She had to see it for herself. Scattered reports of entire platoons of ninja wiped out. Lightning country and the cloud, empty as it was, ravaged by winged beasts, huge and domineering. The men riding them, in various levels of big, carrying butcher blades, axes, spewing unnatural energy from their mouths. They came from the north, as she had. There was no waya round that. She thought she had more time to prepare... more time to do somethings she wanted to do. Hell, she still might but to be honest Katerina was unsure what to think. In a completely extemperaneous action, she decided to go alone to the border. Something had ignited in her, as if the touch down of the marauders awakened something in her. She felt pulled, compelled to go there. If any should stand against them it should be her... after all...
Katerina was a Princess by blood, an Empress by right.
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It took only an hour for her to arrive. Her dragon, Drakkath, carried her the entire way wordlessly. It would roar once in a while, fortelling the coming of something greater than it's surroundings. The beast flapped it's huge, seemingly tattered wings once every few minutes, propelling him through the air both quickly and efficiently while maintaining a huge, ominous shadow below him. Kya sat, legs crossed with not but bandages holding her bust together. She wore shorts as well, loose fitting and comfortable for her. A large, ominous blade sat in her lap, burning with black flames. She seemed to be deep in meditation, though her eyes were stalked open. Her hands were open below the weapon, her inverse sword. It's companion, her legendary shield, sat on her back. It was the one southern artifact she truly liked, honestly. It was the most fun. It didn't steal life or make her immune to death. It allowed her so much potential however. By the time they arrived her mind was mostly clear. Drakkath lowered himsef to the ground, landing a few miles from the coast line, but easily in sight. It was cold... very cold. Katerina felt at home sure, but it wasn't natural. She could feel their presence, all around. Dragons, men, women... Northerners.
They were shaken. No one expected her to be here. Not Katerina Strekohvsky. It mattered not. They took to the skies around her, Lydians riding their smaller, lesser dragons. Their roars, attempts to be relevant gained them a smirk. Her blade seemed to disappear as she stood up, and Drakkath inhaled deeply. The noise he released was gutteral, loud, dominant. It boomed, saliva like lava flinging itself free of his gaping maw. Trees bent away, scorched a bit as well. The dragons stopped their circling, flying backwards frantically as Drakkath asserted himself. Roar. Kya would speak as his mouth closed, taunting them with her raised eyebrow and demeanor. Seconds passed, the lydians surrounding her gathered themselves. They launched themselves at Drakkath and Katerina, exactly as she wanted. The first attack, one of the dragons now a flaming projectile, was met head on by Drakkath. He reared up and grabbed the dragon, a little over half his size and turned to the side, giving a grunt as he launched it aside, using it's momentum to send it into one of his allies. As for the other one, he thought he could get him from behind while he was distracted and launched a combined breath attack from both rider and dragon. Kya was already prepared for this, however. From her mouth a spray of molten flames roared forth. The two attacks met, Katerina having to turn as her dragon pivoted behind her. She held the attack well enough, though her one was being bested by two. The dragon below her, however, decided to add onto the mix with a spray of poison gas as strong as the flames from it's rider. The opposing Lydians were quickly overtaken, and smited by their attack.
Katerina jumped from Drakkath, making a B-line for the other two dragons as her beast seemed to be absorbed into her tattoos. She raced along the ground, black fire igniting the sands below her feet as she closed on the recovering two. She held the flaming sword in her right hand, her left open. At this sight, the dragon leaped backwards, attempting to get airbourn before she could get to him. Kya was smart, however. She moved with the winds of change, crashing into it and blasting it with high enoughconcussive force to blow his rider into the water. As for the dragon, he roared in pain as it was pierced by her sword right in the neck. So the roar was more like a cry. It fell to the ground, Katerina landing just ahead and then looking to where the other one went. It flew as if trying to run away, but that would be too easy. Black jet like fire shot from her feet and back, propelling her into the air quickly. She closed the distance in mere moments. She landed on the dragon and her opposing Lydian seemed to be shaking in his boots as he stood there. Kya just looked incredibly bored. She swung her sword masterfully and held it towards him, her left hand extended with two fingers open. He smiled, as did she, and it began. He leaped towards her, swinging a large blade with rings lining it's back down on her. She sidestepped, her body nearly missed, and brought her elbow into his neck. As he reeled and let out a cry, Kya lifted her foot and brought it down hard on his ankle, snapping it and bringing him to his knee. The dragon below her bucked and she felt his energy welling up. She jumped as the lightning began arcing from it's wings. From deep within her belly a blast of razor sharp wind surged forth, impacting the beast and sending it on a collision course with the ground. Kya fell as well, landing safely upon the ground just as the dragon crash landed, carrying the bleeding body of of it's rider. Three dragons dead, three riders. And these were just scouts on the border. The border of HER land, coming from Kumo no doubt.
Her body reverted as she took in the weight of the situation. She was surrounded by fires, black ones, tearing through the forest behind the coast line. They were looking to invade farther inland. It made sense consindering they had so much success across the waters. Her mind was racing as she remembered how things were done in the north. With the scouts dead, it would only be a little while before a few more were sent to figure out what was taking so long. She didn't know how long they had been here or what they knew, and since she killed them questioning them was no longer an option. What to do next... What would they do next. Well almost certainly a mass of troops would be coming sooner than later. They knew perhaps that someone had killed or captured them. The scouts wouldn't have super sensitive information but they would have enough that if captured, HE would want to just send a few waves of his troops to raze the ground. He'd kill the warriors and enslave the men women and children who didn't fight. Some would die on spot, surrender or no. Some would be raped. A very specific memory flashed into her mind. She didn't know why it was this one specifically... but this one had come.
Back then I was a much weaker Lydian. It was before mother took my0 memory of that power, took my power itself and changed it. Before she gave her life in spite of my father to take away his legacy. Katerina, Nikola, and Elizabet were known for their ferocity, ruthlessness, and brutality. What they never knew was that we were not this way by choice. No one of us sisters was particularly evil at all. It was in our blood to conquer, we're half northern, half southern. They had a knack for bad things sure, but it was not us who were truly bad. I can illustrate this, if for no other reason but to at least have closure that I am a monster because of Kaiser. Let my memoirs show this, believe me or not. One particular raid, Kaiser took us, with his raiding party of course, to collect slaves from a nearby village. He descended with his dragon Xhfaer first, it's size dwarfing anything the village could offer. He was flanked by Nikola and I, Elizabet brought up the rear. There was no warning that we were coming as the Mongols would have done. There was only a flaming raze. Four horsemen bringing the end of their world. As I remember it, there was so much wind and snow blowing that day... every time I felled a man his blood spewed yards away, sometimes over me sometimes farther. At one point in this four on 50 slaughter, I pulled a heart free of one of my enemies. Felt how warm it was and saw his last moments. I honestly didn't feel sorry for him, for this was the way of the north. Barbarians vying for control of a land less fertile than it was worth battling over. They chose to live very close to the worst kind of beasts. I do not mean the dragons, I mean the men and women who control them.
And so as he fell to his knees before me looking upon death herself. She held no emotion. He saw the fair face look away, crying out as her sword freed a head from it's body. As his sight blurred and he fell backwards he watched blood scatter, heard a battlecry ring out again as another met the business end of my sword. From his, fading but still intact, perspective he had met the devil and his harpies. A dragon flew over head, clearly viewed against the white skies. I never cared much for how the weak saw me which was a forshadow to my disdain for them. But even this stemmed from the fact that even if I did care I was cursed by blood to be seen as the enemy by all.
By the time I was done swinging my blade... by the time I was done crushing skulls below my bare feet... my sisters and I merely listened as our father's voice boomed with laughter.
My daughters! What an amazing, no glorious day to be a Strehkovsky! Another slaughter, another victory. Nikola, merely 14 years old but thick and sticky with blood had her eyes glued to the ground. Her spear was erect in the body of a man, coughing up blood in his last moments.She dare not speak. Nikola. her father spoke walking over with his large, imposing body. He ripped a dagger free of his belt, holding it out. Nikola looked at him with her big, innocent looking eyes. I remember this well because I had always seen her as the purest, and so did Kaiser. He knew that in her lay the cleanest slate of all. To me that meant she should be protected from all this. To that ******** it meant she'd be the easiest to corrupt. As this was her first raid... he chose to start now. Kill him. If you do not he may live. If you allow this, he may come to find you later. Maybe after you have children or your children have children. But he may seek revenge. Kill him now,save yourself trouble. Nikola took the knife. I could do nothing. Facing his wrath was worse still than dying. Y-yes daddy. she conceded. Elizabet frowned. I did not move an inch. She took the ornate dagger and bent next to him. She put the dagger to his throat. He pleaded, but his words went ignored. Kaiser and I saw the hesitation instantly. I walked a step forward, but a large hand stopped me. He would have no interruption. He chuckled at his daughter's apprehension. Why do you wait, my flower? You killed thirteen men alone today. More than Jaeger has slain this week. he said motioning to a man holding a large sword. The name I would take soon enough. The name of the first man I loved... but that would be another story. Nikolai inhaled sharply as she slit his throat and stood up, looking in his eyes with a bit of her soul and color gone. She held it out, but he pushed the bloody weapon against the bandages around her upperbody. Keep it. Remember it. he said patting her head with his bloody hand. With that she pulled her spear free and he turned to the survivors, his raiders holding blades to them as a warning. He looked over them all, one by one as he slowly moved down the line of men and women on their knees.
Bring me the two youngest men alive. he said motioning for me and Elizabet to come to his side. I swallowed, but did not make him wait long. Soon enough two boys around Nikola and Elizabet's age were brought and put on their knees. Kaiser stood us behind them, facing their tribe. All of you now belong to me. You will be slaves, you will do my bidding until I am tired of you or you become useless. Then you will be killed. The monster turned and removed another pair of knives from his knifebelt, handing one to each of us. We knew what to do already. This was not the first time he had forced us to do this. Nor was this the worst. My face twisted into annoyance. He laughed at me, the defiant one. Do it, now. he said. Elizabet and I, in unison kicked the boys down on all fours. We stood facing each other on either side and knealt beside them. Elizabet nodded and the boys, knowing what was coming, began to cry... or maybe that was praying. In hindsight last words never were my thing. The process of removing a head from a body with a slightly dull knife was long. My legs were covered in blood by the time we were done, five minutes later. The villages cries and wails did not reach me. By 16 years old he had made me numb to pain either by beating me, cutting me, making me beat slaves or kill them for his, or by his logic "our mutual" entertainment. I had become a rock. Nikola, I learned as I looked to him, had been forced to watch as well. Then I became angry... but I was so weak... I could do nothing. It was not my fault, nothing of my doing. I could not save them because I was them. We held up the heads, showing them the price of disobediance. They fought, so they lost their youngest. This would be the fate again anytime anyone did not follow a command. A child would die. By my hand.
I shook a bit as my head began to hurt. Why had I relived that? As I got my bearings I realized tha I was not alone. Something... immensely powerful was there, and even Drakkath could feel it. I was on his head in seconds, looking around for the source. I felt not one but two of those things. Just there... still but ominous. Drakkath took off, floating in the air to keep me away from it. Whatever it was. And then I heard it. A deep, booming laugh followed by a cackle directly in my mind. I frowned, furrowing my brow. Drakkath flew away as fast as he could, away from the ocean. I chose not to believe it, but as I looked out across the water I swear I saw Xchefaer. And it was not just him... but two other familiar dragons equalling his size far out in the water. I double taked, but by the time I had looked again there was merely a ripple in the water out at sea. I wasted no time getting home. I had no time to play any games. No time for his specific brand of ********. He was there... he could have killed me but he chose to somehow invade my mind. Konoha and Kirgakure were compromised if he could now pull heiland tricks off as well. My allies needed to hear about this and the needed to now.
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