Hold Up, I'm An Arsenal Bird Now?!

Act 21: The Cleansing

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The attack on the city of Ravenklov was a massive success. We may have suffered heavy casualties, but we finally broke through. Currently, I am searching through the barren streets to find anyone that has survived. I heard a faint noise coming from the empty house on my left. I took out my greatsword and walked toward the building. I heard something rummaging through whatever was in there the closer I got.

A step away from the door and I kicked the hell out of it. It snapped out from its hinges and spotted a woman, clearly in her thirties, and a young boy by her side. Without hesitation, I stabbed her neck, not giving her a chance to scream. I pulled my greatsword out as she tried to keep the blood in, but it was futile. The boy dashed to her mother and cried over her dead body. I walked forward and knocked the child out with a punch to the head. His head is bleeding, but that is none of my matters. I lifted the child to my shoulders and walked back to the camp.

12 Minutes Later...

I finally returned to the camp outside the city walls. Tents littered the area, with the wyvern and dragon pen in the middle. Somewhere near the walls, there are cages full of children ranging from five to ten years old. The guards noticed the boy I carried and unlocked a cage. The kids huddled in the corner as I threw the boy in and walked out. The guards nodded and closed the cell. The children inside gathered around the boy and tried to help him out.

I stood guard near the cages with the other soldiers for hours, letting captured children in occasionally. At midnight, the city is empty and burned down to the ground. The cells are silent, yet the children are still awake. From a distance, soldiers walked toward us and told us it was time. One by one, we open up the cells and let them direct the kids to the center. I led the last remaining children to the wyvern pen as I instructed. A minute passed, and we arrived. A soldier walked to me.

"Bring the children in. We need to feed our wyverns for the next purge. Want help?"

I nodded, and we gathered the remaining children to the wyvern pen. The children were scared shitless. The soldier walked away and opened the corral. I pushed the kids in, and he closed it shut. There, we watched them helplessly beg to let them out as the wyverns began to feast on the fresh meat, tearing them to pieces and crushing their bones with their sharp teeth. Their screams and wails were heard around the camp, only to be ignored. Then, there was silence.

I pity the children, I do, but removing unwanted parasites from our empire is my duty.

7 Minutes Later...

I watched the riders tend to their wyverns and dragons, keeping them clean and entertained for tomorrow. It's fun seeing them jumping around their pen, but something is bothering me. A few days ago, one of the scouts returned to our camp with some intel. Most of them are not surprising, A build-up in defense, clearing of nearby forests, and an attack legion to intercept us. However, he also gave us one unexpected news: the stories of a great, flying giant that the locals dubbed the Motherbird. It brought back captured cities, brought down armies, and even took down the black metal beast that had been causing trouble to naval fleets. Even today, these worries stirred in my stomach, plaguing my mind with what was to come.

As if fate listened, something is lurking above the clouds. Through the corner of my eyes, I spotted a flying object. Its size is unlike anything I have ever seen. I grabbed the horn hanging on my hip and blew. The sound reached every ear inside the camp, and they gathered their weapons. Still having my sights on the giant, it suddenly dropped something. The dropped objects flipped and expanded their wings. From there, they immediately encircled the camp with ferocious speed. The wyverns and dragons growled and roared in their pens. Before the riders even reach them, they are engulfed in explosions, killing the flying creatures. I looked back at the giant and spoke my mind.