NTR School: S Rank Student

Raphael spent one last night with Eva, before deciding to head out and test the forces of the west.

After making the woman squirt endlessly, he kissed her goodbye, leaving her in charge of things once again.

He told her that we would return within the week, and only planned to leave with half his forces. Though, of course, Raphael knew that things might not always go to plan.

He was prepared to extend his journey if he had to, as well as call out the rest of his forces.

And so, the dragon king set out on a journey towards the west with roughly half of his forces, which numbered in the two hundred.

He took his Great General with him and five lieutenants, which included Yeltuna. Not only would she be useful in a fight, but also when he needed pleasure as well.

The other lieutenants were left in Snowdon to defend her in case anything happened.

---

Raphael walked at the head of his army as the rare sun beat down on their faces.

They had been travelling for a while, and now they had finally begun to escape from the northern snow.

In the distance was a stretch of green land, which seemed to go on endlessly. There were a few farmer houses spread across the field, making it seem occupied.

As they passed through, the people glared from their windows, wondering why such a large force was travelling through the land.

Raphael couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

Despite having no desire to harm the common folk of the western region, he knew what war could bring.

I hope that things don't come to that-

"Hey, over there!"

Raphael's thoughts were cut off as Napolo shouted from beside him, pointing into the distance.

At first, Raphael didn't see what the man was talking about. But after taking a proper look, he saw it.

It was five men on horseback, galloping away at speed.

Scouts?

Raphael and his group had no access to horses, so the men were getting away.

"March faster, soldiers!" The Dragon King suddenly called to his troops. "There are scouts ahead. We can't lose their trail."

The sight of scouts and the voice of the king filled the troops with new vigour as their marching pace increased.

They continued through the field, passing small villages and houses, filling its settlers with fright.

The entire time that they travelled, Raphael felt an uneasy feeling welling in his heart. Something was playing on his senses, but he had no clue what it was.

After a long journey, the sun finally began to set. The troops would need to find somewhere to rest or would need to set up camp.

But before the thought could even cross his mind, Raphael spotted something in the distance.

At first, he thought it was a pack of animals, lounging across the land. This was due to their grey furs, and the fact that they walked on all fours.

But after a better look, Raphael noticed that they were not animals. They were humans.

Or at least humanoids.

The army stopped in their tracks, taking in the terrifying sight before them.

Twenty humanoid creatures were crouched in the grass, faces snarled and glowing grey eyes glaring at Raphael's army across the plains.

Even from the distance, Raphael could see the claws that mottled their fingers, each long and sharp like knives.

"It's them." Napolo's voice came from beside him, surprisingly calm despite the situation in front of him. "The Moonwolves."

Moonwolves?

The name was unheard of to Raphael. But regardless of what they were, there was one thing he was certain of.

"We outnumber them." He called out to his army, who tightened their grips around their weapons. At this point, the wolves began to slowly stalk towards them, as though they were hunting prey.

There was going to be a fight.

I can use this opportunity to see how strong my forces truly are.

Then, he shouted suddenly at the top of his voice. His words carried through his entire army.

"Take them down! Leave only one alive and bring him to me."

Without a moment of hesitation, the entire army of forces began to charge. Five lieutenants, and Napolo.

The Moonwolves followed suit pouncing forwards on all fours.

Raphael was left alone, standing atop a small incline on the land that would allow the battle to unfold in front of him.

And then they clashed.

The lieutenants were instantly locked into battle, each equal match for only one moon wolf.

They clashed their weapons and claws together, creating sparks in the night air.

Napolo and Yeltuna were clearly the strongest. Dancing around their opponents and delivering lethal attacks with their spears.

Others cast magics and abilities towards their opponents.

Some were too weak to damage the hardened wolves, but others were able to take them down.

A moonwolf managed to tear through five men with its claws, leaving their entrails spilling out onto the ground, before it was slain by a magic fist. That was the worst of the casualties they faced.

With ruthless frozen tribe members, as well as the Napolo and the other lieutenants, the Moonwolves were almost no match for them.

Raphael watched from above as the battle slowly came to an end. After all, it was only twenty versus two hundred.

But still, he was proud.

Those wolves... They're dangerous. That's for certain. If we come across a larger number of them, then it could be trouble.

Raphael swiftly made his way over to the battlefield, and found Napolo standing over a moonwolf, who's body had been skewered into the earth by his spear.

The wound was fatal, but the wolf was not yet dead.

Now, up close, he was given a better look at the half-creature.

Its skin was mottled in a hardened grey fur, and its muscles were buffed up to animalistic proportions.

It still kept most of its human features, though its face had twisted slightly, its nose growing larger into a muzzle, and its eyes more slanted and sharp. It was clear that all of their senses had been enhanced.

As he approached, the wolf snarled in anger. "Hurry up and kill me!", its voice rough and growly. "Kill me and be done with it."

Raphael looked down at the half-man with a calculating look on his face.

"Is this your birthright?" He asked, wondering how such a large group of people had achieved such a form. But the man only growled like a beast.

It seems like I'm not going to be getting any answers from them.

"Fine." He conceded. "But at least answer me this."

Raphael crouched down so that his face was close to the wolves. Its jaws snapped as though he wished to bite at him, but he was too far away.

"Does Diotames really wish for war with the dragon king?"

The wolf looked like he wasn't going to answer again for a moment before, finally, its muzzle twisted into a wicked smile.

"Of course he does. And when you come to face him, you will all die! We were only but a portion of his forces, imagine. Imagine what will happen when you come against hundreds... No, thousands of us Moonwolves."

The nearby number of Raphael's forces began to grow worried at the wolves' words. Thousands was an inconceivable number.

"I can see you're all scared. That's it, be afraid! But it won't help you when the-"

The man's words were suddenly cut off, as a wave of white flames swallowed his face, and began to burn through his flesh.

Screams of agony filled through the night sky, before fading away into a dark silence.

Raphael retracted his flames as he scanned his eyes over the crowd of his army.

The words of the moonwolf had startled many of them. If he spoke true of there being thousands of others waiting to battle them, then in their eyes, it was impossible for them to win.

But the Dragon King had plans to prove them otherwise.

"We keep marching." He announced proudly, stepping over the corpses and making his way further west. Napolo swiftly joined his side. "Next time we run into those creatures, I will personally take to the field."

The eyes of the army lit up. Not only would they get another chance to witness Raphael in battle, but they would get a large boost of confidence if he was there.

Some felt like they could even go up against tens of thousands if he was with them.

But in Raphael's head, he knew things would not be so easy.

This will turn into a full-fledged war. Him sending his wolves was enough of a sign for me to take things seriously.

He turned over his shoulder and spoke to one of his lieutenants. An older man named Justice.

"Justice, return to the capital and have them bring the rest of our forces out to join us. Then tell Queen Eva that I wish for her to write a note to Lillian Applehurst in the Five Schools to bring all of our forces to the West to join us as well."

His words hung in the air, as the troops began to realise the gravity of the situation.

"This is now war."