//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: The Deal of a Lifetime // by Killercraft //------------------------------// “Everybody ready?” James asked the gathered monarch and generals, they all nodded. Usually, it takes a few hours or even a full day to come up with a full proof plan to protect a large area, like the hive, from an invading force. For the changeling though, it only took twenty minutes. Being what they are, they had to have a lot of contingency plans for all sorts of attacks from other sapient creatures, for one reason or another. All James had to do was provide some more love seeds to spread around and give the tactics for guerrilla warfare to them, where they implemented the strategy into a few of their own plans. They all left the room and immediately got to their positions for the battle, James teleported onto the streets, melted onto the floor and stretched himself around the entire hive, making himself cover as much ground as he can incase diamond dogs chose to attack from below, while a few squads of changelings dismantled some of the roofs and put up an illusion where it had been before. At the edge of the hive's city, Mantis and a squad of changeling guards stood a ways away from the griffin and diamond dog army, about five hundred in total, in front of them. A griffin that wore a Lorica squamata (Scale armor) around his barrel and a short sword on his side walked towards the queen with a diamond dog wearing heavy set steel armor that covered most of his body and face with a halberd on his back. Mantis trotted to meet the would be invaders in the middle. "My name is Queen Mantis of the sapphire hive, and I ask this only once, griffin. Why are you here?" She said with venom in her voice. "My name is General Stormwing of the griffin empire and you have a bounty on your head by the equestrian government. We were asked to assist with the clean up of any and all changelings that were scattered at the wedding, for the crime of almost concurring Equestria." Mantis reeled back in shock. "That wasn't even my hive!" she yelled. This was another factor of Chrysalises defeat, entire armies were actively hunting them to extinction. "You changelings are all the same to us. It doesn't matter where you are from, you are all love eating monsters that should have never came out of your hole in the ground." "We have to eat, you ignorant fool!" "Well so do we. Now are you going to surrender peacefully or is this going to get bloody?" "I would rather die than surrender to a lowlife bounty hunter like you." Stormwing sneered at the queen. "Bloody it is then." He said as he walked back to the army. "Do not worry, bug, hive will be useful creating new diamond dog empire when you dead." said the diamond dog alpha before he to walked back to the army. Stormwing raised his claw and the army behind him got into a fighting stance...then brought it down. At the signal, griffins flew over head and diamond dogs rushed into the city yelling their war cries and screeches. Just as planned. Mantis and her squad sped into the city, splitting up throughout the alleyways and streets causing some of their assailants to follow them. As the last diamond dog stepped foot in city boundaries, Mantis yelled "NOW!!" using magic to amplify her voice. At that, some of the rooftops of the buildings opened up and flying piranhas flew out and started to eat the griffins piece by piece, sending bits of flesh and gore to the ground below, covering some of the diamond dogs and encouraging the piranhas to go in for a bite. In the confusion, several squads of changelings popped from the rooftops and started to take potshots at the disoriented enemies with their magic, while feeding on the flowers love simultaneously. "Where are the ground forces!" yelled Stormwing as he sliced a flying piranha in half with his short sword. Underground Once the battle had started, the underground forces began to tunnel under the hive and pop in a random spot around the city for a surprise attack. Due to James spread across the entire hive, he was able to find the holes and absorb any creature within that hole. "What Is happening!!!" cried a diamond dog soldier as tentacles from the entrance wrapped around him and added him to the mass. Those who got out and tried to fly away got pulled in by their feet, kicking and screaming all the way. Once the tunnels were clear, James gathered himself and snatched most of the soldiers with him. Severely cutting down their numbers. Those who survived tried to flee the battlefield but got taken down by magic. The mass of black slowly shrink until it was seven feet in height and wore black, chitin plate armor with yellow and red bioluminescence trailing along his arms and legs, with claws that could slice flesh like butter with a hot knife. "I am going to give you a choice." said James, just loud enough for the rest of the crushed army could hear. "You can try to fight me to the death and earn your freedom, or you can surrender and become a servant of the hive. You chose your fate." Everyone stood in silence. Nobody dared to move unless for breathing. A few of the dogs looked like bowing due to their nature while a few griffins looked like they didn't get paid enough for this. After a minute of silence, a few dogs went up to James and surrendered. With a wave of the clawed hand, a few changelings from the rooftops buzzed down and led the prisoners to their cages. One by one, the soldiers slowly gave in and surrendered themselves in hopes of getting a lesser punishment. Even yelling from their commanding officers and the threat of death didn't lead them astray. All that was left of the army were Stormwing, a few of the older griffins, the diamond dog alpha and the most loyal of his pack. "So you all chose to fight? Good. This will be a lot more interesting." Stormwing flared his wings and got into a battle stance while two of the remaining griffins flew off to the sides of the armored figure and started to fire arrows at it. The arrows bounced off James, not even leaving a scratch on the armor, creating wipfists, James wrapped the two griffins around the waist and absorbed them. Taking advantage of the distraction, Stormwing launched himself at James preparing to cut his head off. The ground underneath James cracked and he fell through the hole simultaneously crushing the diamond dog underneath and dodging the blow. A few diamond dogs stabbed at James and got broken weapons for their troubles. "My turn." He said as he made an armblade and charged into the mass of bodies, killing and absorbing everyone in his path. ------------------- "Looks like we didnt need a complex plan after all." Rino said to his queen. "All we needed to do was throw James at them and it would have been done in seconds with his power." His horn lit up and a bolt of green energy hit a griffin in between the wings, causing it to fall and get feasted on by piranhas. Mantis hummed. "I believe you are right, general. I am going have to ask him about that after this battle is over." A few minutes later, the ground underneath James collapsed and Stormwing missed completely and landed on his side, his weapon imbedded into one of the houses. The changelings took down the surviving soldiers until only Sormwing was left. "Leave this place, bird! If you ever return, I will tear off your wing and feed them to you!" She shouted, Stormwing launched into the air and flew out of the hive. An arm burst out of the ground and James climbed out of the hole, Mantis flew down to meet him on the ground. "Did we win?" he asked as he looked at the dead soldiers around him. Mantis nodded. "It seems so. Let us go to the castle so we may feast on this victory!" Everyone cheered and flew to the palace.