jared looked around in distress. Panicking he frantically recalled what his father had imparted to him "Flee from Shuda on the north road and carry on to the north towards the centre of the desert, after five miles there should be a pool marked by a solitary stone. Wait five days and if no comrades arrive carry on north for another thirty miles until you reach the town of Dhiran"


    Anguish at his plight was constricting his throat making drawing each breath harder than the last as he fled deeper into the barren desert leaving Shuda far behind him. Tripping over his outer garment again Jared let out a low growl of rage whilst lying amidst the sand. Staggering to his feet he ripped the outer robe off, leaving only his loincloth and sandals on. Barring his toned upper body to the deserts elements he kept moving northward bound.


    Cresting the dune he had been climbing jubilation burst into his striking blue eyes as they came to rest upon a giant lone rock that rested atop the next sand dune maybe not even a kilometre away. The sunlight was being replaced with moonlight rapidly now, so when Jared saw the small pillar of smoke rising beside the great lone rock he offered a pray of thanks to the gods, hoping there was space around the fire among the travellers encampment for him. Picking up his flustered pace he hurried to make his way over to the rock and, hopefully, his saviours.


    Climbing up the great sand dune the rock his father talked about rested upon uneasiness flashed through Jared mind. He was only fifty or so metres away from the top of the dune and yet no one had called out to him or asked him to identify himself. There weren''t many types of travellers that wouldn''t place guards to keep watch for the night. The dark thought that maybe they weren''t travellers at all surfaced in Jared''s mind, they could be bandits or members of a Dark Guild. The uneasiness in Jared''s mind graduated to full time fear as he thought about deaths potential embrace waiting for him. However he knew he couldn''t survive in the desert without any water, death awaited for him if he were to journey without water, he was forced to go to the oasis if he wished to survive. In addition there had been an increase of Desert Dire Wolves around this area in the past few years, the people at the top of this dune might offer him some protection, safety was after all found in numbers. Nervously he carried onwards.


    The sun had finished setting just as Jared crested the dune, perplexity filled his expression as he comprehended the bizarre sight that met his gaze. The half darkness of the encroaching night was held at bay by a small fire over which a fox carcass was being roasted, the flickering flames cast light upon a ramshackle hut constructed against the side of the solitary rock he had been seeking. Animal Furs and bones and were decorating every part of the hut making it seem tribal in nature. The flames cast their light to reflect and glitter upon a pools surface to the right of the rock and hut. Fur and bone was spread everywhere in the immediate area whilst sparse amounts of plants grew up through the sand and animal pieces.


    Sitting on a small rock staring intently at the cooking meat hovering over the fire was a youth tinted yellow and orange by the billowing camp flame. Tanned a bronzed brown the male youth was almost as naked as Jared was. He wore a pair of loose shorts that couldn''t even reach his knees, his sleek powerful chest was all bare apart from a terrifying robe. Two shaggy grey paws acted as a brooch whilst the top half of the Dire Wolfs head was being used as a hood. Jared''s eyes bulged as he realised this youth had donned a Desert Dire Wolfs skin as a robe. Two yellowed curved fangs rested upon his forehead stopping just above his eyebrows. Dark chestnut hair fell wildly amongst those two serrated incisors. Two piercing amber eyes slowly looked up from the meat and met Jared''s astonished gaze. Jared felt a shiver run down his spine as he was gazed upon by this savage looking youth, he was reminded of the time he had locked eyes with a RedDesert Mastiff, he felt as if he was looking at a predator whom viewed his life as nothing more than sustenance for itself.


    The trait that truly terrified him however was the slightly faded but still prominent angry white scar that started above his eyes in the centre of his head and jaggedly run down over his left eye and finished equal with his nose in the middle of his cheek. Getting to his feet slowly the wild young man displayed his impressive physique. Sleek and streamlined his entire body looked like it balanced speed and power perfectly. The wild youth wasn''t as tall as Jared had expected, being perhaps only one metre sixty but that didn''t truly affect the barbaric figure he cast.


    Taking note of the Runed blade beside the barbarians feet Jared inhaled a deep shaky breath slowly steading himself whilst becoming prepared to flee if that was what he had to do to live. The oasis wasn''t worth getting killed for and looking at all the bones on the ground there was a good chance he was going to be killed for nothing more than amusement. Gingerly placing a foot behind him Jared readied himself to turn and run all the way to Dhiran with this desert barbarian hounding after him baying for his blood all the way. However what the barbarian youth did next stupefied Jared even more than finding him here in the first place. With a smile the barbarian gestured to another rock by the fire and sincerely spoke "Come you''re free to share my campfire" Jared''s jaw dropped even lower.


    --


    Destro noticed the youth as soon as he crossed the crest of the nearest dune however not a trace of fear, excitement or anxiousness could be seen on his face, his facial expression was the picture of serenity and tranquility. Last monsoon season he had turned fourteen years old. It had been six years since Leo had fought with the Desert Dire Wolf. That night was the first time Leo had saved his life, he had woken up to find Leo protectively lying next to him mauled and mutilated. The Desert Dire Wolfs corpse lay a few metres away, it''s throat had been ripped cleanly out.


    Struggling to his feet he had dragged the dire wolf back to his hut and went over to the pool to look at his face. He knew the injury wasn''t light as he hadn''t been able to clearly see out of his left eye, but seeing the severity of it Destro was absolutely mortified. The entire left side of his face was swollen beyond the point of recognition, his left eye was practically closed entirely having turned a sickening shade of purple and blue. The jagged red wound had already scabbed up, showing just how long he had been out for. The heavy shock was a little to much for Destro''s weakened mental state and even weaker stomach, turning around he retched up the little undigested food left in his stomach.


    The wound healed up quickly however, turning into a ugly scar in just a couple of months. After that life had carried on. Destro had realised the cry of a distressed Burrower was very attractive to a fox and acted as a deterrent to other Burrowers, so constructing a small cage of rib bones Destro had caught a Burrower and imprisoned it. Every night he would mercilessly poke and prod the trapped Burrower causing it to shriek shrilly, attracting droves of foxes whom Leo would easily catch. Destro had felt bad about tormenting the creature in such a way at first however he kept the Burrower watered and well fed upon fox meat, he convinced himself that the Burrower was leading a safer life now than it was before.


    One cold night only five months after the Wolf attack Destro had spotted a group of five men making their way in the direction of the oasis. Being cautious intrinsically he had headed down the dune with Leo and camouflaged himself by lying under one of the darker blankets he had. When the men had arrived at the rockery pool they went through Destro''s hut and the belongings inside of it. They laughed at each other and one had even struck a match motioning to throw it into his hut. As the match was lit Destro had seen the tattoo on the mans neck illuminated by the small flickering flame. It was an insidious tattoo of a heart being pierced by a dagger and constricted by a snake simultaneously. It was common knowledge in Shuda and the surrounding area that anyone tattooed with such a symbol was a member of the dark guild known as Bloody Viper.


    As soon as Destro realised they were members of a dark guild he had stealthily snuck up on one man and slit his throat. That was the first time he had ended a human beings life that night, Destro''s only thoughts on the event was that it wasn''t to different to taking an animals life, as far as he could see each life ended was worth the same amount of sin. Leo had attacked in unison with Destro and had ripped another mans throat out. As easily as extinguishing a flame a nine year old and a dog had killed two fully grown men who were supposedly vicious outlaws whom slaughtered men and raped women for a living.


    Two of the remaining three men had been quickly seen off to the next life that awaited them by Leo''s jaws before they had truly registered the threat to their lives, at which point the survivor who had disarmed and sent Destro sprawling to the floor had turned tail and fled. Destro knew dark guilds had such sinister reputations for a reason, if that man got away then they would come back here in force looking for Destro''s blood. Hesitating for only a moment Destro had motioned for Leo to kill the fleeing man. Bolting after the dark guild member Leo had caught up in seconds and clamped his fine fangs around the hapless mans throat.


    On four other separate occasions such scenarios had been played out again. The only difference being that the past two times Destro had Leo hide however he himself stayed out to greet the intruders. Of the five batches two had been groups of Blood Viper men, one dark guild group called the Ruptured Jewels and two bandit organisations. The largest group had been second bandit group, they numbered eight men. Destro''s survival in each fight was entirely down to Leo''s innate ferociousness and bloodthirstiness, not a single one of the five brawls would of been won without his talent for battle. The fighting was hard and both Leo and Destro had to spend a few weeks after each battle recuperating and recovering from the injuries they had sustained killing them. Destro had a long scar from his right shoulder straight down to his hip to commemorate the fight against the large bandit group.


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    However he had received compensation for his injuries and hassle. There were a few things of particular interest on the Dark Guild members bodies, he plundered thirteen well crafted blades, eleven serrated daggers, a single pair of battle hatchets and four small bows with eleven quivers of various arrows. There was also four rings with the same rune inscribed upon each one, there was one ring from each group apart from the smaller bandit group. The weapons interested Destro however the runes upon the rings were what truly captured Destro''s attention and fascination. according to legend Runes were the written form of the language of the gods. Such things would be dismissed as heresy if it weren''t for the mystical effects of the Runes that made people believe such brazen claims. There are thousands of Runes according to legend and each one has a different effect. One must have a certain level of ability to be able to read Runes and an even greater level of ability to write Runes. Because of this anything marked with a Rune was a valuable commodity blessed by a powerful human entity.


    This alone meant that what Destro had plundered from the larger group of bandits was of equal monetary value to a ring, however to Destro the treasure he liberated from the bandits clutches was multiple times more valuable than the rings. The first bandit group were inferior to the other groups in terms of equipment, however they had provisions in their bags as well as sufficient funding, a total of eighty five silver coins.


    The second bandit group possessed better melee equipment and provisions in their bags, as well as the treasure the bandits leader had fought with. It was the weapon that had left the scar upon Destro''s back. A curved crimson long sword with a pommel hilt sculpted like a billowing flame. Down the centre of the blade from the pommel to the tip mysterious unfathomable Runes had been inscribed into the metal itself. Drawing Runes onto an object was effective however if the Runes were actually inscribed in the material itself then the Runes power would be multiplied many times over. The blade was crimson and baleful in appearance, the Runes effects were miraculous in Destro''s opinion, when he swung the sword fast enough flames would sprout all over the blades surface casting it in a truly demonic light. The faster the blade was swung the greater the intensity and heat of the Flames. Needless to say Destro highly valued it. He would regularly spend entire days swinging the sword, he found it intrinsically gratifying to see the insubstantial flickering flames on the blades surface slowly grow and surpass the raging wildfire the barbarian had produced with each swing.


    Destro was incensed every time he recalled those five fights. He lived out in the desert harming no one, minding his own business without a single tie or link to any civilisation and yet people still found him and caused trouble for him, all Destro wished for was a quiet subdued life with Leo. He just wished to spend all his days together with Leo at his side living under the deserts stars, listening to water flowing into the rockeries pool whilst staying far away from human contact. Humans only existed to hurt one another and cause suffering Destro had reliased over the past six years and they were two aspects of humanity Destro despised, residing here with Leo Destro was truly content. However he now realised that bandits and people seeking trouble would always find him in this life and cause him grief no matter where he settled down.


    The only thing Destro could do was to become strong. If he was strong bandits and dark guilds would fear and revere him, not daring to offend they would stay away from him, he could live peacefully and worry free, savouring life''s many joys and pleasures a single day at a time. The one true god in this world was strength, what a ruler does none will question and so following this rule an unparalleled expert may act as audaciously as he wants and true to the rules none will question. Such philosophy Destro had comprehended over the past six years and so the youth who had been different to the other boys and girls at one point set his sights on the same dream they too had, to become a figure of unparalleled martial power.


    The six years that had pleasantly passed had been joyous and care free, the only years of his life he could truly say were a pleasure, the greatest joys he had experienced in his life had been during the past six years, every single day was a bright and every moment tasted richer and sweeter than the last. However Destro knew that in life one would offend people with filthy intentions, to protect ones life from the offended one must align oneself with a power that can shelter them or become a power themselves and so to continue enjoying this simple carefree life Destro had to become strong and to become strong he had to fight. If the half naked youth who approached the top of the dune offended or threatened him without a second thought Destro would fight and kill him, to evolve into something ruthless and stronger.


    The youth ascended the dune and stepped into the circle of light cast by the fire Destro had made using his treasured sword, setting alight to spare skins and bones. The youth looked to be a curious individual. He had a well defined physique, obviously not one of the more impoverished citizens of Shuda, assuming that was where he originated. Long blonde locks that were crusted with sand fell raggedly across his sun darkened face, blue eyes that starkly contrasted his tanned complexion stared in shock at Destro. Destro returned the shocked stare with one of a quizzical nature. The boy was clad in nothing but a loincloth, even beggars would wear a cloak of some sort, to see someone just in a loincloth was truly bizarre. Of course all Destro was wearing was a pair of shorts and his wolf cloak, but he was dressed in such a way as he found it comfortable, if he were socialising and interacting with humans everyday he would clad himself more suitably to do so.


    Noticing that the youth seemed to have no intention of causing harm Destro relaxed slightly and beckoned towards a smaller rock by the fire "Come you''re free to share my campfire" as far as Destro saw it if the other party wasn''t hostile he saw no point in being cold and unfriendly.


    With a start the youth snapped himself out of his agitated musings and amicably replied "Many thanks friend, please, refer to this junior as Jared, may I boldly inquire as to seniors identity" saying so Jared slowly meandered over and sat upon the stone next to Destro.


    Destro was startled by Jared''s silver tongue that flattered one and humbled another. "Our ages aren''t so different Jared so just address me by my name, Destro" Destro''s heart sank slightly as he though about the possibility of the youth in front of him having a quick tongue that could trick and tie him up. Surprise once again surfaced upon Jared''s face as he heard there ages weren''t dissimilar but it was quickly buried by decorum as Jared composed himself again "Excuse me for a moment" Destro allowed the silence to settle before disturbing it again, excusing himself whilst getting up he proceeded to walk into his ramshackle hut.


    Jared''s composed expression dissipated as Destro turned his back to him and made his way into the hut, Jared''s true emotions bubbled to the surface in turmoil. Fear, distrust and anxiety replaced the relaxed open expression he had been wearing only moments ago, looking around worry was clear in his eyes as he looked for any potential threats Destro had planted. Composure and a friendly smile quickly swept away any agitated emotions upon Jared''s face as he saw Destro coming back out of the hut. "The nights are getting colder" saying so Destro casually tossed a black shadow at Jared. Jared flinched and hurriedly dived and rolled away as the black shadow fluttered down onto the rock he was sitting upon.


    Panting heavily Jared stared in a panic at the cloak that he had thought sought to take his life, instead of seeking his life it now lay innocently on the rock he had only just occupied. Realising how foolishly he had just acted Jared could only laugh awkwardly as he met Destros bemused gaze "Many thanks for your kindness" saying so Jared grimaced slightly at the falseness he knew his hollow words must carry after his previous untrusting actions before reaching out and donning the black high quality linen cloak.


    Chuckling slightly Destro sat down upon the rock he had originally been seated upon. With a flourish he reached out and plucked the sizzling fox carcass off the wooden spit it was impaled upon. Standing the spit uptight in the sand Destro proceeded to rip a succulent leg off the cooked carcass. Without any reservations he started ravenously knowing upon the meat. Jared could only sit there staring into the flames contemplating upon the dire plight he was stuck in.


    Pausing from eating the leg Destro stared into the flickering flames just like Jared was, as if he was trying to see just what it was that had captured Jared''s sight "Well this is the most visitors I''ve had in a good while" speaking out after a moment he looked directly up and stared intently into the darkness of the surrounding desert "Why be shy, you and your men aren''t unwelcome here"


    Looking around in befuddlement Jared was confused as to who Destro was conversing with. However promptly after Destro greeted them under Jared''s confused gaze several figures clad entirely in black leather stealthily emerged from the darkness, there were six of them completely surrounding the camp. Seeing the figures shrouded in darkness separate from the shadows like ghouls Jared could only stare slackly onwards in sheer horror. Under his aghast mortified gaze a older man walked forth from the direction Destro was staring so intently towards. Without breaking his stride the older man smiled at Destro and spoke in a smooth authoritative tone "The man seated by your side is wanted by the Shakur Clan hand him over or face the severe consequences"

 Chapter 5 - Mastiff Corps

    Chapter 5 - Mastiff Corps


    The mans heavy threat reverberated ominously in the still desert night. Illuminated by the firelight the older speakers features seemed icily cold and remote, as if what was occurring here tonight was of no concern to him. Grey hair was tinted a shining yellow by the small flame and the shallow lines engraved upon his face gave the man a refined aloof appearance. The other six men were clad head to toe in fine black leather, a single slit for their cold beady eyes to stare out of was the only skin they showed. Jared''s terrified expression was all Destro needed to confirm that these men didn''t harbour good will towards him.


    Destro was aware of his own limitations, despite the deep hatred he nursed for the Shakur clan he knew he couldn''t stand up to them single handedly, to do so was the height of folly that would only be rewarded by an agonisingly painful death. Seeing Jared''s watering terrified eyes staring deeply into his own Destro felt a sense of companionship with this unfortunate youth, they both obviously had deep grievances with the Shakur clan. However such a small sense of comradeship wouldn''t make Destro pitch himself against a force that even the Blood Viper guild wouldn''t openly provoke.


    Seeing the savage looking young man not making any immediate actions upon hearing the name "Shakur" the greying man frowned inwardly. The sole reason the group didn''t attack preemptively was because of the barbarian being an unknown factor. The original plan was to seize and bind the wanted individual as quickly and effortlessly as possible, however the older man had adjusted the plan accordingly to his instincts upon the unknown variable coming into play and his instincts told him casualties were abound if they acted against this barbarian. Hence he tried to negotiate using the name of the Shakur clan.


    Seeing Destro pondering Jared took the opportunity whilst quailing to stammer out a fearful question towards the greying man "H-how did yo-u k-know where I w-was?"


    Turning his gaze from Destro to Jared the older man sneered maliciously, he decided at this point that perhaps a show of force may persuade this desert savage to allow them to take the wanted party peacefully. "Tracking a wrench such as yourself is a simple feat for myself, Rhangh Fhar, an auxiliary member of the Mastiff Corps"  replying to Jared''s question with a voice laced with disdain the older man pulled his right sleeve up baring his right forearm, upon which was branded a mystical Rune, only about the size of a eye, surrounded by a larger tattoo which was of a snarling head of a mastiff.


    Shock was stark on Jared''s face before it was buried by despair and horror even richer than it had been only moments ago. In contrast a bright spark of interest was ignited within Destro''s eyes, before it to was buried by the resignation that he couldn''t spite the Shakur clan this time. With a slight bow of apology towards Jared Destro solemnly spoke "I shall''nt hinder the apprehension of this boy in addition this youth humbly pays respects to the Shakur clan"


    Reeds survived storms as they could bend to the tide changing winds, however the stubborn oak who wouldn''t bow to any other power, despite being noble in nature would still be uprooted and destroyed by truly great storms. Having spoken Destro picked up his Runed blade, placed the tip into the ground and rested his chin upon it whilst staring into the flames sombrely. Guilt wracked his heart at sentencing Jared to the same fate his parents and brother had faced however he knew now was not the proper time to stand up to the overlord known as the Shakur clan, when he was powerful enough he swore that he would exact revenge properly on behalf of his parents, his brother, Jared and all the other wronged souls whom had suffered and been tormented by the hands of the vile Shakur clan.


    Logically Jared knew such an outcome was inevitable however seeing his fate decided still distressed him greatly, tears rolling down his face he scrambled to his feet and made a break to escape. However before he had traversed even five steps three of the surrounding black leather clad figures had pounced on him and wrestled the screaming wailing youth to the floor. "On behalf of the Shakur Clan I thank you for your compliance" With a slight nod towards Destro the Mastiff Corps member named Rhangh thanked him. This grey middle aged man was notorious for never treating anyone of lower status than him politely, however seeing this savage whom had donned a Desert Dire Wolfs hide as a cloak a small amount of respect was enticed from the Mastiff Corps member. After all just like everyone on the continent Rhangh respected strength and one needed substantial strength to slay a Desert Dire Wolf.


    Listening to Jared''s terrified screams Destro had no inclination to acknowledge or respond to the older man. As the black clad leather men hauled Jared to his feet and retrieved ropes from their bags Jared''s cries changed from ones of anguish to roars of rage that pierced through the still desert nights heart. "May the Heavens curse your dammed Shakur clan, you have wronged me and you''ve wronged countless others, in this life and the next I shall wholeheartedly seek your annihilation with every single breath I draw, may Hell open up and swallow you all!" Torrents of abuse spewed forth from the youth who was halfway bound.


    Two people stared coolly at the youth being tied up before them, neither Destro or Rhangh showed any emotion at Jared being subdued for to do so would be viewed as showing weakness to the other party. Listening to Jared''s continued howling onslaught the middle aged man finally frowned lightly, his cold voice sliced through the hoarse screams of Jared as he spoke "Gag him or we may draw Desert Dire Wolves upon purselves and this mans camp"


    Hearing what the older man said a humourless mirth surfaced surfaced in Destro''s sombre eyes "You speak truth the pained cries of this man will most assuredly draw in predators, be it Wolves or more ferocious beasts" Rhangh cast a queer look at the savage, it was common knowledge that in the outskirts of the desert the apex predator was the Desert Dire Wolf, as to what this barbarian referred to by more ferocious beats he had no inclination.


    Despite the curses erupting from their captive the three black leather clad men carried on tying him up coolly and calmly even speeding the process up upon hearing their captains command. Eventually when Jared was entirely bound tight and lay limply on the floor one of the three men took a gag out intent on stopping the torrent of wrath that was expressed by words flowing from Jared''s mouth. Seeing the gag Jareds howling reached a frenzied crescendo "You may kill me however my uncle, Jufer still runs free, till the day he dies the Shak-" Jared''s sentence was interrupted by the gag that was stuffed unceremoniously into his mouth.


    Each of the three men responsible for tying Jared up took up a length of rope, each of the ropes were connected to Jared''s bound feet, placing the ropes over their shoulders they turned to their captain Rhangh signalling their readiness to depart with slight nods. The party of seven turned on their heels without a single glance cast towards Destro whom still sat upon a rock by the fire, they started walking whilst dragging the struggling Jared, beginning their short journey back to Shuda.


    If any member of the party of seven had caught the look on Destro''s face as they left they would of been bewildered and surprised. Currently his face wasn''t the serene collected mask that had been present on his face ever since Jared showed up, instead his facade had been discarded revealing his true emotions which were an ugly mixture of surprise, wrath and regret. The moment the name Jufer had been frantically howled by Jared Destro''s face had been twisted drastically.


    Jufer was Destro''s saviour. If it weren''t for Jufer gifting him Leo six years ago Destro would just be a memory very few people remembered. However he was still alive and had an irreplaceable companion by his side thanks to Jufers kindness. If Jared truly turned out to be Jufers nephew and Destro had just allowed these men to take him away to a sure death he would never be able to face the man whom he owed his life to, he would never be able to thank him sincerely with a clear conscience.


    However if Destro acted rashly and it turned out that the Jufer Jared referred to was not Destro''s saviour then Destro would of enraged the largest power in the district, undoubtedly a fatal enemy, all over a youth who had no ties to him whatsoever. Destro''s mind was in turmoil however he knew time couldn''t be wasted. Decisiveness was a trait he possessed, he decided that just asking Jared directly which Jufer he referred to would solve the issue and if the group wouldn''t allow Jared to answer his question then Destro would fight them, even if the Jufer he knew was of no relation to Jared he would of spited the Shakur clan, an action Destro had no qualms doing.


    Without moving Destro raised his voice and loudly proclaimed to the departing party "Can you allow me to ask your captive one last question before your on your way?" The sudden out of the blue request from the savage caught Rhangh unawares, however as he turned around to curtly dismiss the barbarians request he hesitated. The savage sat there resting his chin lazily on the Runed blade, dangerously staring neither coldly nor warmly at him.


    After a decade in service facing countless tribulations and dangerous situations Rhangh''s sense for danger was keener than mosts. That keen sense of danger was what made the older man hesitate in dismissing the savages request. Pondering for a moment he decided to rely on his nose for danger that had kept him alive for this long. With a flick of his hand he motioned for the men to remove the gag from Jared''s mouth whilst keeping eye contact with the barbarian. Almost subconsciously Rhangh''s hand slid down his side till it rested comfortably upon the pommel of his sword exactly like it would if he was squaring off to a wild predator, both cautiously and slowly. Hesitating slightly one of the three eventually complied after Rhangh broke eye contact with Destro to direct a furiously stern look his way.


    As the man was removing the gag from Jared''s mouth Jared glared at Destro, no small amount of animosity visible in his eyes, as he saw it Destro could of alerted him to the arrival of the men earlier allowing him time to escape, instead he had aligned himself with the Shakur clan. Destro ignored that obvious hatred for him and asked his question "That uncle of yours that you mentioned, Jufer I think it was, by any chance did he at any time own that bakery and butchers in Shuda?" Surprise flashed across Jared''s eyes as he realised this savage knew of his uncle, however his only response was a slight nod of conformation.


    Seeing Jared''s response Destro sighed heavily. Raising his head to stare at the captain, the man felt a cold chill. "Previously I believe I mentioned a lack of my hinderance in this affair" pausing slightly here Destro turned and cast his gaze across the the other six men before it once again settled on the middle aged captain. The voice that had previously been neither hostile or friendly suddenly grew frostily cold as he spoke once again, each word clearly pronounced "It pains me to retract that statement"


    As soon as the word "retract" was said each of the seven men acted. Every single man drew their sickle like blades that glinted in the filtered moonlight and turned to face Destro. The seven pairs of eyes that stared at Destro had changed from the slightly wary and respectful gazes he had drawn before, now they had grown cold, menacing and ruthless. Smiling coldly at the tensed men Destro stood slowly as if their hostility didn''t affect him in the slightest. With a steady hand he grasped the Runed blade that had been planted in the sand with the pommel staring heavenwards in his firm right hand. The rasp of the metal being drawn from the sand overshadowed the crackling of the dying fire. Stillness was all that followed the sound. Destro stood there relaxed, his complexion terrifyingly cold and aloof, his sword sat loosely in his palm with its tip pointed towards the ground. The seven men facing him wielded their blades threateningly brandishing them in his direction. It resembled a picture, a lone figure serenely standing by a camp flame facing seven figures whom lurked at the edges of light partially consumed by the shadows.


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    A momentary glance was exchanged between two of the leather clad men before they began to move out around the edges of the camp intent on surrounding this lone barbarian who had turned hostile. Following suit the other four leather clad men cautiously fanned out as well creating a semi circle around Destro. The two opposing lead roles in this pantomime remained perfectly motionless, facing each other, trying to feel the other out whilst six other figures slowly edged around the sides of the camp, all the time keeping their honed weapons pointed at Destro''s heart. As soon as the six had entirely surrounded Destro stillness descended again. However it lasted for a mere moment this time before the first leather clad man on Destro''s left charged with a gallant roar.


    Responding to the sudden burst of motion Destro swung his sword through the dwindling fire in front of him flicking the crimson embers straight towards the face of the captain. Deftly Rhangh swayed to the left avoiding most of the embers however the burning debris had spread out midair and some scorching embers still hit him in the face. With a agonised cry he fell to the ground frantically pawing at his eyes trying to get the embers off his face. Continuing the stroke through Destro turned and clashed with the descending swing of the charging opponent, Destros Runed blade that was now wreathed in flames landed heavily on the side of the falling blade knocking it away, utilising the defenceless stance his opponent took he nimbly swung his sword back around and cleaved at the base of the mans neck.


    Scarlet blood spurted forth as Destro''s blade lodged in the dying mans collarbone. Gurgling, choking and holding his throat the dying man fell face first into the remains of the scattered fire, causing the aroma of burning flesh to waft into existence in the immediate vicinity. The four other leather clad men that had moved just after the first man were all enraged upon seeing their captain blinded and their companions life stolen away so callously. Four flashes of metal pierced towards Destro''s midriff from four different angles as each man lunged forward. Excitement and passion awakened within Destro''s eyes as four wrathful metal serpents sought after his life.


    With a smooth turn Destro presented his cloaked back to two swords whilst facing another two. Extending his blade he deftly parried away one incoming sword from the front whilst positioning himself so the other would slide between his torso and arm below his armpit. As the sword tip was caught in between Destro''s armpit the two swords strikes aimed at his back landed.


    Desert Dire Wolfs fur was notoriously sturdy and wiry so facing these two ferocious blows most of the force was absorbed by the pelt. The blows were originally life threatening however because of Destro''s Wolf skin cloak absorbing some of the force as well as the fact he had been expecting the two attacks and had allowed himself to be thrown forward by the two strikes negating more of the force, the two fatal blows were downgraded into attacks that barely penetrated half an inch into Destro''s upper back.


    The two blows from behind had pushed Destro forward bringing him into close quarters with the two men in front of him, he could feel the terrified heavy panting of the man who''s sword was trapped in Destro''s armpit brushing across his hair. Like a separate entity with a will of its own Destro''s flaming blade streaked forth and cut the throat of the man who''s sword he had parried. The other attacker in front of him who''s breath he could feel rustling his hair panicked further seeing his brethren slaughtered and whilst Destro''s sword claimed the life of one man his teeth clamped around the throat of the other. With a vicious twist and tug of his head he ripped through the leather and the throat of his attacker.


    Fighting and living side by side with nature had taught him nobility was perilous in fights, any means taken to win a battle was a means of saving ones life. Hence he had adopted such savage and barbaric fighting methods, techniques that truly matched the wild aura he emanated.


    Pulling their swords out of the back of the barbarian the two assailants hurriedly backed away to join the fifth leather clad man who had held back in the first round of exchanges. Quizzical looks were plastered over the three men''s faces as they struggled to ascertain the situation. However their quizzical looks quickly transformed into looks of aghast horror as they saw their two companions crumple to the floor dead, joining the first man who''s hair had been ignited by the embers he had fallen on, further strengthening the stench of burning flesh in the vicinity. Crimson blood spurted forth from all three of their throats and the man responsible for their murder tuned to face the three survivors appearing innately demonic.


    Destro stood there grimly with his flaming Runed blade in hand whilst scarlet blood dripped slowly from his stained mouth onto his hard chest and the now loose paws of his wolf cloak. All three of the remaining men sucked a breath of horror in as they stared at this blood crazed savage whom had provoked them. The single leather clad man who hadn''t exchanged blows with Destro could only stare slack jawed and whisper to himself "monster" as he recalled that previous short frantic exchange.


    The entire engagement had lasted for a mere seven seconds and within those seven seconds Destro had blinded Rhangh, slain three of the leather clad men and destroyed any moral the other three grunts had. Had any of the three men not been facing him in battle they would just nod and sigh in approval and praise whilst calling the fourteen year old a true battle prodigy.


    Jared lay to the side entirely ignored by everyone watching slack jawed as Destro who he thought had some ability single handily decimated half of the punitive force that had been sent to retrieve him. Inwardly he cheered the savage youth who claimed there ages weren''t dissimilar onward praying that through some miracle he really could defeat all of the Shakur clans men. However whilst Destro was busy keeping the group entertained Jared had started to slowly wriggle further down the dune, shamelessly resembling a worm, intent on placing some distance between the fighting parties lest his defenceless self was harmed.


    With a maddened roar Rhangh rose off the ground. Angry red burn marks were clear all over the mans face and his left eye was radically deformed, an ember had horrifically blinded the man, gooey liquid seeped down the mans face which was all that was left of his eye. Seeing the captain rise Destro could only sigh to himself and mutter darkly to himself "Where in seven blazes is that dammed mutt"


    Fixing his working right eye on Destro the wounded captain let out a feral growl "I''ll slowly kill you myself you pestering little fuck" As the words came out of the enraged mans mouth his right forearm began to emit a shining red glow. The red glow grew increasingly brighter until it was far to blinding for anyone to stare at, appearing to plunge the desert back into daytime. Diverting his gaze Destro could only stare at the ground instead of at the sun like figure of the Mastiff Corps member Rhangh. As rapidly as the light came the light receded, only to be exchanged with a spine chilling feral growl.


    Slowly raising his gaze from the ground Destro locked gazes with the rabid Rhangh, what met his steadfast gaze caused nervousness and apprehension to sink their sinister claws into Destro''s heart. Standing beside the berserk man who was drawing in deep ragged breaths was an equally rabid and berserk great blood red canine. The Mastiff must of been a metre and a half tall, it wasn''t to far from seeing eye to eye with Destro. Glinting fangs were on full display as the RedDesert Mastiff throaty growled at Destro, sensing whom its masters enemy was. The bulging pelt of the dog barely contained the rippling muscles that lay underneath, it''s eyes were beady and sinister, all that was contained within were bloodthirsty instincts. The thick aura it emanated told Destro this beast was at least a rank two Fiend if not a rank three Fiend.


    However what was even more shocking was that the mans right forearm which had born the branded Rune and snarling mastiff tattoo had been transformed. Rhangh''s right forearm had taken the form of the Mastiffs lower leg, the branded Rune was also significantly enlarged, whilst the tattoo had disappeared. The only difference was that the four claws of the paw were elongated, each claw bore startling resemblance to a sinister dagger.


    Laughing madly Rhangh sneered at Destro "Today I''ll allow you to experience dying at the hands of a member of the Mastiff Corps, a fully fledged Fiend Master and his Fiend Beast, savour these fleeting moments well you little shit" Laughing manically the Fiend Master took a single step forward intent on ending Destro''s existence.


    As his foot landed in the sand a piercingly loud sound rung forth that made the advancing murderous man halt. Hesitation and trepidation appeared in Rhangh''s face as the sound echoed across the dunes, compared to the outright terror that surfaced on the the three grunts and Jared''s face. The rolling sound was a crazed canines wrathful howl that simply made ones heart palpitate. One could decipher from the howl that the canine was infuriated by the trespassers who so brazenly wandered into its territory, it was a warning howl, a warning that the canine would be seeking the blood of the first fools its fangs caught.


    Giggles bubbled up in Destro''s throat as the previous slight sense of fear was thoroughly washed away. Looking at the slightly unsettled Fiend Master and his rabid mutt confidence welled up in Destro, his rock in the stormy ocean of life had finally found its way back to him. Flashing a charismatic smile at the disfigured and transformed Rhangh Destro slipped the Dire Wolfs paws apart allowing it to heavily collapse to the floor, freeing his wild chestnut locks that tumbled down his bloodied face "I''ve had this pelt for a while, truth be told I''m rather attached to it, however I suppose it''s time I accept that I need a new one" confusion cut through the bloodlust in Rhangh''s eyes for a single second before it was buried by rage again. Pausing before glancing at the RedDesert Mastiff Destro continued with a rather suave smile, contrasting strongly with his unrefined aura, Destro savoured each syllable as they rolled off his tongue "I always thought that I''d look majestic in red"