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Not a shadow in the infantry barracks can hide one dwarfized man whose skin is red, two horns growing out of his temples and yellow optic glare that almost stare straight at the soul. The armor stands wear their blankets and the hearth have little firewood to feed its flames. A blue shade sleeves the loose walls unlike the yellow, searing patches of light outside.
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Just like how he wears no armor over his shirtless physique, the iron skulls on his belt glinting off shards and holding tight his loose black pants. Blood boiling and steaming him hot, yet everything else around him feels cold.
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He walks out of his lounge room and into a pack full of sardines—fidgety infantry. Their shaking legs uneasily sit in an overly spread manner that anyone who tries to close in on them immediately has them both bursting in yells. Arguing over as simple as having to sit down. Then hurriedly comes a scroll looking boy wearing glasses, Panting in just a short distance saluting in a pipsqueak voice, “P-Prince Naberius! I—I’m Willy, your personal secretariat for the m-m-monster wave clearing mission!”
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Naberius tap his flimsy shoulder, his large hand spanning the boy’s entire shoulder blade, seeing him gulp with tears welling up in his eyes, lips bitten and audibly, a frantic breathing. “Are you okay?” patting his back
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And Willy responds as if he is a chicken who got stabbed in the back, “YES SIR!”
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Well, most of the infantry in this kingdom seems to be chickens. Their murmurs about the foggy marsh and monster clearing mission leaving no air for them to properly take a deep breath on. With some frightfully glancing at the well bodied Prince Naberius, whispering to themselves that a daemon should not be leading them. Yes, he can hear all little noises as long as he focusses. Arms crossed in front of his muscular pecs, eyes closed and hearing everything in this barracks.
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“P-Prince Naberius, I think it is time…” Willy says, cutting himself short of tongue.
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“Time for what?” His low voice echo and resound in the barracks, leaving everyone already speechless. Their eyes on him and Willy who seem to have lost his entire tongue in a nervous stutter. “Time for what cowtit?” The slander has the rest of the infantry gulping, sweating and fist clenched.
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“A-A speech y-your highness…”
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Ah…It is just telling him to do a speech and this chicken is out of his wits already. Maybe everyone else too. Their fear, rumble his stomach as he steps onto the platform. Taking the center stage, standing 8 foot tall with the yellow irises that even the shadows cannot hide. Indeed—for Daemons, 8 foot is dwarfized. His red skin burning every soldier to be wary as they sit with sweaty noses.
"Chickens of Kinguin” He begins, burning his stare into the eyes of those brave enough to exchange with him, “Your princesses implored me to do this simple groundwork--clear out the monster camp around the Foggy Marsh. Rid those vile vermin by feeding yourselves to them or better if you feed yourselves to me. Do your job well and I will overlook any of your fear. Do terrible and I will eat you. Turn back now when you still have the chance.
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Weaklings pretending to be strong are not welcomed even if you confuse yourself with a sword in hand.” A brief two-minute speech that leave most to grit their teeth. Some walking out of the barracks with their hands in their chests. Those who remain, stand and lift up their weapons. Death already in the fading glint of their eyes. And their fear, becoming still like clear water. Such determination, such faith for their kingdom and such professionalism, Prince Naberius gives a thundering clap that grabs all eyes to him, his long tongue sticking out to lick off the drool off his chin, cheeks blushing and gnarly fangs that stare directly at their flesh. “Well done” He moans in delight, “Sit down and you will be my first---“Seeing someone already bending, and in a blink of an eye he is in front of them, “—Feed”
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“S-SIRE!” he stands stiff in salute, before Naberius leans down, his face upon the chicken militant, opening his mouth so gaping wide that he can eat his head hole. A collective gasp, a collective fear that he drools on the poor militant’s face. He closes his mouth and steps back.
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“’Tis just a warning.” Teasingly before blinking back into the platform. “Now, don’t lead the way if you don’t have eyes. Anyone who remains will truly be my feed.”
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Thus, nobody remained in the barracks. All march out under the clear blue sky and a staring sun over their anxious sweats. These infantries, murmuring to each other about the kind of monster they are going to meet. Wondering what kind of monsters they are. And Prince Naberius hears this and wonder as well how these men are soldiers when they do not even know the type of monsters that live in their kingdom. First hour, second hour, third hour, and then fourth, a nonstop death march until one innocent man talking about his good times with his son end up getting immediately shot by an arrow. The chickens all huddle back, gasping and screaming at the clean headshot.
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Naberius is the only one looking straight at the archer—a hobgoblin, lowest among the goblins and the soldier is dead just like that? Either it was poor luck or these infantries, are all just peasants. Which the Prince decides to intercept another, then two and three arrows before the infantries hear bones cracking. Four mini archer hobgoblins get thrown before them and they rejoice, saying that the monsters are dead, it has done. But the prince does not look as they expect him to be.
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Instead, he raises a suspicious smile before taking the corpse of the dead soldier and starts eating it in front of everyone. The horror in their eyes is genuine, it is as if, they have never seen or faced death before. He wipes off stains of blood from the side of his lips. He has to make sure his suspicion and the only way for that to happen is by commanding, “Go a kilometer at that direction” Pointing towards the forest where many seem hesitant to go.
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Their palpable fear has another one of their kin get raised by the demon, neck choked before crushed. And as what they have heard in the barracks, those who show any sign of weakness becomes Naberius’s food and the prince eats anyone, man, female, elderly or teen, no one is safe unless they do what he says and they all rush into the forest. Wild eyes searching for monsters to hunt but instead get ambushed by their own prey.
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Headless chickens running into their own deaths. Fighting at the monsters knowing that the fear in them is a disadvantage and many end up screaming in anguish and regret, saying that they should not have signed up, shouldn’t have volunteered, for what? Naberius eyes on Willy who is facing an Ogrgoblin. Muttering and praying to himself which the prince hears as a prayer for his little sister—that the Gods will watch over her and that she gets away from princess Rumen’s maniacal experiments. Willy’s eyes grow in fear as his prayers see himself in front of the Ogrgoblin’s axe.
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Grinning, Naberius finally understands these ‘soldiers’, his claws slaying true at the Ogrgoblin in front of Willy—taking its heads and throwing it at the hobgoblins in a deadly body exploding baseball. “Rumen…” just an utter of the princess’s name causes Willy to drop his sword. But the scroll looking boy quickly takes it back in his arms, though shaking, he tries not to be afraid as he thanks the prince. “Stand back and cover your ears.” The prince says calmly and kindly,
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And Willy, not doing as told at first, quickly does so when he sees the prince making hand signs. He makes himself sure that his ears are tightly shut, and that he runs away as far as possible. Then, he feels his body stop and unmoving like a statue.
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‘There are three types of magic that communicates with the Mahna’ he says in his thoughts, ‘First are bending and the easiest way for Mahna to perceive and help the user, second are silent words, much powerful and considered to be impossible unless one has parallel thoughts and third are handsigns with uttered words’ being able to move again and looking back at where the prince and the others should be. But everyone except Prince Naberius and a few remain standing. Whatever just happened, made the prince grew more muscle and his nails turn into claws before he sets off raging feral and unleashing hell on the goblin camps in the forest.
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The remaining soldiers all huddle together and thought that they were supposed to be fighting. Yet, they feel as if they are sent to be Prince Naberius’s feed. “That Princess Rumen…she sent us all just to get eaten by that monster…” And the rest could not agree more as an hour later, there and the prince’s suspicion is made clear. Peasants that say things about helping the soldiers to clear out monster camps—when in fact, they are used to help fill Naberius’s stomach.
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And all this, Willy thinks ‘All this because my sister is being used as an experiment.’ The others thinking the same, having a loved one taken in as Rumen’s experiment and they volunteer to save them, not even knowing if she will let them go or they will survive to embrace each other again. Their dazed laughter says they won’t as Prince Naberius gobbles five before slinking back himself to clear the monster camps in under 30 minutes.
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Six hours later, early in the night evening, five more dozen batches are sent, probably to sustain him for the night. And whenever Naberius goes out in hunting, Willy and others who have are able to tell everyone what is happening and what is going to happen to them, ask for everyone to stay calm. “We can’t go back” one says, “Rumen is going to kill us…”
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“But if we stay, we’re going to get eaten!”
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“I heard that the White Blood Knights have come, why cannot they be the one clearing. Why us?”
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“So do we run away?”
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“But where!? There are monsters everywhere in this region. We can’t go anywhere.”
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“And whatever you are talking about?” Naberius appears behind them, grabbing one of the instigators by the collar and eating her entire head off before throwing her body at the sky where a pack of gargoyles fetches it. “You are all food to me and whatever else is in here.”
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“No…” One stands up, a sword in hand with a defiant glare. But Naberius immediately punches through their chest and crush the still beating heard. Before once again eating their head off and throwing it for the gargoyles. Then another one stands in defiance, and soon many follows in their suicidal rebellion. The gargoyles growing bold and diving immediately for their fill. A bloody night and feast for the monsters and Naberius. Leaving behind carnage and tuning out screams of the agonizing and dying in the noted air.
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In the end, Naberius stands alone, surrounded by the bodies of his fallen comrades. He looks down at them with a sneer, his eyes cold and unfeeling. "Such a waste," he mutters with a grin, before turning and walking away, leaving the carnage behind him.
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Willy is lucky to break an escape for the road and into the forest. Running for his life and never looking back, only forward to wherever that might shelter him safe for the night.
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