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Long ago existed a clan of serpent like creatures that was well known, respected and feared for their knack and love for war. They're practically extinct nowadays, and when one of them is someway somehow found, they're treated like royalty.

Their services cost a fortune and then some. Whoever wants them, be it a king, emperor or deity must pay what's asked, cede command of their army until the contract is up or, there is no or.

So it has been for eons, and so it will remain until the Serpentine clan is completely extinct.

However, no one knows when or why this endgame war started. No one knows if king @bifork(BK) hired his Serpent General first, or if king ange.nkuru(AK) was the instigator. To be honest nobody cared.

All that mattered was that now the whole World knew that by the end of the day, one kingdom would be in ruins while the other tells tales of glory. Which would be which was the question on everybody's minds, specially the neighboring kingdoms with ambitions of expansion.

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_{The Retaliatathon.}

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And so there they were this morning. Both Serpents leading their troops to the battlefield with all of them willing to fight until the last breath if needed.

BK's General sent his Living Lava ahead to scout and deter the advancement of AK's army while Sand Worm platoon snuck behind AK's formation.

But little did he know that AK also had 2 high flyers who can't help but attack at the mere sight of an opportunity. They did just that, managing to take down the ferocious Sand Worm before it had a chance to challenge Cerberus's healing factor.

Back to the front line, Living Lava had done well but as expected couldn't keep up with Serpentine's instincts and experience, he died as valiantly as he'd always lived.

Finally face to face, both Generals acknowledged that they would have loved to meet each under different circumstances, in a different era. Maybe then they would have formed a genuine kinship, only fighting side by side.

But reality isn't that kind and such sentiments were meaningless in the face of honor, duty and if it's all to be damned to hell, a warrior's death.

Their dialogue lasted but a few seconds after which AK's General made the first move.

Chaos ensued and both sides unleashed the bloodlust they'd masked since last night. AK's General went for another dig but this time there was immediate retaliation.

What followed was the retaliatathon of the century. Both dragons were going at it so ruthlessly that none dared approach fearing friendly bite, yet so elegantly it was evident both were in a deep flow state.

The retaliatathon went on for a bit until eventually AK's General succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

The remnants of his army didn't falter though. From claw marks to wing slashes they let loose and let it rip, literally!

Not long after both Generals had died, AK's warriors had encircled the enemy. For their fallen General, nearly each remnant got one last hit in before the last enemy head was chopped off.

The battlefield still crimson fresh the survivors wasted no time morning the dead. They anointed Dragon Jumper as their new leader and embarked on a brand new journey, seeking a worthwhile client to whom they could offer their services.

_{*The End*}

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Well that was fun. Anywho, this morning I saw a "Retaliation Challenge" which brought back memories.

At one point in what seems like forever ago, "poison" and "retaliation" used to be my favorite abilities and I used to take any opportunity to use them.

Now I can't even remember half of the current SPL abilities and rule sets. Oh my how far we have come.

So yeah, once I was done reminiscing I decided to to write a short story based on this battle.

Anyways, it was only after finishing the story when I realized I had messed up. Oops.

It's my fault, I hadn't checked battle challenges since early last year and didn't didn't really read the rules before writing. There's a new format to follow plus since I don't use any other social media other than watsapp, it my double bad.

Oh well, even though it won't be eligible, I can't waste this post. And as for @theinkwell, I hope it isn't too violent for you guys.😏

PEACE!!

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