My Soul card is a Reaper

One day earlier;

Roughly around 350 kilometers away from the village;

More than 200 giant quadrupedal creatures were seen marching in a valley between two hills in an orderly fashion of ten groups, each led by a bipedal humanoid-looking creature.

All the quadrupedal beasts resembled giant wolves but with slight changes, such as multiple heads (some have two and some have three), black stripes on their extremely thin yellow fur, a horn on each of their head, and lastly two tails.

On the other hand, the bipedal creatures leading the army of beasts looked like a fully transformed werewolves that more or less retained the same features as their pack.

All of these are called Aeni, and unlike Yers who seemed to have divided into classes based on their skin colors like light blue (commoner), pale yellow, golden yellow, Orange, Scarlet, Red, and white (pure royal bloodline), there was no further racial distinction between them regardless of their appearance differences.

The only thing that mattered was their strength. The bipedals are a next-stage transformation of Aeni and hence, are usually stronger than the quadrupedals.

Of course, there are those abnormally strong quadrupedal Aeni that toppled over bipedal counterparts and had high ranks in their respective pack, but for this specific army, no such thing has happened.

As for their hierarchy, it is quite simple. Foot soldiers < leader of the pack < Queen of the region. They only have three ranks.

Usually, the females are stronger than the males and the system of matriarchy is firmly established in any region one could pick.

Perhaps, this was the only rule that kept Aeni from being united. The males that are the strongest in the region still cannot rule it. So, most of them either become lone Aeni or challenge the strongest female and kill it to bring disorder to the rest of the pack.

As the army of Aeni crossed the valley and settled down on another hill, a group of Aeni climbed up it. A village is sighted from the top.

There was also a Yer waiting for them. As they arrived, the leader ranked Aeni named Thalia spoke to him, "Is that the village?"

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The Yer nodded, "Yes."

"How to recognize him?" She asked about someone in a gruffly tone.

The Yer answered as calmly as possible despite being nervous on surrounded by so many beasts, "You cannot distinguish him from our people just by taking a glance. You have to take a little bit closer look at his forehead, which has certain markings. But, he will usually cover his forehead with his hair. So, it is tough."

Thalia then took out a pouch hanging around her waist and threw it to the Yer, "150 high-quality ether crystals as you demanded. Leave."

The Yer took the pouch with a smile. After confirming the number of those scarlet crystals, unique to this planet, he ran away in a hurry amidst the gazes of hatred from hundreds of Aeni.

Thalia returned to the camp with her subordinates and informed the rest of the leader-ranked Aeni.

She climbed to the top of the hill once again, this time, with the rest of her peers.

As they stared at the village that looked like it had over 100 houses, meaning the population is between 500 and 1000, Thalia raised her hand and conjured a translucent energy scimitar, pointing it at the settlement, "My brethren, our mission will end today. Let's surround the village. Dead or alive, we are taking bastard with us at all costs."

"That goes without saying, hehehe…"

"I wonder how much the Queen will reward us"

"It's also been a while since we ate. There must be hundreds of little Yers here. I will have a feast tonight…"

"Ugh… you are your ugly tendency. Yers aren't tasty. Those children don't even have a lot of meat even if it does appear tender. I would rather eat their cattle."

"Enough chitchatting. Let's get to work."

Soon, the army of Aeni split into different directions to surround the village, which seemed very quiet without any sort of dances or music.

In the quiet village of Eldora, nestled between rolling hills and dense forests, the air was thick with tension. The villagers, oblivious to the impending danger, continued with their peaceful sleep, unaware of the approaching Aeni army.

A young farmer named Elias was tending to his cattle when a distant rumble caught his attention. Squinting against the bright moon in the sky, he spotted a dark mass on the horizon, moving steadily toward the village. Panic gripped his chest as he sprinted towards the center of Eldora, shouting, "Everyone, to the village square! We're in danger!"

Something similar to fireworks was seen blasted into the sky, startling the villagers.

Within no time, they gathered in the square. Fear painted their faces as they tried to discern the source of the approaching threat. Elderly villagers exchanged worried glances, and children clung to their parents.

As the ominous rumble grew louder, the ground beneath them trembled. Suddenly, a cloud of dust billowed on the outskirts of Eldora, revealing the nightmarish sight: the Aeni army advancing with relentless determination. The giant quadrupedal creatures, their multiple heads and horned features, moved in unison, a fearsome spectacle of coordinated chaos.

Among them, the bipedal Aeni, resembling werewolves in their fully transformed state, led the charge. The villagers gasped at the sheer number of these creatures, their feral eyes fixed on the unsuspecting settlement.

Elias, standing at the forefront, urged the villagers to take refuge in the sturdy town hall. "Quickly! We must gather inside and barricade ourselves. We can't let them reach us!"

As the panicked villagers rushed to safety, the ground shook with the approaching army. The Aeni, guided by an eerie intelligence, surrounded the village with a deadly intent. The air filled with guttural growls and the clattering of their massive paws against the earth.

Inside the town hall, huddled and terrified, the villagers exchanged fearful glances. A young female Yer, Emily, clutched her baby tightly, tears streaming down her face. Elias, determined to protect his community, approached the makeshift barricades lining the entrance.

"We can't let them in. We'll fight for our homes!" Elias declared, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and determination.

The village blacksmith, a burly male Yer named Gruff, nodded in agreement. "We've faced challenges before, and we'll face this one too. We won't go down without a fight."

As the Aeni army closed in, the villagers armed themselves with whatever weapons they could find—pitchforks, axes, and even kitchen knives. The atmosphere inside the town hall was tense, the air charged with the anticipation of battle.

The first Aeni breached the barricades, its monstrous form casting a shadow over the brave defenders. Elias, Gruff, and the others engaged the creatures in a desperate struggle. The clash of weapons against scales and fur echoed through the air, accompanied by the snarls and roars of the Aeni.

Amidst the chaos, Elias caught a glimpse of the bipedal Aeni—one of the leaders of the army. One, more formidable than the rest, locked eyes with him. It spoke in a guttural yet articulate voice, "Your resistance is futile. Surrender the hybrid, and your suffering will be swift."

Elias, surprised at first, fueled by defiance, retorted, "We'll never surrender to the likes of you."