Ashlani’s Reincarnation

The Nyust’taa of the Principality has sent word requesting assistance from whoever will listen in their Holy War against the keelish. That they are reaching out at all is an indication of the current state of the conflict. Do nothing to assist or hinder either side.

-Communication from the Marshal Inuksuk to all members of the Beastkin Corps.

Trai

“The Misti Hawar have all retreated. The shadow monsters have retreated or been killed,” Trai reported to the Zaaktif. In private, or other times, she might have called him her uncle or played around with jim, but she was satiated and happy and in public. There was no reason to do anything other than give her report and then get back onto the walls.

“Very well,” Ashlani responded as he stepped back with a nod. There were small splatters of blood across his chest and arms, but if they were his, the wounds had already healed. However, given that he had only fought against the shadow monster, it had to be his own blood.

Trai shrugged off the confusing information as, after all, it wasn’t the first time that the Empire’s leader did something that didn’t seem possible to anybody else. That’s why he was the Zaaktif and the rest of them were his followers. She didn’t mind that, she didn’t want to be a leader. They were things she wanted, and now, finally, she was able to indulge in them.

Even as she walked away from giving the report, she didn’t clean herself from the fight she had against the few Misti Hawar that had thought themselves capable of sneaking into the back lines. Blood filled her snout and mouth, and she gloried in it. In truth, Trai had always hidden what she most enjoyed, and perhaps that was why she hadn’t evolved to Keel. She did enjoy hunting, raising hatchlings and caring for eggs. Tending the fields was boring, but it wasn’t so bad, and fighting in the sand pits was always good fun, but none of these things called to her.

She’d never felt ashamed of her true desires, but there was little opportunity nor reason to ever express her desires. In private, though, she didn’t hide that, by Nievtala above, she loved killing.

It wasn’t something that fit in among other members of the Empire. Not because they eschewed violence or disliked killing, but because her own feelings were significantly different from theirs. The closest to her own desires that could be found nearby was Wisterl, and she didn’t love killing. Only fighting.

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What she lived for was defeating an enemy, something that challenged her, and watching the light drain from their eyes as she proved her superiority. In all of her conversations with other members of the Empire, she hadn’t met any that seemed to share her same inclination. That wasn’t a problem, she didn’t care if she was the only one to feel this way, but she did consider it to be strange that, of the hundreds she’d asked what they wanted to do with their lives, none had mentioned the glory of proving yourself superior to an enemy and seeing their death at your claws.

Well, that didn’t matter, she supposed. Even if there were none that truly understood her, that wasn’t a problem. There were still those who followed her, and now? There were plenty of Misti Hawar that she could vent her feelings on. The creatures were worthy foes, if also egg smashers, so there was no reason to hold back her desire to slaughter them anyways. Maybe there would be some of them worth actually facing sometime soon. The ones on the front lines today were too reticent to be considered good enemies.

That thought brought her out of entertaining the thought of true fights. Everything she’d seen from the Misti Hawar had shown, even from the spoiled brats outside of that city whose name she couldn’t remember, that they were a creature that didn’t hide. They didn’t hold back when they thought they were in a position of power. Was there something she was missing?

Her father would demand to know what she was thinking. As the leader of the Empire’s scouting regiments, Foire constantly compiled information of every type for the Zaaktif and Zaaktifi’s consideration. Trai may want more opportunities to engage in true fights, but before that needed to come the continued survival of the Empire. Even if the thought of her being the last remaining citizen that then went on a path of vengeance through the continent was appealing.

First, she would tear through the entirety of the Misti Hawar, leaving not a single complete body in her wake. Then, she would ascend to become a Keel and would wreak her vengeance on the Indlovu. Many of them weren’t truly enemies, but those closest to the Shandise? Their blood would glitter so beautifully as it coursed down from the back of their giant tortoise. She’d been told that their warriors were a sight to be beheld, but she hadn’t had the opportunity to see them like that.

As such, her true goal in this vengeance would be to find Bloodpriestess Ana. Not because the Moonchild deserved her rage, but because she’d always wanted to kill her. That first fight against her was exhilarating. The moonchildren were good foes. They were strong, determined, and well-coordinated. Together, they could pose a threat to her and the Empire, and she would be happy to take her petty vengeance on them.

With a shake of her head, Trai pulled herself from her musings. She didn’t often indulge in them, as dwelling on what enemies she could find and kill wasn’t a part of her regular life. Now, though, they were at war, and if she reported her suspicions to her father, then she surely could have an opportunity to leave the walls. In the dark forests where shadows surrounded and the Misti Hawar felt secure, surely she could find more creatures willing to face her on the killing field.

Her decision made, Trai grinned widely to herself and skipped off to find her father. She’d just spoken with the Zaaktif, but it wasn’t her place to approach him with these suppositions. Her father, though, couldn’t help but listen to her. He was doting to a fault, and she had to use that to her advantage sometimes, shouldn’t she?

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