As the army of the hero knocked on the gates of Eclanor, the citizens within were rattled to their core. Blind they may have been, but even they knew that something was going on. The king and queen had made no announcement about an army coming to their doors as of yet and even the guards at the gates were somewhat confused by what was happening. A handful knew about their arrival, including spies and everyone else who was involved in the hero’s last interaction within the kingdom. As for the rest, they were struck with fear for an army whose footsteps had forged a path through the desert, was waiting behind a flimsy pair of iron doors.
And that was the very effect that Raven had wished to have on these commoners. Fear, he wanted them to fear him more than they feared the horrors, for if they fed the monsters beyond the brambles with their emotions, this war would get worse and worse. Thus, with his army and the citizens of Eclanor feeling the weight of his dark aura on their shoulders, the general dismounted his armored horror made of darkflesh.
Walking to the head of the narrow tip of the holy order, he placed a hand on Erika’s shoulders and threw the wolf scarf of his coat behind his shoulders.
"The three shepards," though his hand rested on Erika’s body, his eyes turned to the shepherds on his right. "Why don’t you three knock on the neighbor’s door and find out why we shouldn’t tear down these doors?"
Pressing his lips shut, Raven tried to mask his annoyance. He knew far too well that this was just another way that the giants were being petty towards him and his army. But no longer did he wish to tolerate such insults, not with that coat around his collar and the weight of the past heroes fluttering by his shoulders.
"As you say, general." With a bow, the three shepards, two men and a woman, made their way to the gates.
They knocked on the main gates first but when a soldier came out from a much smaller entrance, the three went inside to have a talk straight with the royals about this foolish act of defiance that served no one.
In the meantime, Raven could hear Regalia marching towards him from behind. Huffing and puffing the already upset demi-wolf tried to go right for the gates with an absurd amount of mana gathered in her hand. However, held back by a pair of dark flesh arms, she was dragged back beside Raven.
"WHY?!" She screamed, and to her surprise Raven looked at her with sheer rage reflected within his eyes.
"What example are you trying to set? If you do something stupid the rest will do the same eventually!" As much as he tried to hold back from yelling at her, when the lives of three thousand and a half women were placed in his hands, he could not remain lenient, not even towards one of his girls.
"I–" Regalia tried to retort, but having been a general herself, she sealed her lips and turned her head to the ground. "I...I’m sorry, I was distracted by my anger."
"Just fall back and make sure the new soldiers keep in line, Erika and I are handling the vanguards, the middle and the rest is in your hands for the most part." Reeling in his frustration, Raven brushed her off.
But as Regalia disappeared back into the crowd, Raven decided to turn around and remind the soldiers why they were there. Arms spread wide and his body lifted off the ground with a platform made of darkness, he looked down at his own people with a look of scorn. A pretense of course, but one that was required for a soldier more afraid of his general would think twice before desertion.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK WE’RE HERE FOR YOU RASCALS?!" Drumming his chest with his right hand as a wave of dark aura spurred out of him like the rays of sun, Raven slowly allowed his fae form to take over, and the next time he spoke, his voice rumbled with the grit of a true monster and his flesh set ablaze with silver. "TO DIE FOR THE PEOPLE BACK HOME! THAT’S WHY WE’RE HERE! FOR THE SAKE OF OUR CHILDREN! FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR FUTURE! FOR THE SAKE OF OUR LOVERS AND FOR THE SAKE OF OUR WELL EARNED LAND!! SO BEFORE YOU TRY ANYTHING MORONIC AND GET YOURSELF KILLED, I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER WITH THE DEATH OF EACH FUCKING ONE OF YOU, THE HOPE FOR OUR PEOPLE DIES A LITTLE EVERY SINGLE FUCKING TIME!"
The rattle of iron boots and the pounding of terror struck heart, rumbled through the ranks along with the voice of the hero that appeared like a monster in everyone’s eyes. Beating his chest once more, Raven brought the newer addition to the army to their knees by fear alone, their ears were pricking with tears and lips quivered as they held back from groans.
"NOW TAKE UP YOUR SWORD AND HOLD IT FIRM! OUR ENEMIES MAY FEED ON OUR FEAR BUT IT IS THEM WHO WILL PISS THEIR PANTS WHEN WE CUT THROUGH THEM WEED! AND AT LAST, DO NOT ABANDON YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ARMS, THAT’S WORSE THAN JOINING THE ENEMY, AND I’M SURE, I AMONGST MANY KNOW THAT FEELING FAR TOO WELL. TO BE ABANDONED..."
Seeing a glimpse of his own past in his speech, Raven’s eyes turned to Amedith for a moment. The two stared at each other, reminded of the minotaur cave at the start of their journey. But since then they’ve come far, and in their eyes, nothing was worse than abandoning an ally, abandoning their family.
"That is all, now keep your weapons well polished. We’ll need those blades sharper than a needle’s edge." Slowly turning back to his regular form and getting off of the platform, Raven heard a distant voice in his head, reaching out to him through their mental link.
’I’m sorry about what I did back then.’
’Shut up you idiot, we’re a family now.’ Little else was spoken for the rest of the wait, at least not outside the city walls. For the shepherds were positively humiliating the royals in their own zealous ways.