The Phoenix's Legion

Five days have passed after Ragna had defeated the vampire Acheron, many things had transpired while Ragna was unconscious, prince Drago had returned to the capital with his brother Helios as well as all the members of the hellboken crew. Despite the fact that the hellboken crew had aided Rovahn in many ways and actually defeated a vampire they were still considered as criminals, Kill-shot inducting new warriors to the legion without the king's blessings was considered treason, a crime that was punishable by death!!! Kill-shot and all he had illegally inducted to the legion were all set for an execution and prince Drago was more than happy to carry out the sentence. The only thing keeping them all alive was Helios, the prince had demanded that they be fairly judged for their crimes in hopes that their lives may be spared.

The members of the hellboken crew had been separated from one another, Ragna had been taken to the healers whilst the others were sent to separate prisons. After weeks of waiting Ragna had finally woken from his deep slumber, he found himself in a strange room surrounded books, crystals and potions. Right next to him stood an old man wearing a white vail, he had a large grey beard and long grey hair to match, he had this strange smile on his face almost as if he was fascinated by looking at Ragna.

Ragna: "who are you?"

Old man: "who am I? who are you?"

Ragna: "what?"

Old man: "you heard me boy, didn't your parents teach you to respect your elders?"

Ragna: "forgive me, I didn't mean to offend you, my name is...."

Old man: "Ragna, wielder of the shogun reaper."

Ragna: "if you already knew who I was why the hell did you bother asking for my name."

Old man: "I had to be sure it was still you in there not some wild beast trying to destroy everything in his path."

Ragna: "I remember now, I was fighting Acheron at the black ocean, I killed him."

Old man: "well technically you beat him but he is still very much alive."

Ragna: "what!!! How is that possible, I cut him in half, how the hell could he still be alive!!!"

Old man: "well if you knew what you were doing you would have aimed for his heart, now that would have surely killed him. Although, had he died there he would have been of no use to the legion, a captured enemy is an endless supply of information."

Ragna: "the legion? You're with the legion? How on earth did the legion get Acheron?"

Old man: "well, while you took your long nap prince Drago and his army had retrieved Acheron as well as the hellboken crew."

Ragna: "where are they? I need to see them!!"

Old man: "am afraid it's not that simple, the prince and his men did no wrong but your leader Kill-shot and his mercenaries are criminals, I didn't give him the power to induct knew members to the legion so that he could build his own personal army."

Ragna: "you gave him that power?"

Old man: "well yes, didn't you just hear me say that, don't tell me your hard of hearing."

Ragna: "just who the hell are you and how do you know Kill-shot."

Old man: "well I guess you should know the name of your saviour, maybe it will revive your manners, I am Threant, the founder of the phoenix's legion, your friend Kill-shot was at one point my right hand man."

Ragna: "Threant? What could you possibly want with me? Am just a knight."

Threant: "well first of all you're a rogue, secondly, legion knights don't summon that kind of violent power."

Ragna: "I guess I don't know my own strength."

Threant: "actually you don't know the capacity of your own stupidity."

Ragna: "what?"

Threant: "you're not the first person to consume the black seeds and I suppose you won't be the last fool to except them."

Ragna: "I don't know what your..."

Threant: "don't lie to me boy, do you even know what you offered boy?"

Ragna: "I offered him my corps."

Threant: "and you're ok with that? You don't have an issue with that tattooed demon owning your corps."

Ragna: "no I don't."

Threant: "and why not?"

Ragna: "because I have no intention of dying!!!"

Threant: "that may not be your choice boy."

Ragna: "what do you mean?"

Threant: "you and your fellow hellboken crew are set to be tried and if your found guilty you will be executed."

Ragna: "for what? Saving the people of Rovahn?"

Threant: "for joining the phoenix's legion without the kings blessing, such a thing is considered to be an act of rebellion."

Ragna: "if it's such a big deal, then why didn't the legion take action? Why wait so long to apprehend us."

Threant: "because until now we thought your heroics were nothing but petty rumours but now, now the legion sees you as dangerous criminals."

Ragna: "why would you aid a criminal? Why not just execute me now and be done with it?"

Threant: "because prince Helios believes that you and your crew may be of some use to the legion. At first I thought he was being foolish but as I began to heal you I saw something within you."

Ragna: "what did you see?"

Threant: "to be honest am not sure, it appeared to be a giant creature that seemed to walk on four legs and eyes of gold, I tried to distinguish what it was but it appeared to be hiding in the shadows within your soul. Am not sure what that means for you or whether it may aid you in your trail but I must admit that you have me curious, survive your trial and we may just find out what that thing within you is."

Drago: "is the prisoner ready?"

Threant: "yes, prince Drago, I do believe he is."

Ragna: "wait, you're going to put me on trial now?"

Drago: "yes, and for the sake of Rovahn I pray you are found guilty, so that I may take the honour of executing you myself, guards, bring this pathetic excuse of a night to the hall of heroes, it is there that the king of Rovahn will judge him."

Drago's royal guards grabbed Ragna and put him in chains, he was taken to a cell and was left there for hours. Ragna didn't know what had become of his friends or what the legion would do to him, Ragna could only hope that his friends were spared and that he would be reunited with them. As the hours passed the royal guards had finally returned for Ragna, his hair was cut and his prison clothes were replaced with white rags. The guards had taken him away from the prison and headed to the hall of heroes, Ragna had taken the time to view the surroundings, it was like nothing he had ever seen, the buildings were as large as mountains and beyond the large buildings were lands of perfect green and beyond the green lands was a great wall, a wall so great that it touched the clouds. Ragna's prison was apparently at the top of a tall tower and next to it were several other towers, he could only presume that his allies were also held there, the guards took him to an elevator and began to head down. At the bottom of the tower was an enormous crowd waiting for him, Ragna's heroics spread so far and wide that even the people of the royal capital had heard of him. The royal guards with prince Helios were ready to receive him, the crowd followed an imprisoned Ragna, continuously demanding the royal guards to free him.

After passing through the great capital city Ragna had finally been taken to his place of trial, the hall of heroes, there stood the mightiest warriors of the phoenix's legion. Among the crowed of warrior's, he saw kiva standing beside two of the legions generals, Bellarabi and Sonya of the Silver Rose. The other warriors he recognised them from their banners, the roaring bear of stone in the forest belonged to Madmar of Stone Bear, the horse on the iron shield belonged to the wild riders of Stampede Valley, Hunter and Amelia, the tattooed iron fist belonged to the warrior that accompanied Helios, Dante of the Demon Fist clan. The blue water dragon belonged to the other warrior that accompanied Helios, Kazuya of the Dragon Creed, the last banner of course was the golden lion which belonged to the royal family, Drago and Helios.

The atmosphere was beyond intense and it would only worsen when the man who was set to judge Ragna had arrived, King Titus, the leader of the phoenix's legion. He was younger than expected, his hair and beard was long and brown, his face was scarred and slightly wrinkled but his body still appeared to be a sight of great power, the king had the body of a well-aged body builder. He wore a silver and copper armour with a cloak made of lion skin, all in attendance bowed at the very site of the king, he walked right passed Ragna without so much as a humble glance and sat on his mighty throne and next to his throne was a great sword, no doubt the tool that would be used to execute him.

King Titus: "for the past few days we have set judgment on the members of the hellboken crew, Kill-shot who was found guilty of inducting new members to the legion without my consent, although his reasons where just, such a thing could not be overlooked. For his crimes he was imprisoned so as to make an example of such treasons to all who may attempt it. That of course left as with a challenging task, what to do with the rest of the hellboken crew? Thomas has proven his innovative technology can be of great use to the legion, for that he has been sent to our research facilities so as to aid our other scientist's. Vanessa, despite her disrespectful approach to the legion, appears to be the only soldier alive that can use the machine known as the road demon to its full potential. and so as penance for her crimes she has agreed to aid our soldier class in learning to use this new vehicle under the strict instruction of Hunter of the stampede valley. Kiva as you can all see has been taken under her sibling's care, that leaves Ragna, what do we do with this wild savage."

Helios: "father I think I speak for the people when I say that Ragna is undoubtedly one of the most noble warriors in Rovahn. Despite his crude skill, Ragna can become a great asset to us, his power is one thing but the very ability he has is beyond unique."

Drago: "I suppose he is unique, if the legion has resorted to using wild animals that seek to burn everything around them."

Helios: "what do you mean brother? You saw what he did, he..."

Drago: "all I saw was a violent fool who blindly unleashed his fury upon everything around him, my brother and the hellboken crew are lucky that Acheron was there to keep him occupied."

Helios: "I admit that the level of violence he used was dangerous but...…"

Drago: "but nothing!!! During his attack on Acheron, Ragna released a powerful burst of radiation that would have killed Helios, the hellboken crew and even my personal army if Madmar hadn't risked his own life to contain the radiation with the aid of the magi forces."

Helios: "his radiation wasn't that powerful, he couldn't have..."

Drago: "Helios!!! Just where the hell do you think the burns on Madmar came from!!!! Do you really want to put the lives of everyone you hold dear by nurturing this type of uncontrollable power? Do you really want such a beast under the legion?"

Madmar: "prince Helios I understand why you would take an interest in this boy but my lord please understand where your brother is coming from, the boys power is entirely out of control and if it weren't for the barrier that trapped Ragna and Acheron then the radiation would have certainly killed us all. The reason you couldn't sense my power or your brothers and his army was because Ragna's power completely overwhelmed ours."

Drago: "which leaves us with but one option, the boy must be executed before his power...…"

Threant: "forgive me Drago but I do believe there was a time when you yourself where considered too wild to be a member of the legion, or have you forgotten your youth? Besides, do you really want to kill a man for what he might do if he chooses a certain path that might be a potential threat to the legion? That's damn near insanity."

Drago: "oh I remember my youth all too well, all the more reason to deal with him now, while there are still warriors in the legion to do it."

Threant: "and yet if we had done the same to you the legion would have lost one of its strongest fighters."

Drago: "this bastard nearly killed my brother and my men!!! I will be damned if he continues to draw breath in this world, if he wants to be a hero that kills all around him then he can do it in the afterlife!!!"

Ragna: "cowards."

Drago: "what did you just...…."

Ragna: "I called you a f.u.c.k.i.n.g coward!!!!"

Helios: "Ragna!!! not now, not here."

Drago: "how dare you!!!! Your nothing more than a farm mongrel, a...…"

Ragna: "yes, I am a farm mongrel, a mongrel that saw his entire village destroyed before his eyes and the great Drago wasn't there to aid them. When I fought the shoguns that terrorised the people of Rovahn not one warrior from the legion gave us aid, they were never even seen!!! And when I fought the vampire Acheron, the great king Titus was sitting comfortably behind his walls and you expect me to bow to such a king, to respect such a brotherhood!!!"

King Titus: "well Ragna, thanks to your heroics the vampire race is now set to retaliate against the legion, how will you save the people now?"

Ragna: "I will fight every vampire that crosses my path, I will kill every single one of them!!!"

Such words from Ragna carried great weight to kiva who stood beside her siblings, even the top legion generals and the king looked at Ragna in complete silence and yet the rest of the crowed found only humour in his words and laughed at Ragna like he was some kind of fool."

King Titus: "really, and yet you have only fought one vampire and you nearly died in the process, what makes you think you can face an army of vampires?"

Ragna: "because it was the oath I took; I swore to fight the vampires until my dyeing breath."

Drago: "oath? Your oath is as hallow as your words, you are untrained, undisciplined and completely out of control, you will never be worth anything to the legion, you will either die by your own hand or by mine."

Ragna: "I don't care whether you or your damn father approve of my oath or not, all I know is that my oath to the legion was true, to destroy all evil and defend humanity, I am worthy of all the power that Kill-shot had given me, I am worthy of the sword I wielded when I fought Acheron, I am worthy of the trust that the people of Rovahn have given me, I am worthy of the legion!!!"

King Titus: "Threant."

Threant: "my lord?"

King Titus: "see to it that the legion prepares a room for Ragna in my castle."

Drago: "am sorry what!!!"

King Titus: "silence boy, if he is monitored here in the royal capital we will be in a position to utilize him as an asset as well as kill him should he prove himself to be a threat, perhaps we may find a use for this beast."

Drago: "he has damned all of us to the horrors and desolation of war, the vampires...…"

King Titus: "the vampires where going to attack Rovahn for one reason or another, better to face them now then to continue watching their shogun breeder take our children to the black oceans."

Helios: "thank you father, I swear to you father, under my supervision Ragna will prove to be a powerful ally."

King Titus: "under your supervision? I don't think so, your rebellious nature will only fuel his indiscipline, your brother Drago shall be charged with this task."

Drago: "put this boy under my care and I'll kill him before the final night lights are put out."

King Titus: "he will be put under your care because your king has ordered you to, you will not disobey me Drago."

Drago: "why set up these damn trials if you only wished to use all the members of the hellboken crew, not to mention curse one upon me."

King Titus: "to bring all of the legions heads under one roof."

Helios: "what? Wh…. Why?"

Threant: "I believe I can answer that, you see recently I had been approached by the queen of vampires, the fire serpent Kali."

Crowd: "what!!! The queen of the damned was within the wall? How did she get to the capital? Why are we hearing about this now?"

The crowed had entered a state of panic, the walls of Rovahn are monitored twenty for seven, how could the queen of the damned breach the wall, not to mention reach the hall of heroes, if she could easily enter the capital how could anyone possibly be safe from her rage.

King Titus: "silence!!! Kali came here to personally declare war upon the legion, this message would send the people of Rovahn in a state of panic, to avoid this, I used the trail of the hellboken crew to cloak the gathering of the legions heads to inform them of the coming doom."

Drago: "what exactly did she say."

Threant: "it was quite frightening, as I am ashamed to admit. I was taking one of my usual strolls, as a finally arrived here, in this very hall, there she was, sitting upon the king's throne, drinking blood from a heart that appeared to have been freshly ripped from some poor soul's c.h.e.s.t."

Helios: "you mean she was right under our noses? And whose heart was she drinking from, good god how could she kill someone and not even be noticed, that bitc..."

Drago: "calm down brother, please Threant, continue."

Threant: "am afraid Kalie's stealth abilities far surpasses our eyes, as she walked towards me with those burning red eyes of pure gem like beauty, she told me to tell the king and all who serve him that humanity had but three years."

Ragna: "three years? To do what?"

Drago: "silence yourself mongrel, you may be absolved of your crimes but you are still in the king's presence!!"

King Titus: "my brothers and sisters, the vampires have given us three years to prepare for their attack, the vampires shall surely see to it that Rovahn is bathed in her people's blood, no one will be left alive, that is why we cannot afford to fail to defend her walls."

Drago: "we couldn't possibly be ready for such an attack in three years, the long winter approaches, it is said to last for at least four years, how could we possibly ready ourselves for an all-out war?"

King Titus: "by uniting all of our forces."

Hunter: "my lord we are all for the idea but surely you must realise the difficulties we have ahead of us with the coming winter."

King Titus: "do not be misinformed, many of us will die fighting this war, some will be buried others will be lost but I would be more than willing to die besides a thousand warriors of the legion then watch the great walls of Rovahn crumble to dust at the hands of the vampires. For years we have been used by the vampires as cattle, for years they have stolen our young ones from us and for years we have stayed hidden so that we would ready ourselves for war, I say that the time for hiding is over!!! We shall assemble all of our forces, we shall secure as many civilians as we can, we shall sharpen our blades and spears and harden our armours and shields, we shall show them that we will no longer stand idle as the people of Rovahn bleed for the vampire's sick p.l.e.a.s.u.r.es!!! The time for half measures has past, the time of war and vengeance now knocks at our doors and we shall gladly open our homes to it, we will defeat Kali and her forces and our banners shall tower above the corpses of our enemies, the vampires rain is over!!!"

Madmar: "For the king, for the Rovahn, for legion!!!"

Hunter: "yes, for legion!!!!"

Amelia: "for legion!!!"

Crowed: "for legion!!!!! For legion!!! For legion!!!! For legion!!! For the legion!!!"

And there Ragna witnessed how the king of Rovahn rallied the legion as they now ready themselves for war. Despite the loud cheers Ragna could still sense fear within many of them hiding behind the morale of the cheers but not the king, in the king Ragna saw no fear, instead he sensed an excitement, a sense of haste, almost as if the king wanted the vampires to come. The hellboken crew are no longer prisoners but the privilege of freedom may not last for the immortal army that Ragna has only heard of has set their sights on Rovahn and all who dwell in her. Only three years separate them all from the great battle to come, three years to become stronger, three years to plan, three years to ready themselves. Many will fall and many will be scared beyond recognition but such a fate is nothing compared to the violent bloodshed that will fall upon man should they fail, the legion must overcome this immortal force, the walls of Rovahn must stand tall, even if it means sacrificing a million lives, the legion must prevail.