HI guys sorry took so long I been on holidays, and I've just been flat out slack, this chapter might get a bit sickening, had to gross it down a bit, it made me gag a bit the unedited version.. Oh and any advice would be great! I'm not one for writing long spiels but I will take your advice on board.
Cheers
Patchy1
Tiberius POV
We have been marching for a week, every farm, every village, every outpost that we have come across has been destroyed or deserted. The men are getting weary and our supplies are low. We haven't even seen or found any remains of Kronis and his men. No bodies dead or alive, no weapons nothing except the destruction everywhere. We continue to march onwards looking for clues.
We march till noon and find a spot to set up camp near a rocky outcrop over looking a large valley not much is said between the men no jovial laughter, no stories everyone is on edge, we have seen nothing all day, the only thing that seems out of place is the sounds, there is none, not even a cricket chirping. The men are uneasy I can feel it, i set double duty for the lookouts tonight something doesn't feel quite right...
As I lay down to rest of notice our horses are uneasy, perhaps they know something is wrong.
I dream of walking through a village, the people are happy and the marketplace is bustling with all kind of business I can smell freshly made bread and cut flowers everyone seems happy and content, children are running around joyfully. As I look around slowly the people one by one start to change, their once happy faces are now fearful and scared they talk in whispers but they never stop what they are doing, the flowers that were once fresh and beautiful are now rotten and stink! the bread is mouldy, the children are no where to be seen, but no one noticed the changes and continues on like nothing is wrong, i see a man buy some bread and start to eat it in big bites as if its his last, I dry wretch as the bread and mould squeezes out between his fingers, I look up and see the people have stopped talking they are looking behind them to the mountains. One by one they stop what they are doing. A blood curdling scream sounds to my right and lady is looking at her hands there is blood pooling in them. She tries to fling it away but it keeps flowing everyone turns to look at her their expressions are blank. I hear a man yell out as roaches spring from his fruit stall thousands and thousands of roaches, he tries to swat them away as they crawl all over him. One by one people start screaming and yelling running from each other, pushing each other out of the way as terrible things start happening I see a man to my left running than all of a sudden his legs snap and he falls to the grounds. I see another man trying to climb a wall like he's a mouse trapped in a hole. A fire starts as chaos reins people are going crazy with outright fear, people are pushed to the ground and trampled on. A lady runs at me with her hands covering her face, her clothing is torn and muddied she stops just before she collides with me. I touch her shoulder, Are you ok? I ask, she doesn't respond, Are you ok? I ask again louder, she's sobbing. She pulls her hands away from her face and looks to the sky, I step back in horror, her eyes! She has no eyes blood covers her face and that's when she screams....
I am violently awoken by one of my men shaking me "My Lord, one of the guards are gone!. "Gone what do you mean gone, as in run off?!! I snap the dream is burned in to my brain, thats if it was a dream it felt so real like I was there, a vision perhaps I will have to find out later.
The horses are trying to break their ropes, their eyes wide, "Wake up men" I yell "We have company"!!! My men are ready in seconds forming a protective barrier around the horses. I hear running and heavy breathing coming from my left. We braces ourselves for whatever was out there. Our scout burst through the foliage, we see the terror in his eyes and than he is yanked back into the undergrowth. we here screams and a scuffle until there is no sound left. We strain to hear any sounds, seconds go by, minutes than slowly a set of blood red eyes appear and than another and another until we are completely surronded. Slowly out of the shadows come the biggest Death Hound I had ever seen. its teeth bared, ears pinned back. I had only ever seen them once before in the sewers of a major city when the Senate had sent us to arrest a crazied witch who was bringing the dead back to life.
The Hound was enormous, its fur was mattered with blood and its ribs stuck out in the firelight. It let out a deep rumbling growl, than it pounced, I barely had enough time to lift my sword when it struck me pinning me to the ground, its fangs inches from my face saliva dripping down, snapping at me clawing at my chest. I struggled to move it. By now I could see more Death Hounds coming out of the shadows lunging at my men. I had to get up, I fought with the Hound until I managed to fling it off and roll on to my feet, bracing myself for the onslaughter. The Hound bared its teeth showing its fangs, its red eyes intelligent and yet full of rage and fury. It lunged at me, I dodged its attack and came back swinging my blade in a full arc, cutting it as it went past, it howled in fury and lunged again i ducked as it went flying over my head. I saw some of my men fall screaming and than i saw the fire a plan started to form in my head, i ran for it dodging the snapping teeth of other Hounds. I reached the fire pulling out a large branch. I steadied myself and watched as the Death Hound that had tried to rip my throat out stalked towards me. It pounced and grabbed the burning stick, i knew that it was immune to fire, but now it was occupied I swung my sword down and up in to its chest, twisting as I went. The Death Hound collapsed against me, the smell of rotting flesh coming from its wounds. I turned to see the last of the Hounds take off into the shadows as the first rays of Sun came over the horizon. I looked around at my men, many were dead, the ones that had survived were covered in gashes and burns. I stood up looking at the devastation, only five horses had survived the onslaugher, our campsite was levelled. I called out to my second in command Lucius, "Get the remaining men to build a prye, I want our dead to be honoured, "What about the Death Hounds My Lord?" Lucius asked, "Burn every single one of them" Including the Alpha?"Lucius asked pointing to the large Hound at my feet. "Skin him, i want to carry a reminder for all the Death hounds we will come across that we are not to be messed with" I replied "How do you know we will come across more?"Lucius asked a puzzled expression on his face. Ï can feel it" I whispered as I looked over the valley a faint column of smoke could be seen in the distance.
