Somewhere in the Kurdish region of Iraq, a few miles away from Lake Dohuk, a battalion was camping, away and safe on this uninhabited land.
However, right underneath them was an underground settlement that had existed there for centuries, and this was where the tribe of Hubo resided.
The tribe of Hubo was an ancient tribe of werewolves, one whose roots dated back thousands of years, and they were one of the backbone forces of the current Inheritor of Nergal.
Their Chieftain, Oros Hubo, was one of the Nine Warlords of Erra, the Mercenary Organisation named after its Master, and he was also one of the strongest and oldest Werewolves on Gaia.
Oros was present on the surface with the people who were camping on his land for the night.
These people had been led here by one of his fellow Warlords, Mushka, a lady, who, unlike him, had aged over the last century.
Though age had depreciated her beauty, she could still be considered quite attractive to anyone who was into women who looked like they were in their early fifties, and when in her prime, she had served as one of Nergal's lovers.
Muskha was there with her Son, Renzo, who was the Vice-Commander of their battalion that consisted of 300 strong Auror, all handpicked and trained by her in the art of battle.
Renzo was a middle-aged man who had lived for nearly a hundred years, and he was a strong man, just as strong as his mother, perhaps even more.
His mother had birthed him when she was only 14 years old, a result of marriage to her older brother, as per the code of their family, and whom she dearly loved. However, her happiness was short-lived when their cousin killed her brother to usurp the position of the head of their family.
She managed to run away with her baby, and for months she survived the chase of their bloodthirsty kin, who wanted to make sure they were both dead. And in a twist of fate, she came across Nergal and Oros.
Seeking vengeance against those who killed her brother, she submitted herself to Erra, who took an interest in her beauty and madness and helped her avenge her late husband.
The mother and son had since served Erra as his most loyal, and they were amongst the most powerful commanders under him.
Had it not been Renzo's choice to stay by his mother's side, he would have already been made a Warlord with his own force to command, but he was a filial child who deeply cared for the woman who birthed and raised him.
There were also some rumours and whispers that his children were all birthed by his own mother, so maybe, he was not sticking by her side because she was only his mother.
"What's wrong, Hubo?" Mushka downed a jug full of liquor and curiously asked her friend, whom she had known for nearly a hundred years now.
Oros was sitting across from her on a rock, wearing his tribe's traditional loose white clothes. He was not wearing any shoes on his feet, which were surprisingly not callous even after staying bare since the day he was born.
"I have a bad feeling about this war." Oros, whose once black hair now had a fair amount of white in it, sighed as he broke out of his thoughts.
He was over three hundred years old this year, but he looked to be only in his late thirties and still was as handsome as the day Mushka had first seen him.
"So do I." She replied and then raised her head to look at the bright moon and the sky that was littered with countless shining stars. "You should have moved your tribe out of this land."
"It's under progress." He admitted and then reached for the flask of liquor that was placed on his side.
"Persia?" She knowingly asked.
"Yes." Oros nodded to her.
Persia was the safest place for them as no one could dare bring the war to that land unless they wanted to perish.
"Have you two hidden your children?" He asked as he glanced at Renzo, who was taking a stroll around the campsite and making sure everything was okay.
No one else could dare ask Mushka this question, but Oros had no qualms about it. Though it was not a Taboo to the likes of them to marry their closest kin, even their children, a bond between a parent and a child was still discouraged.
Then again, Renzo had no sister to marry or a cousin left who could be considered. Her decision was quite understandable.
"Yes." Their eyes met and she nodded to him.
Werewolves possessed the ability to smell the blood in a person's veins and could tell a child's parentage through it. And they could also tell whose essence a woman carried in her womb.
If one wanted to have some privacy, it was a bad idea to stay in the company of a Werewolf. The Powerful Vampires were no different either as they could see through all your secrets too.
"Persia?"
"Yes," Mushka replied and chugged on some more liquor, but froze as she caught the alarm in Oros' expression as he turned to look to the right, far into hills that were situated there.
"Intruders." He whispered and then his expression turned solemn as his ears registered the whimpers of his men who were guarding the perimeter. "Vampires."
Mushka's eyes widened at his word and she immediately downed the liquor before standing up.
"Up!" She shouted. "Arm yourselves!"
Her forces immediately responded to her calls and then rushed up to stand behind her, ready to take the enemies head-on.
"Renzo, inform Master Erra that we are about to engage with Hades' forces."
"Yes, Mother." The man replied as he picked out a transmitter from his sachet, and called the Intelligence Head of their Mercenary Organisation.
There was no doubt that these Vampires belonged to Hades, after all, there were no Vampires in this region.
Only five minutes later, the warriors of the tribe of Hubo were all assembled behind their Chieftain, and unlike Mushka's forces, they were not wearing any armour, but some of them were carrying blades.
Seeing the enemy rush at them from all sides, Mushka frowned.
"This could not be all of them." She unleashed her Aura Soul, which was that of a white wolf and laced the sabre with her Aura as well. "They are too few."
Yes, the Vampires who were attacking them numbered exactly 52, and against their forces of over 500 strong, this was akin to suicide.
"There are 48 more, who will reach us in a minute," Oros affirmed her doubt. "And Hades is here as well."
Mushka expression turned sullen at those words, and then she took a deep breath.
"Let's slay a Mortal God tonight." She slightly smiled, and Oros took a deep breath before he signalled his men to meet the oncoming enemies.
"Follow me." He said to Mushka and Renzo, who nodded and then followed him to the left side.
Half of Mushka's Battalion was right behind them, and all of them tensed when they watched a serpentine Golden Dragon flying a few metres above the ground and rushing at them at a ridiculous speed.
Renzo and Oros unleashed their Aura Souls too, and like all other Werewolves, Oros' Aura Soul Beast was a Wolf as well, but it was much bigger when compared to the Mushka and Renzo's Wolf Souls, who were Ashaya.
"How strong is he?" Mushka asked as she could not get a read on Qin Feng's strength, and she was someone who was on the verge of stepping into the Realm of Primal Desolation.
"Stronger than me," Oros informed her with a light smile.
"I see." She was not scared to learn that Hades had already stepped out of the Primal Desolation Realm, but she was a little depressed.
It was unfair to the mortals like them that they had to deal with such people.
"Surrender!" A cold voice reverberated in their ears, but all three of them mockingly smiled at the words of the Mortal God.
"Your children are here, Hubo. I won't blame you if you take the offer." Mushka spoke to her friend, already sure what his answer would be.
"And watch you die?" Oros smiled at her words. "I am not brave enough to bear that shame, dear friend."
"No, you are dumb as ever." She laughed. "Let's bleed for the final time!"
Her voice rose in the air, and then the three Aura Wolves lunged forward at the Golden Dragon, showing only their resolve and no fear of death.
A deafening explosion resulted as they clashed, and then a soul-stirring battle ensued in the land that had only known peace for the last few centuries.
A mile away from the battlefield, on top of a hill, two figures stood next to each other, looking in the direction of the land of Hubo.
"It will take a while, Father." A sweet voice with a hint of amusement sounded out, but even if someone had been standing right behind them, they would have not heard her words.
"Brave, aren't they?" An equally amused voice replied.
"They are." The girl nodded and focused all her senses back on the battlefield.
She was witnessing a battle of this scale for the first time in her life, and she was quite excited about it.
