The battle had been long and torturous. The whole war had been that way. Shade could hardly recall how long her had been a part of this fight. Two decades? Probably more.

  Now he stood before his troops- men who's lives were entrusted to him- two hundred soldiers strong. They were the 37th clan, and Shade was their commander. Now, at the end, he was proud to see he had managed to keep most of them alive.

  Standing on a barren and blood soaked plain, one where great herds of wild animals once roamed and the hills danced with grasses and flowers. It was once called Wellet Plains, but over the curse of the war many began to call it the End Plains.

  Now, on this truly beautiful day of spring when normally this place would be peaceful, it was filled with smoke and the screams of the dying. No longer was there the smell of fresh wind and new flowers; instead the air reeked blood and the acrid stench of burnt flesh.

  Looking from his men, who were being counted by his Second, Sade returned his gaze to the battlefield. The last of their enemy were being rounded up- killed no questions asked- and they took no prisoners. The child king, only 17, bitter from the death of his father the year before, had ordered that no enemy lives were to be spared. No exceptions.

  Shade watched as two men pinned an enemy soldier to the ground. The mans eyes were wild and spittle flew from his mouth. He had gone feral, as many of the opposing soldiers had. After all, their accursed king encouraged it openly. He preached a 'return to their old ways', when beast and man were one. Such a thing wasn't so easy. The men pinning this particular Feral wasted no time running him through with well forged steel. Just another body added to this field of death.

  Shade, himself, wasn't far off from the madness plaguing the very men he fought. His own beasts threatened to take him over all the time. He was Shade Blade-Breaker, the Mad Commander. Most people kept their distance from him, even his own men new to stay away at times.

  Not wanting to witness another death, he turned back to his men just in time to see his Second, Addax, approach. He held a scroll which contained all the names of the men in his clan. He had finished the roll call. Good.

  Addax was a handful of years older than Shade and had a calm, dependable demeanor that off-set his own aggressive style well enough. They made a good team, and Shade was grateful for the man's support.

  "How many?" Shade asked simply. His voice was calm, but his tense stance and the low growl behind his words told Addax that his commander was not in a good frame of mind.

  True to form, Addax was not startled by Shade's greeting and answered plainly, with a straight face. "Seven," he said with a short respectful bow. "Twelve more wounded badly, and a few additional cuts and broken bones. The injured have been sent to the healing tents; those left are awaiting instruction Commander."

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  Shade examined Addax a moment before answering. He was short and built like a boulder, which made his fox like ears all the more amusing. Shade never asked the man why he had chosen such a week animal (like a fox) in his Forming, most Daemon would have picked the most powerful creature that would accept them, Shade being among them.

  Shade had grown up the son of a poor tailor women. Despite her lack of funds, females – Daemona – were always provided for. So they had a small home and never went hungry, but that didn't mean life was easy. He had to be the man of the family, and look after his mother. Daemona were naturally inclined not to be strong ,or even think about fighting or defending themselves. Really the only time a Daemona would bare her fangs was when her child was in trouble. So shade worked whatever jobs he could get to pay for anything they needed extra.

  The constant hard labor, and a growth spurt just before his Forming, made him a very impressive young man. So even though he didn't have the training of some of the better off noblemen, people still held high hopes for his future.

  They were all shocked when he returned from his Forming having bonded with two magical spirit beasts- a dire-wolf and a dragon- as well as the more conventional raven. Bonding with magical spirits came with many rewards, but it also made it more likely for a person to loose control. Normally, no one would take more than one, even if the rare option for more presented itself. Shade, having two, had a higher probability of problems going forward.

  Sure enough Shade had grown up always on the edge of going feral. He was the most powerful male in all of Vairem, but no female even thought of taking him as a mate. What if he changed and ate their children. Ferals have done it before.

  The first thing his mother had said when he returned home with a long black furred tail, large black feathered wings, and scales running over his body was "How will you ever find a mate?!". Shade didn't care though. His dominance (the aura extruded by males of the daemon race, used to decide who was of highest ranking in the species past) alone, scared off most Daemona. He held no fantasies of having anything more then superficial relationships with women.

  "What now Addax?" Shade asked calmly.

  The older daemon smiled. "Well, I'll be heading home Sir. I want to see my mate. We have our third kid on the way you know."

  A rare smile crossed Shade's face. "Congratulations."

  "But is the war really over Sir?" asked Addax in a concerned whisper.

  Shade scowled. He knew the answer was 'no'. Sure, the enemy army had been defeated and the immediate threat crushed, but the man known as the Accursed King had made his escape. He had seen the mad man flee on the back of his red dragon, abandoning his army to their wretched fate.

  Shade only knew what he had heard in rumors about the leader of the rebel daemon. By all accounts he was a man to be feared. His men believed that their king was in full command of his beasts, and they all followed him hoping to attain the same power. Fools. Any man with half a brain would know that no man who craves power would ever share it.

  And sure enough, the kings men lay dead on the ground of Wellet Plains while he flies off to safety. Most likely he would go into hiding now, biding his time until he could attack again.

  Rather than say any of this to Addax, however, Shade said "I think we are done Addax. For now at least. I don't see him being able to recover from this loss any time soon."

  "I hope so." Said Shade's Second. "Twenty three years is more then enough time for one war I think..."