A Kaskian Story: Leaon, the Kings General

Prologue

"Jarrant, they're heading North!" Sali yelled, pointing towards the mountains looming over the city of Dealay.

"You heard her! Head North and cut them off!" Jarrant shouted to the soldiers under his command.

Jarrant followed his soldiers as they chased after the rebels, cursing that Leaon was right, again. The General had a knack for predicting how people would react. He wanted the Felein to be wrong, even if it was only once. Jarrant and Sali were part of an elite squad, led by Leaon, to hunt down any rebels or dangerous people who would oppose Cladon, the King of Kaskia. Cladon never allowed anyone to openly resist his rule, usually ordering for the death of those who betrayed his nation. Like rats trapped in a maze, the rebels ran through the city in the direction that Leaon planned, having the other squads waiting to force the rebels north of the city where the Felein himself waited for them, waiting to capture them alive.

"Any minute now." Leaon stated to the soldiers standing behind him as he tightened his grip on his sword. "Be ready and take them alive!"

Leaon stood in the front of over five dozen soldiers, all of whom ready and willing to sacrifice their lives for Cladon. They stood in an open field just outside the city, the mountains resting a few miles behind them. As if on que, almost a hundred rebels came running out of the city followed by Kaskian soldiers hot on their trail. At the sight of Leaon and the soldiers behind him, the rebels came to a halt. Half of them facing the Felein and the other half looking back at the soldiers behind them, unsure of where to go, waiting for their leader to give them an order.

"We will not give up!" Their leaders voice echoed across the field. "Cladon is not! And never was our King! To give up is to throw away our lives! It is better to live free then to live a slave under his rule!"

Shaking his head, Leaon watched as the rebel's motivation rose with the voice of their leader. "The leader is mine, take the rest alive!"

Leaon raised his sword and led the charge, his soldiers struggling to keep up with his speed. The rebels bellowed a defiant war cry and prepared for the oncoming assault. The Felein reached a dozen insurgents who tried valiantly to kill the General. Leaon was a far better fighter than any of his enemies, dodging, countering, and incapacitating everyone in his way as he sought the leader. Seconds later, his soldiers clashed with the rebels causing sounds of metal on metal to reverberate across the land. As they were ordered, the Kaskian soldiers incapacitated everyone they came across, leaving everyone alive as they closed in on the leader.

"You must die." Leaon stated as he reached the source of their motivation. "The only way to squash the will is to take out the foundation."

"Cladon can NEVER defeat the people's will and hope for a better future! He will fall and you too shall pay for the crimes he has committed on this world!" The man cried as he charged the Felein.

As with his militia, the leader was no match for the General's natural abilities. The man slashed his sword downward at Leaon, who easily sidestepped the attack and the following assault. Each stab, thrust, and swing of the sword was dodged as Leaon played with his opponent, showing the resistance that they are no match for Cladon's army. Bored of the battle, Leaon quickly got behind the leader's defenses, grabbing the man by his throat and lifting him high in the air.

"Give up or take the same fate as your so-called leader!" He yelled as his claws tightened around the man's neck, causing him to frantically try to free himself of the Felein's grip. "You will survive if you lay down your weapons!" Leaon continued as he watched the life drain out of his eyes. "This is your last chance! When he dies, anyone holding a weapon will die with him!"

Leaon tossed the lifeless body in front of him, as the body hit the ground, the sound of dozens of weapons falling to the dirt boomed around him. Smiling triumphantly, Leaon left the rebels to his soldiers and headed towards where his elite human guard stood waiting for him. He gauged his squad as he casually walked towards them. Garneth, a male warrior bearing dirt covered armor with his sword sheathed and shield resting on his back. He was one of the two youngest of the group, a skilled human, yet arrogant. Next to him, Reshmi, a female assassin and the other youngest of the group, Garneth's twin sister. Where he was arrogant, she was savage, reveling in the bloodlust of battle and the death of her opponents, the one he thought would have killed everyone she came across in this battle. Behind her waited Shizrin, a female warrior. Shizrin was quiet and barely talked, she was exceptional at following orders and always accomplishing the mission. In front of the three, were the two he trusted most and his right and left hands. Jarrant, a male warrior, and Sali, a female hunter. Both of whom have been with him the longest.