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“Alright everyone, listen up!” The furs of caravan 6 looked over to Harv, the caravan leader. “We’re leaving now,” he said, speaking loudly enough for everybody to hear. “Before we do, I want to let all of you know something first. Do not do anything to aggravate the Aspis. Just look straight ahead and keep on going. Once we’re clear of their territory we’ll stop and wait for or escorts from the Nigrum Mortifer tribe. That’s all I have to say. Any questions?” Harv looked around, but nobody spoke up. “Let’s get going then,” he said.

Nicholas began to feel nervous as they traveled along the path that ran through the heart of the Aspis tribe’s village. He couldn’t help but constantly glance at the armed warriors to his right. Many of the adders were armed with vicious looking sabers, pikes, and halberds. He noticed that a few of them were armed with assault rifles, mostly AK-47s, that had been imported from Makos. “Hey Beth,” he said quietly to the bulldog fem marching in front of him. “Yeah?” she responded. “What are the Aspis up to? I don’t like how they’re just lined up like that.” Beth glanced over her shoulder at Nick. “I’m not sure. This is the first time I’ve seen them do this.” “I hope they’re just trying to intimidate us.” Erin said from behind Nick. “I hope so too Erin,” Nick said. “Just keep up your guard and be ready just in case they have something else in mind,” Beth warned.

Jack, a white wolf, had been listening to the three companions’ conversation and had become quite nervous himself. He looked to his right and was startled to see that a small child of the Aspis tribe had decided to walk along beside him and stare at him. Jack kept marching, but he was all too aware of the child’s steady stare. Eventually he couldn’t stand that child’s stare any longer and more loudly than was necessary said, “What are you staring at kid?!” The little adder stopped and suddenly began weeping loudly. Alarmed at this, Jack looked at the armed warriors who immediately readied their weapons. A shot suddenly rang out and before Jack knew what was happening, a sniper’s bullet found his throat and exited out the other side, sending a spray of blood into the air.

“RUN FOR THE JUNGLE EVERYONE!” Beth roared. Merchants and soldiers ran along the path in an attempt to reach the safety of the trees and shrubbery. Beth, Nick, and Erin ran together, shooting short bursts from their rifles whenever they could. Soldiers fell to the snipers’ shots, assault rifle bursts, and the Aspis’ bladed weaponry. Aspis warriors fell as well to the Makos soldiers’ own shots. To the left and to the right of the path, blood sprayed from gaping wounds as bullets bit into fur, flesh, and scales and as blades gouged stabbed and sliced the bodies of the Makos Soldiers. All around there was carnage.

Beth, Nick, and Erin were nearing the edge of the jungle when twoscore warriors blocked their path. The Aspis warriors charged the threesome, their sabers and pikes ready to strike. Suddenly a cry rang out from the jungle. The Aspis warriors made the mistake of looking in the direction that the yell came from. Without hesitation Nick, Erin, and Beth emptied their cartridges into the bodies of the Aspis. Some of them returned their attention to the three, but were hit from behind the blades of the Nigrum Mortifer warriors.

Drek cleaved his way through the Aspis warriors with his Zweihänder as if they paper warriors. Eventually he found Nick fighting off an Aspis. Nick noticed him once he had killed the warrior and noted that the new arrivals had a different coloring than the Aspis and seemed to be enemies of theirs. “Who are you?!” he yelled over the din. “We’re from the Nigrum Mortifer tribe!” Drek yelled back as he swung his sword, spilling the guts of the unlucky Aspis. “We’re here to help!” “Is there anything we should do?!” Nick asked loudly. “We need you and the others to follow the path south until you reach a village! You’ll be safe once you reach it!” Drek replied even louder. Nick looked for Erin and Beth and found them fighting alongside a Nigrum Mortifer warrior. The snake was felled and his killer then aimed his spear at Erin. Nick watched helplessly as the Aspis lunged at her. Without warning, Beth jumped in front of her. The Aspis’ spear’s blade was driven deeply into her side before breaking off where the blade was tied to the wood. Beth fell to ground unconscious. “Beth!” Nick cried out. He was distracted only for a moment, but that was enough for another Aspis to slash his torso diagonally with the axe part of his halberd. Nick cried out again, this time in pain, and he fell to the ground as well.

Erin saw Beth fall to the ground and shot her attacker in the head. She ran over to Beth and tried to help her up. Two Nigrum Mortifer warriors saw her and ran over to help. Each took on of Beth’s arms, draped it over their shoulders, and carried her into the jungle. Erin, not knowing where they were taking her, followed and ended up jogging along with the stretcher-bearers as they carried her to the Nigrum Mortifer’s village.

Back at the Aspis’ village, the battle raged on. Drek saw Nick fall and quickly killed his assailant. Sheathing his Zweihänder, he picked Nick up and quickly carried him to the clearing that Beth and Erin had just been in. After another pair of stretcher-bearers carried him off, Drek unsheathed his sword and jumped back into the fray.

Nick’s vision was beginning to blur as he was being carried of to the Nigrum Mortifer’s village. As he slipped into the realm of unconsciousness he had only one thought, is this it? With this hot thought having gone through his head he passed out, his body bouncing lightly on the stretcher.