Kingdoms of aitris

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When the time came, almost every capeable warrior in the tribe left, including many of the women. Those who had young children, and the youngest and oldest members along with the shaman stayed to guard the village. It was a long, silent journey, those most skilled in tree hopping, including ari ran along the branches while the rest stayed on the ground. Some rode hogs with giant, deadly looking tusks, and a series of strange doglike cats joined the tribe after a small horn was blown.The creatures ran in the trees with Ari, and he had a feeling that they where extremely deadly. He wasnt sure he wanted this battle, but what choice did he have? If he didnt help they would never find Reva.

Then it began, it was dark with only occasional moonbeams shining through the leaves but the tribe knew how to see in the dark. Just like cats. His first taste of war was the sudden howling that came when the whole tribe raised their voices as one. The cats joined in, high pitched, chilling roars echoed through the jungle, and Ari screamed, sounding almost panther-like.

Below him he saw a mass of bodies, only thing that told the tribes apart where their clothes. His tribe wore similar to what Ari wore, but the other... Well they only wore skimpy fur loin clothes and some of the men wore headdresses, made out of the skin from an entire animal head. He saw boar, monkeys, deer-like things and cats. He heard a faint call, one he had learned. It ment prepare, he focused on a target and got into position. Then a loud shriek, a mix between the call of the flesh eating monkey and common baboon. He leapt, his body fell through the hair and he landed on the shoulders of his target which was so surprised it fell to the ground. Then they where rolling, each trying to gain the upper hand until Ari remembered he had claws. A few quick swipes and blood splattered his ivory chest. The man screamed and Ari took his chance, tore out the throat and was immediately attacked again.

It went on for hours, Ari being attacked left and right, fleeing up a tree to catch his breath and assess his injuries whenever he could. He understood the only reason he was alive was because his tribe kept an eye on him, and helped whenever he lost the upper hand. If it werent for that he would be among the bodies on the ground. But finally a loud, deep voice sounded among the screams and grunts of the fighting men and women.

He would later learn that the words spoken were 'retreat, the cheif is dead!' and were spoken by the enemy. But for now all he heard where strange words. He watched as the fighting broke up and the enemies fled, leaving their dead and only pausing to pick up those who might yet survive. Soon only one remained. A tall, red skinned man covered in red blood and green paint faced them and spoke. Mio had somehow ended up next to Ari, surprisingly unharmed save for a deep cut on one arm, and he translated.

"WHat is the meaning of this? You Send us the image of our gods creation, a declaration of war written in its blood. You fight us. You slay us like animals, set your wild cats against us and many good men have died. And for what?!"

Atmaer accused the chief of murdering his men in cold blood out in the forest when they had been searching for a women. after a while of heated argument it was determined that they had accused the wrong tribe and they gathered their wounded and left. The dead were left to the jungle, only their clothes which every man spent his whole life time improving where taken to be burned by the shaman to set the spirits at rest.

The night was growing old, and the tribe had a few hours of rest before the sun woke them and they sat for a silent ceremony as they honored their dead, and Ari even spilled a few drops of his blood on the ashes to send them to the after life with the blessing of a god. He almost felt bad about deceiving them. But if he came out now he would die.. And never find out what had happened to Reva. Then it was time for a meeting. But first Ari and the cheif and Mio sat to speak to scouts who had been sent to every nearby village. There was a strange new person in one of them. A village that the tribe thought was strange, and cursed because they had no god. She was seen speaking to the chief which was a cause for alarm. The boy who had survived the attack went with the scout to see if this was the demon woman who had attacked him.
 
Once this Hilda woman had finished patching up Reva's leg, she packed up her tools and hurried out the door without saying another word. Reva carefully lifted herself off of the table and onto the ground, her hands firmly gripping the table, in case her legs gave way again, but they seemed to support her weight fine now. She stood up, and after taking a few deep breaths to prepare yourself for the strange world she now found herself in, she stepped out of the hut and into the village.

It was not what she was expecting, the huts here were not made out of mud, or hollowed out trees, or sticks as she had expected for such a primitive tribe, but solid, wooden planks no doubt taken from the nearby trees. The whole village was like a modernization of tribal customs, still the same circular shapes for the smaller huts, as the one she had awoken in. Little potted plants outside each hut, even wind chimes hanging from a few doorways, as if everything which had once defined these people, had been replaced with a more civilized counterpart. A huge log wall encased the village, though whether more to keep those on the outside out, or to keep the villagers trapped in, was a question Reva didn't know the answer to. The whole place was a feat which seemed both impressive, and a horrible mockery of ancient traditions at the same time. But the biggest upset for this tribal people, was clearly the two-storey building in the center of the village, seemingly built upon what must have originally been a tribal council area, or religious shrine.

She made her way over to this central structure, a double door for it's entrance, vines hanging decoratively on either side, even windows carved in the walls, complete with fabric for curtains. Reva shook her head in both wonderment and disgust, then pushed open the door and stepped inside. Sure enough, there was Henrique, sitting beside a roaring fire, in a makeshift chair complete with cushions, sipping something from a wooden teacup. "Ah! There you are, my dear, I was wondering when you'd be up and about. I trust you found your way here with no difficulties?" He asked with that smile upon his face. "It was kind of hard to miss." Reva dryly replied, making her way over to the second chair beside him and sitting down, feeling a sense of relief at being off of her leg. "It is quite a marvel what these people can do with a little encouragement, yes?" he laughed. "Would you care for something to drink?" he politely asked. "No, I'm fine... thank you" she added reluctantly. "Look, what did you want to talk about?" she bluntly asked, tired of being caught up in these pleasantries that seemed so out of place. "Ah, quite right. How rude of me to keep the lady waiting" he placed down his cup and gazed into the fire. "You probably find this village and by extension my presence here, a little strange, hmm? Well I of course was not raised here, but rather traveled with a few friends of mine who were setting out on an expedition to bring culture to these savage, forgotten people." he paused, as if remembering something painful "However, events were not too kind to the other members of my party, and so it fell upon me and me alone to help these poor people. Now my expertise, as you can probably hazard a guess, is crafting. I have taught these people to live properly, to build strong homes, to create tools, to learn to use their environment for their own advantage, not to live among it, in the muck..." the distaste in voice readily apparent "However, one thing we've had trouble with here, are the other tribes we... share, this jungle with. I can and have taught these people how to live, but I do not know how to teach them to protect. That, is what I would ask of you." he finished, his eyes now fixed upon Reva's.

"W-What?" Reva stammered "You want me to turn these people into fighters?" she asked, clearly bewildered. "Oh, heavens no, it took a long time to get them out of that mindset. No, what I would wish from you, is if you could teach them to make weapons, to create defensive fortifications, to protect what we have here from the uncivilized savages that roam amongst these trees. Some, I believe, that you have encountered yourself already..." a slight smile touched the corner of his lips at these words. A scowl formed upon Reva's brow, remembering those cannibals that had tracked her down. "You want help against those flesh eaters? Done." Reva extended a hand, and shook Henrique's. The deal was made.

For the next few days, Reva taught the villagers how to create spears, swords, bows, even axes. Not the easiest work given the lack of metal to be found, but wooden spears and arrows were fine, and some strong binding to keep the stone in place seemed to work well for the swords and axes. She had them place fields of spears around the village, slanted to face the jungle that surrounded them, nothing would be able to charge at the walls without being impaled first. She had them place long stretches of vines at the two entrances to the village, designed to hamper the movement of anyone who tried to cross too quickly, effectively eliminating the threat of rush attacks. She had them erect towers around the village at key vantage points, and then trained a few villagers who were good with bows, to be lookouts for any encroaching danger. Thankfully due to all the wood used for constructing the village, the entire surrounding area had been stripped of trees for quite a few yards, making it so aerial attacks would not be a problem either. And despite Henrique's objections, she taught them all some advanced maneuvers with the swords and axes, to give them an advantage over any others they faced.

Reva awoke one night to a distant sound coming from across the jungle, a loud, violent collection of sounds, screaming through the air. She heard a commotion outside and went to investigate, all of the village seemed to have heard the noise too, but they appeared far more agitated about it. Henrique noticed her and beckoned her over "What's going on?" Reva asked, missing the significance of what was happening "I'm afraid, my dear, that is the sound of war in these parts, native to a particularly troublesome bunch of cat-worshiping savages. We've had plenty of run-ins with that lot, lost a lot of good people..." his voice trailed off at these words, as his gaze dropped to the ground before him. "Will they be coming here next?" Reva asked straightly, as if reporting to a superior officer back in her home city. "Never can tell with those people, depends if they feel their inane bloodlust is sated after tonight's massacre. At any rate, we should prepare for the worst." he stated flatly, before nodding to her and returning inside his home. Reva looked out at the night sky along with the other villagers, the sound of a ferocious battle echoing across the treetops. "Then let them come..." she whispered, her blood boiling, longing for battle.
 
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Ari sat naked silently, meditating as they waited for the scout and the boy to return. The tribe was tending to their wounded, and repairing damaged weapons and clothes. They had not lost many in the attack, thankfully but the ranks where a little thinner. No one disturbed him as he perched on a dangerously thin branch, just beyond the wooden platforms the tribe called home. They were very sophisticated he had realized, they knew how to build and harvest wood and create strong weapons. They were just stuck in their savage culture.

He thought, he imagined Reva, the smell of her skin, the strength in her sword arm, the feeling of her hand in his, her body pressed against his as they slept. He also Remembered the terror on her face, her hand being ripped away when the monkeys attacked. But he tried to push it away. He thought back to the prison, when she was tossed into that cell and how she changed everything. He felt a hot breeze brush against his bare skin. No one cared about his nakedness. He had often seen the men and women walking around like this. The bark dug into his skin, and his anchored him in reality.

"oh Reva.." he whispered as he remembered their first night together after escaping, the rise and fall of her breast as she breathed. It had been comforting, the sound of her heart. He hadn't realized how lonely he was before he met her. And so he thought, imagined their reunion, the smile on her face, taking her hand again as they left this god forsaken jungle.

It wasnt sight, or scent, or even hearing that roused him from his reflections. It was another sense, He opened his eyes and saw the boy standing before the tribe. They were waiting for him. He yawned and stretched before leaping nimbly to the platform and walking towards them. He didnt bother to dress, and as he passed some of the men and women reached out to touch him, to feel the fresh wounds on his skin. Some hands danced a little lower then necessary but he didn't mind. He silently took his place beside the Shaman and listened.

They had found the cursed village, the new women was in fact the one that had killed two tribe members and she was teaching the village to fight and defend themselves. Immediately plans were made to attack in open war once they had a chance to rest. Ari had a strange feeling, something wasn't right here. But he would play along until he figured it out. He wanted to see the village, and this strange women. But he would never be allowed out alone. And so he threw himself into his training, in a week they would attack.
 
Over the next few days, Reva kept up with training the villagers, turning them into a capable, if not expert fighting force. There were a few accidents during the training, but only a few nicks and bruises, and one severed finger. They were as ready as she could get them to be, with their makeshift weapons and defenses surrounding the village. She had ordered a few of them to go and collect some moss from the trunks of nearby trees, she hoped that by slathering it upon the bases of the outer log wall, it would make it more difficult for the attackers to attempt to scale it. And in case any tried and failed, she had large amounts of wooden spear heads stuck into the ground at the base of the walls, to give them something unpleasant to land on. They had seen rustling of leaves in the past week, flashes of movement in the trees, scouts for the rival tribe no doubt, studying for the upcoming attack. With everything as prepared as it could be, it was now just a matter of waiting for the tribals to make their first strike.

Reva was asleep in the bed she had been allowed to use, just a badly, hastily constructed one made for her, given there had been no spare beds in the village when she had arrived, and the villager she was sharing the hut with, hadn't liked the idea of handing over their own bed. It was fine, after sleeping on the floor, or in the roots of trees up until now, any bed was heaven for her. This night she awoke with a a start though, the village up in arms about something, screaming all around the place outside, attempting to rouse everyone. She tried to quickly get up to her feet, but her body rejected that idea and her leg buckled, bringing her down to one knee hard. "Ah!" she quietly moaned, rubbing her sore knee. She more carefully rose to her feet this time, making her way out of the hut, to the sight of the villagers grabbing weapons, scaling the towers, and some even taking the time to put war paint on each other's faces. She sighed and returned into the hut to get dressed and grab her sword, the only metal one they had in the entire place, not good odds, but maybe they'd get lucky and the attacking tribe wouldn't have any weapons at all... She let out a hollow laugh and headed to Henrique's.

As she approached the two-storey building, Henrique came out of the front doors with a frightened look upon his face "There you are!" he exclaimed upon seeing Reva "Why aren't you giving the villagers orders? They need guidance, structure! This is why I hired you!" he yelled at her, his voice wobbling from the fear that was present. "They know what to do." Reva replied flatly, not giving into her own fear she felt inside. "Return to your home, barricade the door, leave everything to us." she finished, before turning away and walking towards the gathering of fighters preparing for the upcoming battle. She heard the door slam shut behind her, and various things being scraped along the floor behind it, sealing it's only occupant away. She looked at the villagers with their makeshift weapons, each one bearing an almost bloodthirsty grin upon their face, they had missed battle for far too long, and they clearly relished the chance to embrace the old ways again. As did she.

They heard the horns blare, almost deafening her with how close they were this time, she covered her ears with her hands and waited for the ringing to subside. Once she removed her hands, the horn blaring had been replaced with an almost equally deafening thunder of feet sprinting across the earth toward them. She started pointing at where the warriors should take up positions, drawing her own sword and bracing herself for whoever made it past their defenses.

She heard lots of screams and yells from outside the wall, no doubt the defenses had caught some of them, but she hardly had time to pat herself on the back, when she caught her first look at the attackers as they poured in through the entrance, only a few tripping on the vines and getting entangled, far fewer than she had hoped. About ten of the enemy rushed towards her, not noticing the villagers flanking them on either side, crouched next to the huts. Once they were close enough, the villagers leapt from their positions and assaulted these intruders upon their home. Reva joined in the fray and impaled a few of them, after closing the distance and grabbing their attacking arm with her free one, they were a lot stronger than she had expected though, their sheer weight almost causing her to lose her balance on more than one occasion. If she had been fighting them alone, she had no doubt she wouldn't have lasted very long at all.

She was about to try and thank the villagers for fighting alongside her, when they all suddenly rushed off behind her. It was then she turned around and saw how many of the attackers had been able to break through the defenses, they were everywhere... On the roofs of the huts, scaling the towers to attack the archers, running through the streets, cutting down any fighters they saw. Even some throwing stuff in the eyes of the villagers, blinding them before cutting them open. They had begun setting fire to the village, various huts burning against the night sky, the thick, bilious clouds rising up, becoming one with the darkness of the sky. She could see they had prioritized Henrique's house, the lower floor was ablaze, while more and more of them leapt in through the upper windows. Even if was still alive, he wouldn't be for long, the sheer numbers would finish him off eventually, providing he had put any fight at all.

She felt unsure of what to do, even as the remaining villagers continued fighting, cutting down a lot more than the attackers had likely expected them too, they too were eventually swarmed by the sheer number of attackers assaulting them at once. Both sides would lose a lot of friends and family today, to the point where she wondered whether either of them would actually feel like they had won, once the battle was over and the soil was stained red. She didn't have long to hold on to this melancholy thought however, before some of the rival tribe noticed her and immediately leapt from the roofs, down to meet her on the ground. She readied her sword arm, but they surprised her with how fast they sprinted toward her, she was unused to fighting people this ferocious. She dropped to one knee and thrust her sword into the chest of the first who reached her, but found him so heavy upon her blade, that she toppled backwards and had to kick him off of her with her feet. She didn't even have time to stand, before the second and third one reached her. She began spinning around in the dirt, trying to hit them in the legs while also dodging their own attacks. They were a fair bit more successful then her, giving her various cuts and nicks, where as her own attacks always seemed so easily avoided by their reflexes. She felt her limbs growing tired with the constant movement and so did something she felt a little ashamed of, she grabbed a handful of soil with her spare hand and threw it at one of her attackers, throwing him off balance just long enough for her sword to find purchase in his ankle. The other attacker was so shocked to hear the scream of his friend, that Reva was able to grab hold of his leg and pull him down to her level, before rolling herself on top of him and smashing his head into the ground repeatedly, until finally his body stopped trembling beneath her.

She leaned back and retrieved her sword, panting heavily at how much energy she had already depleted. She didn't dare get to her feet again yet, not only in case she fell down, but also in case some of the other attackers saw her. Her eyes were darting all around, wondering what she should do. Even if she had wanted to escape, she saw no way how to, even though many of them lay dead, there were still more of the rival tribe leaping between the buildings, picking on the few stragglers who yet lived down below. "I guess this is where I die..." she breathlessly spoke, feeling a wave of calm wash through her body at hearing those words, even as more of the attackers saw her, and made their way to finish her off. "Not just yet though" she grinned, getting to her feet.
 
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