A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the scene in the castle through the remains of the tall, shattered, stained glass windows.
The heavy rouge color of blood lacquered the floor amid the bodies of fallen soldiers, both of those already dead, and those still desperately trying to cling to the last fleeting moments of life before the lights went out entirely.
The once dull, now shiny cobblestones reflected the flash eerily, highlighting the grizzly scene. The clash of steel had began to lessen, with more and more time between the sounds as the night continued. Wails of pain and final curses echoed from the lips of fallen soldiers around the mostly now empty entry hall as the battle for the castle continued towards it's climax.
A panther knight, clad in silver armor with a velvety red cloak soaked completely by the lifeblood of his victims and the relentless downpour over the last two days, pulled his sword from the ribs of the most latest victim to meet his steel with a heavy grunt. He took a short step back followed by a deep breath inwards before whispering to himself as he exhaled,
"Just a bit longer, Felicity. Just hang on a bit longer for me." His attention was quickly drawn back to the battle at hand as he noticed a younger soldier charging at him from a few paces away. The experienced cat first noticed his age. He was a young boy, barely able to be called a man, maybe only on his 15th year. The second thing, was the clear lack of discipline or training the boy had.
Honestly, he wasn't even so sure the boy had ever held a sword before, likely just a farmers son who was roped into the wars of kings... but that didn't matter in a battle, less so considering the task at hand, and so the panther easily sidestepped his charge, and plunged his steel into the boys gut, catching him for a moment as he fell against his own body, one of his final breaths hitching in his throat for just a moment in shock as he gazed into the eyes of his killer.
With a mild grunt, and without breaking eye contact, the knight drove his sword deeper into the boy, forcing a sputter of blood from his lips along side a cough.
The panther hated that look, to watch as anyone realizes their fight has been lost, as well as their life, but it was honor among knights that made him hold his gaze until the youth's body staggered backwards, sliding off of his steel and onto the floor with a dull thud to join the rest of his fallen kin.
"Should you deem yourself worthy of taking another's life, at least have strong enough conviction to look them in the eyes while you do it." His father's words rang clearly in his mind, just as they had nearly every time he found himself wanting to look away from those he had reluctantly ended. This is what being a knight meant in times of war.
The panther shifted his gaze from the fresh body beneath him, and turned it towards the center of the hall where his king and one other of the elite guard stood, their attention upon a large double wooden door blocking access to the throne room of King Calium, the ruler of what was, until recently, the last surviving human settlement.
The panther took a step over the fresh body and walked over to the space on the left of the great lion as he began to speak.
"King Alocer, the siege is nearly won. What little remains of the human forces here are being dealt with as we speak. Our victory is in sight."
"Thank you, Jagón, perhaps it's time I settle things here then." The imposing lion looked over to his right side as he spoke and nodded at a petite calico cat dressed in long black robes before continuing, "Alice, if you would be so kind to get the door? My guest is waiting, and it would be rude of me to have him wait much longer."
Alice, though young in years still, had already mastered some very powerful offensive magic. (A feat impossible to humans, thus helping immensely with their conquest.)
Further proof of such power was easily visible in the far corner of the hall, where a large portion of the castle's roof was caved in along with the front door from one such previous blast the day before.
The chilly rain poured in through this chink in the castle's armor, washing away a small bit of the evidence left of the battle at hand, as if nature herself were attempting to soothe the scornful heat rising from the red pools on the floor.
The cat only nodded at her king's request once before raising her right arm. She began mumbling something quietly, as the lion and the panther knowingly turned and took a few paces back and out of recoil range while she prepared for her blast.
Jagón took this moment to further survey what was left of the battle dying out around them. His eyes passed over the countless heaps of bodies growing colder by the minute as he assessed the area inside just as he had outside the castle over the last four days. His eyes were straining and his head ached from fatigue and near non-existent rest in that time, but more than anything, his true worry lied elsewhere.
"Care to speak what is on your mind?" the king interrupted, although, he was quite aware of what was bothering his lifelong ally. His wife was at home with child, but it seems things had taken a sour turn over the last few days.
The lion had tried to dismiss the knight from the battle to return to her side, but true to a member of the Elite King's Guard, he had refused to leave his liege until the battle was won.
Jagón, however, dodged the true meaning behind the question, and simply gave his battle report up to that point.
"The loss of our troops was greatest on the first two days of the siege. We lost around 30% of our vanguard, and another 15% of our backup and supporting forces. The medical support is making good time and healing most of our wounded almost immediately at this point. However... The near entirety of the 7th and 8th battalions were crushed before the battle even began due to the tricky bastards being clever enough to set explosives in the mountain pass ahead of time."
The large black cat paused for a moment in thought before continuing in his deep but soft voice, "In the end, we are still lucky that we only have this loss to account for. This could have dragged on for quite some time longer had we not been able to get behind the wall and blow a hole through the front door under the cover of this godforsaken rain..."
The panther trailed off at the end of the statement and looked away from his king for a moment. The lion listened patiently, knowing his friend was finally getting to the point.
"My king... if I may be so bold? This is the third and final of the human kingdoms we've brought to their knees. I know what they took from you... The suffering they have brought to your family and upon our great kingdom... I will always stand by your orders, and nothing could ever change that fact, but do you still believe what we are doing is right? To take so many lives, many of which are undoubtedly innocent?" Jagón turned back to face his king once more as he finished speaking.
The Lion's face grew darker and harder to read as he closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and slightly lowered his head. He paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating exactly what his friend was asking him before he spoke.
"Jagón, you have stood by me since the beginning, and I do mean the very beginning. Through my father's war with the west, through my crowning and the great famine that followed, and... The assassination of your queen... My one true love of this lifetime and the next... My cub's mother, my Talia..."
He opened his eyes and turned to lock them onto his friend's own. Jagón couldn't help but to be taken aback by both the overwhelming sorrow, and burning vengeance emanating from within his King's gaze as he continued, his voice filled with a malice sharp enough to pierce even the heaviest of armor,
"And that means I'm going to burn down and raze every single thing those furless, conniving bastards have ever cared about or built in this world. They snuffed out our brightest light, so let the shadow they cast upon our country engulf them in their own foolishness as they beg me to spare what's left of their so called `humanity.' The extermination of pests that have plagued this world for the last time with their selfishness and plotting. Genocide very well may be my mission, Jagón... And if that horrible crusade condemns my soul to an eternity of suffering in the next life, I can at least look forward to hearing their blackened soul's cries of agony forever alongside my own as we rot in the deepest part of the afterworld."
The lightning struck once more, illuminating the deathly seriousness of the King's expression. The panther felt the hairs stand up a bit on the back of his neck and shivered ever so slightly. He understood.
***