AGNPH Stories
 

Broken by scion_umbranos

 

Story Notes:

Basically, I've been wanting to make a very long lasting series with lots of intrigue and such, and have finally come up with this. I like the story-line behind it, though for now I'm just going to post the first chapter to see just what everyone thinks of it. No sex until later chapters.


Chapter 4: Home Assault

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Hours had passed since Syon arrived back at the command tent, the young Eevee delivering messages to different fronts, taking messages back to his adoptive father, and sometimes helping the wounded from time to time. Finally though, he was sent on a mission to get the results of the battle on Thunderhead's front.

"Take this piece of parchment to Thunderhead and ask him for estimated losses and kills made, ask if you're needed to help with wounded. If not, report back to me with the results." Jag said, passing over a blank, rolled up piece of bark parchment.

Syon took the letter and set it in the little satchel he had been given, which had arrived roughly an hour or so after he got back to the command tent. It denoted him as the official messenger in the war effort, and was to be protected if seen. "Yes sir." He said, saluting, then taking off like a shot from a bow, sprinting in the familiar direction that took him towards Rolling Thunder, which was the name of the battle that had taken place.

The young pokemon slowed to a trot as he broke through the clearing, heading up to the guards and giving them the password required to pass. The bag wasn't enough to allow him entry. "Is Thunderhead in his tent?"

One of the guards nodded and pointed his muzzle in the direction of the stark white tent with a thundercloud spewing lightning bolts burned onto the front, Thunderhead's insignia. Syon nodded his thanks and made his way over, tail twitching from side to side while he looked about, seeing the result of the battle...wounded laying about, and a small group of roughed up looking pokemon with stern faced guards surrounding them...obviously prisoners.

Syon stopped then and looked at them, searching to see if perhaps his real father was among them. No snow white fur stood out, nor a black scythe to denote an Absol. He shrugged, then padded into the tent and saluted to the Manectric. "Hello Thunderhead, sir...Jag requires estimates of casualties on both sides." He said, reaching into his satchel with his maw and gently tugging out the parchment, offering it to the wolf-like pokemon.

"Thank you kiddo." He said, sitting himself down and using thin, finely tuned streams of electricity to burn out his estimates, taking a few moments pause between each one.

"You're welcome sir. Is there anything else I can do while I'm here?" the Eevee asks, ears perking.

The Manectric paused, then rolled up the parchment. "Yes. I want you to go down to the battle site and see if there's any information you can scrounge up among the dead."

Syon was about to cringe at this thought, but managed to keep his face straight. "Yes sir. Stuff like insignias or letters?"

Thunderhead nodded. "Yes, I'll hold onto the estimates until you get back. Leave your satchel too."

The Eevee took off his satchel strung about his neck and set it at the commander's footpaws, saluted, then trotted out of the tent and down the hill towards a scene of carnage. Other pokemon were wandering among the remains, looking for trinkets or things to loot, gold, jewelry, maybe some soft, rich cloth...etcetera.

But Syon was looking for something different, and he wandered among the bodies, his nose crinkling at the stench of freshly spilled blood, sweat, gore, and death that permeated the area. Bodies from both sides were strewn about the area, very few from his side, and many from the Empire's. His tail flicked as he spotted what looked to be a commander, and trotted over, nosing at the body of the fallen Umbreon. Its neck had been torn open and was hanging on by maybe a few strands of skin and muscle, a look of wide-eyed shock on its lifeless muzzle.

Many more wounds littered its corpse, bites, scratches, impacts from various elemental attacks of many kinds. He nosed through its dirt-dulled armor, searching for a package or a letter...or something. Finally, he did find something...a small package wrapped in silk cloth and tied with a thin piece of white ribbon. Intrigued, Syon pulled it out and set it on the ground, his teeth making short work of tugging the ribbon open and letting the cloth fall apart. Within it was a small necklace made of some silvery looking metal, a pendant in the shape of a rose made of solid pink-diamonds hanging from its end.

Syon just stared in awe at the beauty of such a small piece of jewelry, wondering how many years it had taken to craft it. Such care was taken in the folds of the rose petals, making them almost seem like they were in bloom. A note rested beneath the necklace. The Eevee pulled it free and opened it carefully, script within written in a beautiful hand. It read:

"To my beloved Noxia."

"It must have been from her mate..." He murmured to himself, looking over the Umbreon's fallen corpse. He couldn't understand it, but a great sadness welled up inside of his chest. Why, he did not know. Wasn't this the enemy of his home? Of his family? Adopted or not...it was still his family.

He let out a slow, shaky sigh...refusing to let tears fall for one whom hated his adoptive family and friends. The Eevee did take the necklace though, slipping it around his neck and looking down at the letter. Noxia...that name struck a chord in him that he couldn't quite place. But no matter, she was dead, and thus was in the past.

Syon stretched a bit, shook himself, then continued on his search, leaving the mysterious Umbreon where she lay. The deeper he got into the carnage, the more he noticed how much...stronger he felt. He felt full, as if he had just eaten a big meal, and it made him pause and look around...wondering why he felt like that. He turned in place, and blinked as he saw something a little shocking. The grass where he had walked was...clean. It wasn't red at all. A small trail of green led through the carnage, all the way to where he stood now.

"What..?" he mumbled, then shrugged and continued onward, heading to every commander he could spot and rummaging through their corpses in hope of something to bring back to Thunderhead for use as intel.

Finally though, he happened upon a lone fighter with many corpses surrounding his own. Stopping, Syon regarded the area, thinking that this must've been a great warrior indeed to have felled ten enemies by himself. "Maybe he'll have something." He mused, and stepped over the fallen bodies over to where the Zangoose lay. Hanging from his shoulder was a satchel similar to his own, which Syon opened with a quick tug of his teeth and stuck his nose inside, sniffing around.

His search was rewarded as he pulled out a parchment and opened it, eyes widening at what was written on it. "Oh no..."

He quickly bundled it up and sprinted back up the hill to Thunderhead's tent, the guards letting him pass this time. The Eevee rushed into the tent and skidded to a halt, nearly bowling the Manectric over. "S-sir! I found something, you have to read this, quickly!" He offered the parchment.

Thunderhead growled but took it, reading it over with a quick scan. His growl dwindled as his eyes widened, then squinted in rage as he nearly howled with the overpowering emotion. "A diversion! That damn force was a diversion!?"

He rushed outside and barked out orders. "Everyone back to base on the double, we've been tricked! The main force isn't out here, it's attacking our home! Leave the wounded, we'll be back for them later." Thunderhead swung around. "Syon! Get back to your father and tell him the news, get him to order a full retreat back to base, NOW!"

Syon didn't even bother saluting, and bolted, becoming nothing more than a brown blur that left a furrow in the ground where he passed. 'Damnit damnit damnit damnit!' was running through his head constantly while he sped towards Jag's tent, flying past the guards and into the command tent.

"Father! Er...sir, we have to sound a full retreat. The forces we were fighting...they're just a diversion, the main enemy force is heading for our home!"

Jag was about to growl at the young Eevee for this unceremonious entrance...but stayed his tongue and instead roared out orders, sending out his fastest runners to deliver messages to all fronts while he ordered everyone to run back home on the double.

"Syon! Go back to base and warn everyone of what's coming! Quickly!"

But Syon was already gone, not needing an order to know what he had to do. His paws nearly flew along the ground, and would probably have given a Rapidash a run for its money if he were racing. But that wasn't on his mind...all he could think is that he hoped they weren't too late.

The smell of smoke and fire greeted the Eevee's nose as he got closer, faint sounds of battle ringing in the distance. "No...no!" He shouted, running faster towards the place he called home, where he could already tell that it had been attacked, and that the battle was still going on...at least that put a little relief in his heart.

He tripped suddenly, falling with a yelp and rolling to come to a stop by smacking head-first into a tree. "Ow..." He groaned, slowly struggling upright and looking at what he had tripped over. It was a guard corpse, one that he remembered had taught him to use Shadow Ball recently.

"Oh no...Ripley..." he whimpered, padding over and nuzzling the Sneasel's cheek, eying the large hole in his narrow chest. His eyes welled up until a single tear fell upon the ebony fur of the dark and ice type. The once cheerful face of the cat-like pokemon was calm. At least he had died quickly...

"...why..?" He whispered, sniffing softly, then standing and dashing the tears from his eyes before continuing on, not having long to go until he reached the battle. Gone was the innocence of a boy among friends. Now, someone was dead...and his heart was cold. Too young or not...someone would pay for this, he promised...someone would pay...

Angered, the Eevee dashed off towards the ongoing battle for his home, not caring what anyone said. Now, he was going to fight...and not even Arcanis could stop him. He spotted a small skirmish between maybe three pokemon on each side and headed for those on the Empire's side. The Eevee charged up a Shadow Ball, keeping it tight and small so that it would cut, rather than hit.

He launched the ball of pure dark energy at one Pokemon, a Kadabra that was harassing a Machoke. It glanced at the ball and widened its eyes, before the attack struck him in the chest, ripping a hole through his left upper shoulder the size of a golf-ball. The psychic type reeled under the attack, the Machoke taking the gap in time to swing around and deal a lethal blow that snapped the Kadabra's head to the right...it twisted around until its nose pointed backwards...then the psychic type dropped.

But Syon wasn't watching...he had already launched himself at the other one, a Scyther that was dueling with a Zangoose. They had just squared off, and were preparing to charge, when a brown blur of howling fur, fangs, and claws crashed into the Scyther's side and tore off its left arm.

The bug type hissed and wheeled around to face its new attacker...but didn't get far as sharp Zangoose claws sliced it in twain, the green pokemon's stick-like middle an easy target. The battle was now in his friend's favor, so he left without saying a word, just heading further into the battle, swinging around conflicts and looking around for one of the few pokemon that mattered to him most: Ruby.

Tough and hard as a nail...but she still protected him like a mother would to her last breath. First, he tried her den, but no one was inside, and there were no signs of struggle...so she must be outside somewhere. He turned and scanned the field, looking for the area where the most smoke was coming from. Finally, he spotted something akin to a small nova off in the distance, and rushed off in that direction.

It took him awhile, but he finally managed to get there, having to sometimes backtrack to get around a skirmish or avoid being spotted. Ruby was found fending off water types back to back with Arcanis, their fire attacks glowing white hot from the amazing power the two shared. Both steam and smoke permeated the air, along with the scent of burnt flesh and fur.

An Azurill got a lucky hit on Ruby and Syon howled in rage, the young Eevee charging forward towards the mouse-like Pokemon. It only had enough time to whip around and widen its eyes before it was slammed into, the two going into a tumble, biting and clawing at each other. Syon got a lucky hold on one of its long, sensitive ears, and took hold, sinking his teeth in.

The water type yowled in pain and tried to use a water attack to knock him off, but he just leapt off and swung his head, shaking the pokemon like a rag-doll until its ear tore off. The Azurill whimpered and held its ear while Syon charged, bulling his opponent over and ripping its side opened with a well-placed swipe of his short, but needle-sharp claws. It gurgled, then fell, blood oozing from its wound and mouth.

Syon looked at it...his first kill. A strange power surged through him then as he looked upon the recently killed corpse, the fur lining his back and neck bristling up from the taste of blood in his mouth. A strong Water Gun snapped him out of his reverie, slamming him into a tree with a loud yelp. He heard Ruby snarl, then heard a loud explosion...the water attack cutting off instantly.

The Eevee slowly stood, and shook his fur out, head low while he gasped for breath. "Are you alright kiddo?" He heard the female ask, and looked up at her with a nod.

She gasped softly as she saw a change in the Eevee. His eyes...they were red. As blood red as the coating on his normally soft, brown fur and completely without pupils. "I'm fine." He said in a voice that wasn't his own, and looked around, the water types starting to dwindle from Arcanis alone. "Go help Arcanis...I'm going to go see if I can find something else to kill."

Ruby was now looking at him differently. This normally relatively cheerful boy looked every bit as dead serious and cold as Jag. She watched him as he ran off, heading into the thick of it to fight alongside his friends and allies. "...what's gotten into him?" She murmured to himself, and looked down, gasping as she saw a large gap of green in the blood red grass. "...weird." She commented, then shrugged and went back to the Arcanine's side to help him fend off their attackers.

Syon fought like a demon, tearing through ranks with no remorse, never actually killing...but wounding enough that the others could finish it off. He just ran through, tearing and ripping with claws and teeth, the occasional Shadow Ball making a hole through some unfortunate individual.

A flash of white caught his attention though, the Eevee's currently blood red eyes following it as it left the current skirmish to find high ground. With a growl, he followed...wondering if this was the one whom he sought...if this was his father.

As he approached, the Absol's head whipped around to give the Eevee a single glare with a shining emerald eye, the other hidden behind the snow white lock of fur. The dark type's throat rippled with a snarl. "They're sending children out after us? Monsters!" He growled to himself, turning and firing off a Razor Wind attack at the charging Syon, who dodged it with ease.

'At least it isn't stupid.' He thought, bracing for the attack...but it didn't come, the Eevee just stopping and standing in front of him. 'What's he doing?' He looked at his young opponent, the Eevee indeed a gruesome sight...blood matting his fur in various places, eyes an eerie blood red color and filled with rage and...curiosity? Though what really got the Absol's attention, was the rose pendant hanging from his neck.

'That looks like...no...NO!' His eyes widened in surprise as the Eevee took one step forward, then growled in a voice that shook with emotion. "Are you Sloan?" The Absol could barely manage a nod. 'This boy killed my mate? How? He's just a child...'

Syon just nodded and relaxed, the heartbroken Absol wondering what was going on here. This was a very strange Eevee. "Who are you?" He asked, the battle raging on around them, but no one approached the two standing atop of a hill.

The Eevee lifted his head and growled. "I am Syon! ...your son."

The Absol's eyes widened in surprise and...fear? "My...m-my son?! No, you...you can't be my son, the egg, I left it...here..." Sloan was speechless. This was his son? But he was supposed to be dead!

"I am your son...you left me here and someone found me, and raised me as their own...something you would never do." He snarled, eyes blazing with rage. "No...you're not my father, not anymore, my father is Jag! And I'm going to make you pay for abandoning me..." he cried out before rushing the Absol.

Sloan could only watch as his son, the ill fated egg that was supposed to have died...rushed towards him with hatred in his gleaming red eyes. So he would have to kill his own son after all? So be it. The Absol released another Razor Wind at the Eevee, but Syon seemed to disappear, then reappear again, his jaws clamping down on the dark type's shoulder.

The Eevee's teeth didn't even manage to get through the fur, and Syon dropped harmlessly, though he managed to tear a few chunks of fur free and spit them out. The boy was angry, and inexperienced...and let his guard drop, something the Absol took advantage of, rushing the kit with his blade held high. Syon looked up and gasped, leaping backwards in time to have the blade nick his ear, making him yip, but land unphased otherwise.

He landed, and immediately rushed again, this time scoring a hit that did some damage...his head cracking against Sloan's forehead, making him grunt and skid back, but just push Syon away with a swipe of his paw that scored three long, red lines along the Eevee's flank. The Eevee dropped and stumbled, but still stood, panting softly...still growling with anger towards his father. "I hate you!" He shouted before charging again, the Eevee colliding with his father's head...but this time, it connected with the strength hidden within his young body.

Sloan let out a cry of pain and surprise as he flew backwards and smacked against a tree, the force of impact blowing off the bark on the other side of the at least three foot thick trunk. Syon stood on the hill alone now, head down and legs spread, the fur lining his back and neck bristled to make him look a little larger. Around him, the battle raged on, members of both armies falling, cries of pain and roars of rage ringing in everyone's ears.

Syon's young body was growing tired. Even though he'd been trained and groomed for fighting in a war, it was taxing. He'd never actually fought a live opponent, never taken hits like this. His eyes were a dark, evil red...full of hatred for his opponent, for his father. It gave him strength, energy, and made everything else drown out around him. The young kit prepared for a charge, but only took two steps forward before he was stopped.

Apparently Sloan was important to the army, and a guard of sorts, comprised of Absols all, surrounded their wounded commander. The black scythes gleamed dully in the haze of combat, the sun turning everything red and orange from the smoke covering the area.

A sudden blast to Syon's side caused him to cry out in pain and shock and fly a few feet before landing with a sickening crunch and rolling to a stop. The Dragonite who had made the attack prepared for a finishing blast, but a voice rang out. "Stop!" The dragon type stopped...and looked towards where Sloan was staggering towards him.

"That's...my son." He said, the male's guard and the Dragonite taking on a surprised expression. "Leave him. Kill everyone, but leave him be."

One of the guard stepped up. "But sir, why would your own son attack you? Hell, we didn't even know you had a son."

Sloan nodded. "I did...you will all hear the story when we withdraw, now, carry on the fight."

Everyone hesitated, but only for a moment...saluting, then dashing back into the fray. The defenders weren't ready for this attack, despite their experience and cunning, they had thought the Empire soft, too honorable to make a sneak attack while the main forces were out in the field.

They were wrong...and it cost them.
No comments posted
No reviews posted