Chapter 2: The Beast

"The stage is set." Said Lord Trey smugly. He could already taste victory. "Now we need only await the arrival of the other players in today's little drama."

His generals laughed. They too, knew that their success was all but guaranteed.

They did not have to wait long. From the East came the so-called legendary General Zhan easily identified by the winged lion standard his soldiers carried.

And from the West, the Beast's brigade, led by the Beast himself astride an enormous black horse that trotted in place as though eager for the upcoming battle. His troops numbered 5,000 warriors personally selected from General Zhan's troops. To be chosen as a member was the highest honor any soldier of the Dragorian Empire could hope to achieve.

Per protocol, General Zhan and the Crown Prince approached Lord Trey and his generals to discuss possible terms for surrender. There was an interminable silence as the adversaries sized each other up.

Lord Trey's troops were fired up and ready for victory. They could only laugh when they saw the two small groups that met them for battle.

Lord Trey appraised the two legendary men in front of him. He scoffed inwardly. They were both too pretty to be the battle-hardened warriors described in terrified whispers by vanquished enemies.

For a man known as The Beast, he wasn't as physically imposing as one would expect. He stood about 5 feet 11 inches tall. He had a lean athletic build, his muscles toned from hours of sword practice. But he was not huge and bulky.

He didn't need to be, however. He had an imposing aura that could reduce even the most stalwart man into a quivering cowering mess. He was also devastatingly handsome with strong chiseled features, deep-set black eyes, and a pair of full lips that seemed almost too full and sensuous to be a man's.

His straight thick brown hair normally hung down past his shoulders. But during battle, he had it tied close to his head to prevent interference with combat.

Unlike the personal troops of many aristocrats, his were not completely adorned in the colors of their Master. The only purple trimmed with silver that each soldier wore, was a small insignia of a horned and winged serpent upon their left breast. Lest there be some confusion, it was not a dragon as it had no legs. It was winged serpent that glittered with ombre purple scales, a silver forked tongue, and 2 black horns similar to a bull's that twisted up from out of its temples. Such a creature did not exist in the world, which made it all the more terrifying to those who beheld it.

General Zhan was slightly taller and broader in the shoulders, but he also possessed the lean body of a hunter and the aura of a predator. His golden-brown skin was etched with numerous scars in various stages of healing. Each mark a permanent record of his triumphs and hard-learned lessons. The most prominent was an X-shape across his right eye. Despite this impressive badge of honor, his vision was unaffected. It was a miracle that he did not lose his eye.

"Surrender now. And perhaps, we will show you some mercy." General Zhan said in his deep firm voice.

Lord Trey and his generals did not bother to stifle their laughter.

"I don't think you are in any position to make demands." Lord Trey said indicating his vast army.

"Be careful not to overestimate your position." Zhan warned.

"You are the ones who should not overestimate yourselves." Lord Trey remarked haughtily. 'How dare these young pups try to school him on matters of war?' he thought.

He glanced at his generals who clapped their hands in unison three times. Each staccato rap echoed across the eerily silent land. At this signal, the troops who had been strategically placed in areas surrounding the plain began to close in.

"Surrender." General Zhan said again simply. A man of few words to begin with, he had no intention of feeding this fool's delusions. He smiled in an unpleasant way and glanced at Daimon who had remained stoic throughout the exchange.

"You will surrender!" Lord Trey demanded angry that the two pretty young men were not cowed by his magnificence. No matter they would soon see the folly of their ways.

General Zhan sighed exaggeratedly. "I guess you need to be shown why you are known as the Beast, My Lord." He said with mock sadness.

Crown Prince Daimon finally smiled. It was unnaturally large and revealed a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth with two canines as long and as thick as a man's index finger. Deftly, he dismounted from his horse and landed gracefully on two cloven-hooved feet. Two thick black horns grew out of the sides of head, twisting and curling upward like a bull's. His black pupils seemed to grow, enlarging to such an extent that there was no white left in his eyes only a dark abyss.

Sharp black talons emerged from his long slender fingers. A long black tail whipped out from behind him, grasping the closest general around his neck and hoisting him in the air. The general struggled to breathe, clawing at the thick tale that seemed to move with a will of its own. But it was no use, as the lack of air caused the darkness to claim him. He threw the man to the ground where he landed with a sickening thud.

As the man lay gasping his final few breaths, Daimon stomped on the man's head which splattered like a watermelon. General Zhan watched the scene dispassionately. His troops and those of Daimon's watched eagerly with their bloodlust rising. They only needed a signal to unleash Hell upon their enemies.

Paralyzed with fear, those closest to Lord Trey and his generals went mad at the horrific sight. They fell to the ground gibbering incoherently and quivering uncontrollably. Terror made them void their bowels, but they were too terrified to care or even notice it had happened.

Lord Trey and his generals scrambled to retreat, their horses trampling the bodies of their terrified troops beneath them. At the sight, Daimon released an inhuman roar that was followed by a bellow from Zhan and then echoed by their combined troops. Then the slaughter began.