Now And Forever

Just as Fereen finished speaking, the invincible barrier shut down.

The glowing dome collapsed into nothing. Its dispersal of protection upward ceased entirely, allowing droplets of falling rainwater to resume their freezing downpour and splash upon him and Shena once more casting them in the mercy of the open field with them and the surrounding them with nothing in between them and death.

Fereen pointed his sword right at the general's enraged face which was now focused on him. Only him. The raider children began to raise their weapons, ready charge and rip them apart.

Only to be stopped with a command with just their father's stern hand.

The general stared intently at the now vulnerable soldiers that his children could so easily finish off here and now. Yet still they stayed in place obediently. Father had to do this alone. He could not ignore the challenger's insult and offense against his cultural pride. This imbecile had insulted him directly in front of his children and this could not let this stand. If he did nothing his children would know for the rest of their life that their father had done nothing to defend his or their mother's honor. It was now a matter of justice. Nohting more. And he would see to it personally.

The general crept closer in silence toward the flying fish with the rain thrashing against his back. Not full of any hatred or rage anymore. Just a gleeful pity. For this dimwit had just unknowingly invited upon himself to face the full wrath of an army ant gladiator.

You're quite the talker little fish." He whispered with a heinous scowl slowly consuming across his grotesque face. He then gestured behind to his warriors waiting impatiently to attack, his cape fluttered from the quick motion through the rain to reveal his savage offspring outnumbering the two aquatics ten to two.

"You are beneath my children, and even the lowest of our workers. You and your kind are nothing but meat for us." A blight that has crawled out of the mud into land's you are not meant to conquer. That right belongs to us. And you have the audacity to suggest any different?!! You have no idea what you see before you do you? You think me and my children as another mob of dumb creatures to subjugate? To be easily crushed and forgotten?

Wrong.

No one can save you from what is to happen. And I promise you this. For you're insolent word's against our queen. I will personally rip your wings from your spine to add upon my cloak. A symbol to deter any who shows such arrogance towards us again. While what's left of your body will feed our future warriors. And I guarantee you. They will savor every last ounce of your flesh."

Fereen's wings twitched nervously. Every voice and instinct in his head was telling him to fly as far away from here as possible just as Shena had ordered. He shut them up and stood his ground. The general continued.

"You and your nation have enjoyed your arrogance over the world long enough. We all have our role's in life but ruling the seas was never enough for you. You think so highly of yourself. But you can't see the reality of your situation. The hour has past and this battle is drawing to a close. You're nation's blood will soon spill your waters while ours will rise again after you are gone. And yet you refuse to accept that. The reality of your hopeless. You stand tall and in denial as you please despite knowing you have been abandoned by your superiors, because even they have realized what you are fighting for is meaningless and futile beyond saving. The end of the war is near. That much is certain. I suppose I must help you realize it too then." Very well then.

"I accept you're challenge." The general declared excitedly.

The old ant straitened his hunched back to fully tower imposingly and cast a shadow over the two exhausted soldiers. He was massive. An undefeated and feared champion of his people. He then unfastened the clamp's on each his shoulders that connected to his exquisite spider silk cloak. Allowing the rare fabric fall from his back carelessly into the mud without any concern. Fereen looked up and down at his large opponent anxiously, barely managing to keep himself from gulping. Now able to see the full array of deadly armaments on full terrifying display without the concealment of the cape.

The general wore a luxurious and exquisitely detailed armored breastplate across it's massive torso that barely fit, obviously made for a much thinner species than himself. It's glimmering shades of gold and coal easily recognizable as the signature colors of Savanese armorers. Puncturing the strong plate would be difficult.

Lower down on the insect's stomach sat an arsenal of shrapnel grenades hanging from the sides of the belt as it wrapped around it's thin waist. But easily the most imposing piece of attire, was the degraded alligator skull of a slain berserker warrior, resting comfortably atop the general's right shoulder serving as an armor pauldron. A trophy of a past victory no doubt. And a past victim.

The veteran raider then discarded his expensive gauntlet shields right to the dirt beside him confidently. He would fight with just skill alone one last time, just had he had done in the arena all those years ago. Fereen looked closer and saw something quite odd, or rather it was what he didn't see.

The general knew why he was shocked and smiled unashamed.

This aquatic could never truly understand why he did it. He knew nothing of true loyalty. His past was more than he could ever fathom. Of how he, a lowly drone had risen the ranks of the great gladiatorial game's and survived amongst ten other's to stand victorious atop a bloodied mountain of his unworthy brother's despite being the smallest of his swarm himself. He had the same skill, he had the same ferocity. But he had something they didn't. The willingness to survive no matter the odd's.

It was the single greatest moment of his life. Basking in the reward he had fought and proved himself worthy of receiving for so long by the mercy of his queen. But what he remembered most were the deafening cheer's of his million's of proud sister's lying under the shade of the great sandy arena. Winning the game wasn't just for entertainment. It was the greatest honor an army ant could ever hope to strive for. For they were the only one's worthy to mate with the queen and pass on their strength, and only he would be the proud father of an an entire portion of the next generation. A shinning deadly example to other arrogant nation's that his kind was not to be taken lightly. Not to be mocked, but to be feared. A singular deadly crusader that had honed his skill's to a knife's edge to become the perfect beacon of that message for the entire world to hear. And he had done it all for her.

He remembered almost being to the point of tears as it at last came turn for him to come face to face kneeling before her. Feeling her tender affection as she gently placed her lip's and antenna atop his head and proclaimed him as her next swarm champion and loyal husband. Till death he, and his nine surviving brother's would fight as her honor guardmen, leading each of their own personal swarm's comprised of one million warrior offspring into the fray to spread her wisdom and obtain riches and captives far and wide.

Clae'lesh val Kaya. Clae'lesh val esa. Clae'lesh val avia na lora. Nara tai crea." His oath of absolution to her on that day.

"My life is yours. My flesh is yours. And I return these to you, for they are mine no longer. Now and forever.

The aquatic would never understand the act of cutting off his own precious wings as a final right of passage. But he had done it without question as ordered. All in order to prove that his day's as a lowly drone now passed. His loyalty was absolute and unquestioning. And it was an act he had never once shown remorse for. That was the easy part. But what came after....

From then on, the general had trained and led his children in countless raids to reclaim what their kind had lost. From then on, each of her majesty's ten husbands would destroy heretics wherever they hid until victory or every last one of their own raiding swarm perished. With tradition demanding a disgraced Swarm general to be the last one to die by taking his own life in failure. An act all nine of his victorious original brother's had done in shame in battle's past rather than surrender. And an act that he swore as the last of his line, would not be how his life would end.

This aquatic knew not of the sacrifices he had made. No other species could begin to understand the losses and pain's he and their kind had taken. Most probably even believed that the looted treasure army ants earned they kept for themselves. In truth. They hardly kept any of it.

The hordes of looted treasures and captives "acquired" were absolutely essential in rebuilding the colony by trading in exchange for weapons and supplies from the queen's employers. Arming and rebuilding a nation as massive as the her's would have been astronomically difficult on her own. So instead her warrior's would pay for them by methods nature had better suited them for. After all, why make things when its easier just to take them.

Unfortunately, as this particularly difficult raid had prolonged in recent weeks and so far from the bivouac at home, the old general standing in the rain had begun to realize a weakness was beginning to fester deep inside him.

He had become concerned for what little children he had left to lead. Children that he had raised and fought beside all their lives from birth. It was common custom for champions not to become attached to their children just like the queen, for thousand's would inevitably die in the numerous required raids. He tried not to care. But secretly, the battle inside his mind was the most difficult one he had ever fought.

It would all be worth he had told himself time and time again. Their struggle in the present meant uplifting future generations out of poverty and returning them to the glory of the past he had never known. Generation's who would never know the blood he and his children had spilled for them to live as conquers. But if blood must be spilled, he preferred it to be his own.

The general shook himself from his moment of inner thought continued on with his victorious speech. Unleashing a vile smirk as he leaned in closer toward the arrogant small challenger. His mandibles flexing with glee and pride as he stared at the glowing blue blade begging to come into contact with his.

"We have won this battle. Soon this war as well. Your courage is admirable. Thinking that it may somehow save both of your lives. But you are sadly mistaken. This is where your journey ends aquatic. You will die here today for nothing but our amusement in a spectacular final performance. The insect slowly grinned, clutching his saber handle's tighter in anticipation of the rush he knew he would feel again.

"Your life is mine now...."

"And I shall end it however the crowd desire's."

The towering gladiator finally drew his two massive glowing blade's swiftly out from their scabbards in a perfect synchronized motion and raised them imposingly wide apart into the air as a show of his immense strength against this final insignificant opponent. With each of his searing yellow saber's nearly the size of Fereen's whole body alone emitting boiling steam as they sizzled against the raindrops vanishing instantaneously upon them. Cloaking the savage insect in a misty fog as if it were a phantom risen from hell to claim another soul.

Fereen was not impressed. He pointed own his diminutive blade of water right at the overconfident insect regardless of his threat, while keeping the other hand behind his back in a proper fencing stance calmly. He may have more swords, but all it takes is just one to do the job.

"Watch closely children!" The general snarled aloud in eager anticipation of the show about to begin. "What happens next to this little one is but a taste of what you will do to the shark after I am finished with him! Rip her. Tear her limb from limb and do not let go. Grind her bones into dust and let this fool watch what is left of her to spread through out the night air. He will bathe in her ashes as he dies on his knees before you all. This I give to you all."

Fereen turned to face Shena one last time in order to ask her for one final favor if thing don't go as planned for either of them. His heart filled with focused fear. Fear he knew he could use for her. It would sharpen his senses even more so than his sword.

"Shena.... Tell my parents."

"No, Fereen. I'm no messenger. You tell them yourself."

He smiled softly before spreading his wings apart, looking like a fierce angel of death. Rolling his weary shoulders back and forth apart for relief and in order to prepare for the last duel waiting for him. There was work to be done. And he mustn't delay in victory.

"Welp, Here's hoping."

Fereen cracked his neck to the side just once. Raised his saber like a proper gentlemen. And lunged with all his heart and fury towards the mindless insect.

The challenge had begun.