GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

Sauron grinned a wide grin. He felt power fill him in abundance. It comes from the acknowledgment of his warriors. Their respect and their courage infused him with Strength. Their unwavering loyalty and undeniable trust in him filled him with pride. It is enough for him to swell. And he did. He began to swell as he transformed.

He said to Xigger, "Ha, what a feeling. It is the feeling of being a part of a pack. Immortal or not, this is a feeling that you will never have. You're not one of us anymore. You're an abomination. You are shunned."

Xigger's face fell. Sauron's words hit a nerve. It is true that he will never run with a pack ever again. He can hear them howling all over the mountain range. They have been called so they will answer. The noise of their howl rises in a crescendo like the beating of war drums. It is the sound of a pack that is about to ride forth. It reminded Xigger of what he used to have. And it brought back the pain of what he lost when he became a vampire.

Each member of the pack will be made stronger because of the bond between them. A lone Beta is not as strong as a Beta in a squad. A Beta in a squad of 4 is not as strong as a Beta in a squad of 6. The same goes for Alphas. But above a squad is a pack. No amount of bonds within a squad can compare to the bonds of a pack and the strength that it provides. And at the top of the pack is the pack leader. 

Xigger used to be a pack leader. He used to always have his pack mates at his back. He used to always trust that they would follow him to hell and back. And they did. They died so that he could escape. They died so that he would avenge them. They never failed him. They were his brothers and sisters in arms. They were his family. 

He used to instinctively know where each one of them was in their formation. He used to share in their pain and joy. He gave that up for the chance to become immortal. He will never experience that feeling of comradery ever again. He will never run with a pack ever again. 

Heck, he can't even transform into his beast form anymore. He will never rest with his fallen brethren and bless the future generations even in death. Sauron is right. He is an abomination. And he has been forever shunned by the connection that binds every Warrog. 

It is at this point that regret couldn't help but surface within him. Tears came unbidden from his eyes. He fell to his knees and he wept. He wept tears of blood for his loss. 

"It is all your fault." He said between sobs.

He is an abomination now. And it is all Sauron's fault. It was also his fault. He was weak and he couldn't defend what he cared about. But it was Sauron that pushed him to where he is today. 

He roared, "For that, you must die."

Then he howled and rushed towards Sauron. Sauron also roared and met him in combat. Vampire Warrog and Warrog Paragon clashed in the air. It was a flurry of action. They tore at each other. Blood spells carved into Sauron just as Sharp claws ripped into Xigger. 

They sought to destroy each other. None of them gave up a single step. They fought with their claws and teeth to take the life of the other. It was violent. And it was beautiful. 

Blood spells flashed red and claws flashed silver under the light of the red moon. The two of them became an intertwined bundle of physical exertion and violence. They howled and they growled. But none of them yipped or cried. They couldn't feel the pain of their bodies being rendered structurally compromised. They only felt boundless bloodlust and the need to protect what they care about. 

Xigger had no blood to bleed no matter how injured he became. His rubbery form was ripped but it joined together soon after. As for Sauron, he is filled with boundless mana. The blood loss from his injuries didn't slow him down at all. He was regenerating more blood and healing his injuries just as fast as he was injured. By the looks of things, it seems both of them can go on fighting forever.

The pack soon joined their pack leader. Thousands of different predatory beasts on all fours emerged from the valley and the two mountains that flanked it. They rushed downwards into the valley. They are huge monstrosities with figures rippling with packed muscle fibers beneath their fur. 

Their front two paws are as thick as bears' while their hind limbs have thick thighs and thin forelimbs that end in hooves. They also have sharp horns that gleamed in the night. These horns alone make them deadly. They can gore anything in their way. No cavalry can stand in their way. They run forth with the momentum to crush everything in their path. 

They are in the tens of thousands. That is a force to be reckoned with. They were not rowdy and chaotic despite their numbers. They didn't collide with each other or block each other's path as they rushed forward. They moved like a single entity with each part working as a whole. They communicated with each other without even doing it consciously. The enemies that they will be facing are mighty but none of them feels fear.

The pack doesn't feel fear. Why feel fear when you're not alone? You're never alone in a pack. Everyone will give their life for the other. But the priority is always for the ones at the top of the hierarchy. Betas will protect their Alphas and Alphas will protect the pack leader. It is with this determination that they clashed with the numerous Mana stage vampires that Xigger brought.