[META-SRP] D-Day (Tethys)

[Epine de Rose]

 

[Epine de Rose]

[Public, IC Knowledge. Feel free to use.]

They were ready, or as ready as any band could be for what had always been an inevitable conflict. He'd promised them from Day One that they would find these creatures and in honour of their former Captain, utterly crush them. It had been all that powered the majority of his band, those who had been so loyal to the one who had led them for as long as they could remember. Tough, but fair, he'd always led them to glory and it was by a cruel twist of fate that he had been taken from this world. The only comfort that could be brought to them was the knowledge he had died a warrior's death and it was up to them to avenge him. Tethys had promised them and after placing their faith in him, they were finally to be rewarded - the tension hung within the air, pressing down upon them with assurances that the time was now.

Though they were under no illusions that this would be the first of many conflicts, it was their turn to put the beasts in their place. They were Vikings, they were the elite and it had been through blood and sweat that they had proven this. They had grown tired of those who were all bark and no bite, and now more than ever was an opportunity for this band to prove exactly who and what they were. It was for this reason that they waited, positioned carefully with their backs to the light and their eyes to the shadows.

Tethys stood at their head, eyes closed and form still as he waited.

They'd been trained, and for those who had lacked the ability to 'see' the invisible, they had now found allies that could. Upon their necks rested their serpent companions, keen eyes trained upon the darkness as tongues whipped out in a frenzied manner. They were searching for what the band's eyes couldn't see, those creatures hidden in the depths with a well practised strategy for hiding. With breaths so still and with their eyes closed, the Phantoms had given them all first hand experience as to how damaging their assaults could be... But this time, they weren't as invisible as they had once been.

Though Tethys held his piece, it was the serpents that rested at his paws that gazed out expectantly. They watched, they waited, and it was safe to say that the Scourge did much the same. Neither side seemed inclined to make the first move, to make the first move would give away the game and this could not be afforded. Nevertheless, it seemed that the Scourge had noted that on this occasion they couldn't hide from the penetrating gaze of the Viking's slithering companions and one by one, the 'lights' flickered on. From within the trees the piercing red eyes emerged, pairs here and there, smattered in much the same fashion that the warband had mimicked. They fought in packs you see, and one must never battle them alone or they would risk being overwhelmed.

It was on the shores of the Bahari'mtoto that they stared one another down, with the Captain finally opening his eyes to meet the gaze of the awaiting creatures. Though he did well to hide it, he had not been expecting their numbers, there were more than he anticipated and it seemed to him that they had little intention of allowing their charge to escape again. His own band would need to remember everything that they had learned in order to overcome this and even then, he wasn't entirely confident they would get away with everyone intact. They had wanted glory though, they had wanted vengeance, and they were going to get it.

...And yet still no one moved.

Tethys still had much to learn and when it came to the Scourge he would openly admit that he knew little of how they received orders and co-ordinated their assaults. However, to remain in a stand off would do them no favours and eventually, one of his band was going to lose their patience. These creatures were patient, extraordinarily disciplined in a manner he had never seen before and quite frankly, he didn't feel it was natural... But where they were patient and choreographed, his band had adaptability and sheer stubborness. It should have come at no surprise that the lion therefore saw no reason to hold them back for much longer and instead, he glanced briefly at his companions. While theatrical, it served its purpose in Viking culture and he would be loathe to let himself, or them, forget who they were in this moment.

"Gentlemen," he announced in a deep rumble. "Our guests have arrived," he stated and raised his paw to point towards the 'glowing' eyes. "It would be rude to disappoint them, don't you think?" he asked, his band shifting restlessly in reply as snarls curled upon their lips and eyes narrowed.

"We won't expect our guests to speak back," he added as he lowered his paw again. "So we will skip the rest of the formalities," he continued and turned his gaze back towards the lions before him.

"They're all yours," he stated.

"Rip them apart." He snarled, though the lions had already plunged forward and were sweeping into the path of the expectant 'guests'.

It wasn't long before the first clashes began to ring out within the depths of the jungle and the eyes suddenly disappeared.

...They were coming.

Word Count: 922