The Greater Tribes

The stars twinkled in the sky, as the bonfire burned through the darkness. Chieftain Jakun of the Pachy Clan looked around and gazed at all those participating in tonight's meeting. He laid eyes on a few powerful figures and authorities. The chieftain had heard stories and tales about each one of them, but never before had he ever gotten a chance to meet any of them in person.

A part of him wanted to speak freely with a few of these figures. Some of the stories and rumors had very much interested him. However, he refrained from doing so. As the chieftain of his clan, he needed to maintain a strong and dignified face. Perhaps after business is done, he would get his chance. For now, he maintained composure, as the meeting amongst the five Greater Clans would soon begin.

It has been centuries since such a meeting took place. Not since the end of Age of Carnage, a time before even his great grandfather, has there ever been such a meeting. It had been that long since any of the Greater Clans chose to meet with one another.

The chieftains sat on their own spot around the bonfire. Behind them, two of their mightiest warriors quietly stood back and watched. Although still visible, they remained partly veiled by the dimness of the night.

Jakun turned to the right and looked at the ones who had summoned all the clans together. Chieftain Gargos of the Allosaur Clan sat present. Like most Allosaur, Gargos had large body of crimson scales and black spikes on his back. He had many scars, but all of those scars seemed meager compared to the three large ones across his chest.

Gargos was definitely a monstrous sight to behold. He may not have been as big or as fierce looking as few of the other chieftains, but he still emitted a strong and even vicious aura.

As intimidating as the Allosaur chieftain looked, Jakun found himself a little more concerned with the shaman that Gargos had brought with him; the one named Keshrak.

This shaman did not appear as large as most Allosaur. If anything, he looked slimmer and quite frail for a member of such a strong clan. Regardless of his delicate frame, Jakun found himself unable to look at him for too long.

Steering away, Jakun turned his attention back to the Allosaur chieftain. He did not exactly know why Gargos had suddenly summoned him and the other chieftains. However, he had a hunch, based on some rather disturbing rumors spread from the other clans.

"Chieftains of the five Greater Clans, I bid you all welcome," Gargos began in a gruff voice. His greeting hardly sounded hospitable.

"What have you called us here for Gargos?" Vork of the Triceran Clan demanded, his voice sharper and harsher than the host's.

Gargos gave the Triceran Chieftain a brief glance. The meeting had yet to truly begin, yet Gargos looked ready to start a fight and chomp one of Vork's three horns.

"Calm… down…," Kulhorn of the Brachius Clan interrupted. He spoke in a slow and delayed manner, a common manner of speech amongst his clan. "Let us… not begin… this reunion… between Greater… Clans… with violence…"

The two chieftains gave one another one final fierce stare, before finally breaking eye contact. With a sneer and a growl, they turned away and returned to the matter on hand.

Gargos cleared his throat. "The Allosaur have called this meeting, for the clans now face a great threat unlike anything we have ever faced," he explained.

"This wouldn't happen to do anything with the Ovoo and Chamael, would it?" Hestris of the Raptus Clan asked.

The Raptus Chieftain declared everyone's suspicions. There had been rumors and stories of the two Lesser Clans taking down several clans associated with the Allosaur, moving closer and closer into their territory.

The four other clans leaned forward and waited for a response. Gargos answered with a slight and shameful nod. He may not have said a word, but his silence proved to be louder than any reply he could have given.

"The Allosaur afraid of two Lesser Clans?" Vork jeered with a hardy laugh. "How the mighty has fallen."

"The Chamael have always been a rather fierce clan, worthy of being a Greater Clan," Hestris remarked, crossing her arms. "It is understandable that they may cause a bit of trouble, but the Ovoo? They're not a warrior clan."

"No, they are not," Gargos agreed. "However, they have joined with terrible allies: exiles of the Shunen Grounds, as well as the Witch of the Stone Tree."

"That is… indeed surprising… news," Kulhorn declared, nodding slowly. "How… did they… managed to… get both… to help… then?"

"We do not know," Gargos replied with a snarl. "But the fact remains that they have gathered together to create a terrible force."

"A terrible force to take YOUR clan down," Vork spat uncaringly. "They are coming to end a conflict that YOUR clan started."

Again, Gargos gave a nasty stare and snarl at the other chieftain. Despite being so callous about the matter, Jakun and the other chieftains shared the same sentiments.

"Chieftain Vork has a point," Jakun agreed, finally letting his voice be heard. "You rashly made the Ovoo your enemy, after they refused to attack the Chamael. Even IF the Ovoo chose to obey your command, they would have been slaughtered. What were you thinking?!"

"Apparently, they thought that they could so easily bully a lesser clan like the Ovoo to do their dirty work," Vork grunted. He puffed from his nostrils furiously. "And in their arrogance, they accidentally made stronger and more dangerous enemies."

"It matters not!" Gargos sneered. "What matters now is that we unite to fight against this threat!"

"And why should we?" Hestris asked. "We may be at peace with one another, but we're under no obligation to help one another."

"And don't think you can just force us!" Vork growled fiercely. "If you think the Ovoo the have become a dangerous threat, imagine how much more troublesome things would be, if you provoked us!"

"I feel… some pity… for your… plight," Kulhorn stated, slow as ever. "But if… we do… choose to… assist you…, what can… we expect… in return?"

"Security for your territories," Gargos replied. "Do not think we are unaware that other clans are plotting against your own! If they strike a mighty blow against us, others may attempt to do the same to you!"

Jakun quietly thought. The Allosaur chieftain had a point. Although a sense of peace existed in his territory, as well as the other territories around him, Jakun could not deny the fact that a few other clans wished to dispose and replace them as a new dominant figure. It was not a secret, but an unspoken fact.

"None are any match for the Triceran!" Vork bellowed, pounding his chest. "Any who dares to challenge us will fall!"

"I have confidence in my clan as well," Hestris agreed proudly with her head held high.

"If… it is… our clan's… destiny… to fall…, then so… be it," Kulhorn huffed. "But all… ought… to be… aware… we will… take down… as many… with us…"

Jakun swallowed before speaking. "Those who threaten the Pachy Clan shall feel the wrath of our thick skulls," he growled.

Gargos snarled. "And what if the ancestors decree it so?" he then asked.

The other four clans turned to the Allosaur chieftain with mixed expressions of surprise and disbelief. It sounded like some sort of joke; a bad one, but a joke nonetheless.

"You… can't be serious?" Jakun remarked, as he looked around to see if others shared his thoughts. "You actually think our ancestors would agree to this?"

"Now I know you've truly lost it!" Vork snapped, slamming his tail. "The Triceran and Allosaur have always been vicious rivals! If we at the present would not help you, what makes you think our ancestors would think otherwise?!"

"You'd be very much surprised," Gargos smirked. His eye shimmered with a scheme. "Your ancestors will agree with me on this, and have you all fight alongside my clan, against this threat!"

"Is that why you brought your shaman?" Hestris asked, eyeing Keshrak. "You've brought him so that you may call upon the ancestors through Ypnis?"

Vork pounded his fist into the ground. "This is foolishness!" he howled. "Shamans cannot summon the ancestors of others!"

"Then I am most pleased to announce that the Allosaur's shaman is the very first," Gargos declared haughtily. "He will summon the ancestors of the five Greater Clans and convince you all that we must work together to work together."

"This is a waste of my time!" Vork spat, as he stood up. "I will not stay by and take part in this prattle!"

"Are you afraid to be proven wrong, Triceran Chieftain?" Keshrak asked. He spoke in a calm manner, yet his voice sounded harsh as a storm and as cold as the winds of winter.

Vork turned his head and sent a piercing glare over to the shaman. "Watch your tone, shaman," he sneered. "I have eaten Allosaur tougher than you!"

"And we've strangled many that have tried to eat us," Gargos scoffed. "Now sit your tail down! Or would you walk away from a ritual as sacred as this?"

"Why you…!"

"Calm yourself… Chieftain Vork…," Kulhorn grunted. "Let us… see if… this shaman… can do… as he… claims. However… Chieftain Gargos,… if this… is truly… all a…ruse…, then I… will be… the one… to storm… out of… this gathering…"

"My patience is great, but I too shall leave if this proves to be nothing more than a sham," Hestris added, her feathers ruffling in an attempt to intimidate.

Jakun did not add anything further. The fire between the Greater Clans burned hot enough. He did not wish to pour more fuel upon it. However, he quietly agreed to leaving, if the shaman played a mere trick to deceive them all. Despite these feelings, a part of him hoped that Keshrak would summon all the other ancestors.

The meeting boded quite poorly, so far. Something new and unexpected could help cool the tension that floated between them, particularly between the Allosaur and Triceran chieftain.

Begrudgingly, Vork sat back down and waited. He said and did nothing, but the grimace on his expression showed him impatience and frustration. If Keshrak lied about summoning the ancestors, Vork would most likely jump at the chance and bash some skulls in.

Keshrak approached fire. From his pouch, he pulled handful of dust. Specks fell from his palm, as he tossed the rest into the fire, igniting it to burn brighter and larger. It practically popped right in front of everyone.

Jakun felt his heart race a little bit with excitement. He knew about Ypnis, but never actually had his shamans perform it, as there was not really any need to.

Keshrak began to chant a few of the old words that the clans no longer used. Elders called it the tongue of the ancestors. Only shamans were actually taught this language. As Keshrak chanted, his voice grew louder and raspier.

A cold wind blew by, as the fire raged faster. Smoke drifted from the flames and slithered around the spot, like several serpents stretching around their prey. A strong and other worldly presence filled the area, as the ritual continued.

Jakun looked around, getting more and more excited. However, as he looked, he noticed a rather vexed expression on the Brachius Chieftain's face. Kulhorn still moved quite sluggishly, but his confusion quickly showed.

"What is going… on?" Kulhorn asked. The chieftain's words moved a bit faster. "This is not… Ypnis!"

"What?!" Vork growled. He clenched his fists and jumped up. "Gargos, what are you up to?!"

The Allosaur Chieftain did not respond. He remained perfectly still on the spot, not even taking a moment to give any of them a look.

Finally losing his temper, Vork marched over to Gargos and laid hands on the Allosaur's shoulder. "You deceitful bastard, what are you up to!?" he snarled.

He shoved Gargos, only for the Allosaur Chieftain to fall back and collapse like a tree. He lay on the ground like a corpse, neither moving nor breathing.

This caused the other chieftains to suddenly stand in shock and terror. Jakun's heart raced again, but for a different reason. He had no idea what was happening. He turned to the other chieftains, hoping that they could offer some sort of explanation.

Gargos did not move, but the Allosaur shaman still remained on his feet. He continued chanting in a dark and hollow tone, like some echo reaching out from the distance.

"What is the meaning of this, shaman?!" Vork bellowed.

Keshrak raised one hand. From the ground, a long hand of shadows reached out and wrapped its dark fingers around Vork's neck. Despite the hand looking quite thin, it lifted the Triceran Chieftain off his feet and then slammed him on the ground with a mighty thud.

Realizing the immediate danger before them, Jakun, the other chieftains, and the warriors present took up arms and rushed to subdue the shaman. With their speed, power, skills and numbers, they would have pummeled the shaman into a paste. Unfortunately, Keshrak had a strange power to protect him.

With a simple wave of his hand, Keshrak ended things before anyone would lay a scratch on him. Over a hundred shadowy hands stretched from the ground and restrained all those present.

Jakun and the others struggled to free themselves, only to their bonds growing tighter, the more they fought. It happened so quickly and easily. In a few heartbeats, the four other Chieftains and their warriors found themselves at the mercy of a single Allosaur.

"Such a shame that it would have to be this way," Keshrak sighed, reaching into his pouch for a different handful of dust. "However, you all are too stubborn to see the truth."

"Why are you doing this?" Jakun snarled, still trying to free himself. "Is this the Allosaur's attempt to overthrow the other Greater Clans?"

"It didn't have to be like this, but you really left me with no choice," Keshrak responded. He threw the sand into the fire, turning the red flames into a ghastly shade of blue.

"No choice?" Jakun hissed. "What are you talking about?"

"A great danger looms closer and none of you are willing to unite the clans to fight it!" Keshrak snapped.

"The Ovoo and Chamael…?" Hestris gagged. "What danger do they pose to us? You Allosaur are the ones who provoked them, and it is your tails that they're after, not ours!"

Keshrak let out a cackle. "Do you think they're the great danger?" he asked. "They're just the start of it! You're all too blind to actually realize it, but then again, I myself wouldn't believe it, if I had not seen it all for myself."

"Stop speaking… in riddles…," Kulhorn groaned. He had a massive body filled with power, but not even he could free himself.

Keshrak looked down and stared at the strange necklace around his neck. It had a rather peculiar blue stone that sparkled like water.

"There are monsters out there," Keshrak replied. "Creatures called humans, elves, dwarves and other powerful horrors with weapons, villages and knowledge greater than ours. They are out there, fighting one another. Before long, their wars will reach us."

"Just what nonsense is this?!" Vork roared.

"That's exactly what Gargos said to me, when I told him of what I knew," Keshrak replied, looking deep into the fire. "I told him all the dangers and all that we needed to do to preserve ourselves, but he wouldn't listen. His head was so stuck in tradition and the limits of the clan that he refused to accept the truth that there were greater and mightier beings out there. So, I did what I had to do."

Keshrak turned his head towards the Allosaur chieftain. A blue glow blinked in the shaman's eyes. Soon, Gargos returned to his feet with a pale and blank expression.

"I took over the Allosaur Clan," Keshrak replied. "They would not listen to a shaman such as myself, but they would listen to their beloved chieftain."

"You demon, you won't get away with this!" Vork sneered. "Once our clans learn of this, they will be come for you!"

"No they won't," Keshrak replied, as he looked down at the Triceran Chieftain. "You won't let them. In fact, you will bring them together and help me fight this menace near our territory."

"Torment me all you want!" Vork spat. "The Triceran spirit is stronger than you realize! I will never submit to your evil!"

Keshrak held one of Vork's three horns. "The Triceran spirit is strong, you say?" he smiled dastardly. "Let us put that to the test."

With a deep breath, Keshrak exhaled a cloud of blue smoke. It drifted down his tongue and slowly made its way into Vork's mouth and nostrils.

The Triceran Chieftain howled and kicked, as a static surge zapped throughout his body, pricking every nerve and muscle under his scales. Within a few beats, the chieftain stopped struggling. His body relaxed, while his expression turned dim and blank.

Keshrak smiled even wider, showing off a set of sharp triangular teeth. The shaman stepped back and snapped his finger. The dark bonds around the Triceran Chieftain vanished like smoke from an extinguished fire.

Slowly, Vork returned to his feet. However, he simply stood idly. He neither said a word, nor did he even so much as blink. Vork just stood on the spot, like a tree off its roots.

"Who's next to join my cause?" Keshrak smiled, surveying those present. "How about the other Triceran warriors?"

Jakun watched in horror, as Keshrak started inflicting others with his dark power. A few struggled and fought to remain whole and in one mind. Others began to plead and even beg for compassion. No matter what they did, they all ended up in a similar state as the Allosaur and Triceran chieftains, empty and mindless husks.

"It is time for the Pachy Clan to join us," Keshrak grunted, having just finished with the last Brachius warrior that Kulhorn had brought.

Like the others, Jakun struggled to free himself. He kicked and slammed his tail around, but nothing he did made any difference. Before long, he found himself staring straight into the eyes of the Allosaur shaman.

Never before had he seen something so full of life, yet so void of any compassion for it. The bluish glow had an almost hypnotizing feel to it. Out of desperation, Jakun closed his eyes, shut his beak-like mouth and held his breath.

The blue smoke drifted around him. He tried his hardest to resist it, but he needed to breathe. Soon, the smoke ran down his throat. It struck every nerve within his body, rattling his senses and driving him mad. Before long, his body also began to relax and his vision dimmed into darkness. Eventually, his soul submitted.

As soon as all had fallen under his power, Keshrak stepped back into the shadows. He released everyone from their bondage, and snapped his fingers. Bits of life and energy returned to everyone's face, as they looked at one another.

"We need to fight together!" Gargos declared with his fist raised high. "Only as one can we defeat the menace of the Ovoo and Chamael!"

"The Triceran and Allosaur have a long history of strife," Vork admitted hesitantly. "But for once, I agree that we must join."

"The Raptus will tear them to shreds!" Hestris announced, her feathers ruffling stiffly.

"The Brachius… shall aid… this noble… cause…!" Kulhorn added.

"The Pachy shall commit!" Jakun lastly announced.

"Together as one!" Gargos roared, slamming his tail on the ground.

The chieftains and their warriors turned to the stars and announced their joining with the loudest and most furious roars and howls their lungs could muster.

Just behind the Allosaur chieftain, under a slim veil of dimness, Keshrak smiled as he watched this union of Greater Clans take place around the bonfire.