Joaquin Aspa had led the largest resistance against the Green Mamba for years now. His Puma tribe had prided themselves on being the prime defenders of the island for generations; so, when the Green Mamba had descended upon their land, he found it only logical to lead the people against them. Eventually, despite differences with the leader of the Eagle tribe, both tribes had taken up arms against the invading Green Mamba in a joint mission to regain their lands. A herculean task that proved to ultimately be a failure.
Day by day, they were pushed further away from their beloved cities. Surrender or leave was the slogan that had become all too common to hear after every battle for the Everland Pirates. Pirates… Our ancestors would be sickened to learn the protectors of the land are now called pirates. But it’s not all bad... Looking around the rainforest encampment, his eyes were proud to see only warriors forged through the fickle blade of war.
Often, he had read through the tribe’s historic accounts wondering if perhaps it had been written through a biased hand or if instead, they referred to another tribe altogether. His people were countlessly described as battle savants: a tribe of warriors so skilled and brave, they could almost be compared with the 7 Great Hunter Tribes from the mainland. Almost. But Jai had become the next leader of the tribe, and he saw none of it. When the invaders demanded they fork over Kalas, their resistance was a negligible tantrum, like a sobbing child willing to denounce their parents but too scared to oppose them.
Leaping several dozen feet to a watchtower, Joaquin landed lithely and continued surveying his warriors from the new vantage point. He saw a bloodthirsty people, each preparing in their own way to relieve the members of the tribe who were currently fighting in the front lines. Injured or not, man or woman, young or old, he could see the desire to stand against the Green Mamba burning in his family. It had taken long, but at some point, Joaquin was joined by another puma when he fought the invaders. One soon turned to two, and not long after, the entire tribe fought as one.
Unfortunately, his tribe together with the Eagle tribe had already been banished to the Northern rainforests by the time they found their fangs. They had lost many warriors, too- some to the cruelty of battle and others to the temptation of peace with the snakes. With a predator’s grin, he spoke out loud. “It is of no matter. We clear the rust from our weapons with each passing day.” His hand tightening over the guardrail, he closed his eyes and recited his tribe’s war creed. “Our fangs will feed the ground with the blood of the invaders.”
“And our claws will spread fear through the land, that our home may once more find peace.” A willowy man with interspersed black and white hair glided unto the watchtower. He was cloaked within a phantom harpy eagle: a deep black colored the top half of its body which shifted into snow white feathers for the bottom half. “And soon it will. Perhaps sooner than we think.”
Observing the man joining him, Joaquin answered coldly. “What do you mean, Jai? We have spent many a moon within the rainforests. I am no pessimist, but even I know our people are not ready. Maybe next year, and no more than two years from now. Every day I see our tribesmen grow closer and closer to our bloodline beast, but the strength we need is not yet upon us.”
The longtime leader of the Eagle tribe mused over Joaquin’s words as he turned his gaze to the encampment. Those of the Puma and Eagle tribes prepared for combat together, like longtime cousins who had separated but not forgotten each other. It reminded him of his grandfather’s stories. Kedra Island was once ruled by a powerful monarch, one who led the land to prosperous times and grew the Puma and Eagle tribes as sibling-tribes. It was a time when the very names of the Puma and Eagle tribe struck fear into the hearts of anyone bold enough to challenge them. It was a fable.
Scattering the runaway thoughts from his mind, he focused on the current conversation. “The Green Mamba is behaving oddly. Usually, their forces would be beginning to thin right about now. Enough pirates would be left to endure our second line but only just. After which, we could all retreat and regroup, preparing ourselves for battle a few days later.”
Joaquin scoffed as his ally relayed the obvious. “And what seems to be the problem?”
“My scouts have chanced upon an opportunity. During their routine airborne inspection, several of them noticed a barrage of reinforcements rushing to join the front lines. The sheer number of incoming pirates is almost overwhelming.”
A snarl escaped Joaquin as his green, wide-set eyes bore down on Jai. “How is that an opportunity? The majority of the frontline consists of my tribe! Do you so nonchalantly celebrate our loss of life?”
“Easy there, my hot-blooded friend. We’ve fought together for well over a decade now. Your losses are as good as my own.” Putting up his hands, Jai eased Joaquin. “The opportunity I speak of lies within these reinforcements! Long have we fought the Green Mamba pirates. We know their methods, and despite their brutality and their disrespect for the sanctity of battle, they are meticulous. The witch that leads them does not err often, but the reinforcements my warriors spotted were haggard. They appeared green and unprepared.”
Digesting the news, Joaquin spoke slowly. “You think this change is erratic. A move made from desperation rather than careful plotting.” A phantom puma began to form behind Joaquin. “This is dangerous. It could be a trap. We cannot tell whether this is due to a new force entering the lands or another matter entirely. They could be trying to bait our forces out.”
“But we can definitely capitalize on her folly if it is real. It has been years now that we have shared the battlegrounds with that witch. If these methods were their own, they would have been employed years ago. No, my friend, I think this is well and truly a mistake on their end. They think us so weak they can end us quickly to focus on other matters. What say you we teach those damned snakes we are not to be taken lightly.”
“Our people may be losing this war for our land, but we can still celebrate our victories. Alright, let us call for an emergency meeting. The divine beasts have handed us a golden opportunity. We shouldn’t waste it. If we plan this carefully, this could be a turning point for our tribes!”
Just as the two tribe leaders were preparing to leap from the watchtower, a screech stopped them. “Wait!” A speeding woman propelled down from the skies towards the watchtower. Cloaked within the phantom of an eagle, the woman careened towards the tribe leaders. It appeared she would not be able to brake in time until Jai flapped his phantom’s wings and slowed her down.
“What are you doing, Nina? Joaquin and I were discussing important plans. Now is not the best time to interrupt.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“No. *Huff* In.. the frontlines. *huff huff* Something’s happened in the frontlines.” Between bated breaths, Nina was finally able to sputter out the message she had been sent over to pass. “There’s a group of unknown but very powerful warriors slaughtering the Green Mamba pirates.”
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Ducking beneath a swinging scimitar, Alexander pushed away the attacking pirate before rolling away. Like a speeding arrow, Pengu stabbed her flaming flipper into the pirate’s shoulder. Good. No lethal blows okay, Pengu?
Okay…
Alexander nodded and began healing the fallen warrior from the Everland pirates. Around him, Thomas and Kai were wreaking havoc on the sorry figures of the Green Mamba pirates. Kai’s greatsword moved like a possessed bullet through the ranks of the villains. Charges of electricity slithered through the bodies of nearby pirates as the sword pierced pirate after pirate. Kai himself could be seen flashing from end to end of the battlefield, neutralizing any Green Mamba pirate he deemed too powerful for the people of Kedra.
Opposite from Kai’s greatsword, a hellish landscape of ice had formed under Thomas’ attacks. He had driven his spear into the forest ground and channeled waves of mana into it until the tropical trees had transformed into icicles. Deep into the heart of the Green Mamba’s army, the chilling scene of frozen corpses elapsed. Thomas had not wasted any time witnessing his move’s effect, however; leaving his spear behind, he brandished his shield and continued his attack.
Last night, the group had listened to Kai recount the history of the Eagle Eye and the Everland pirates. The two were actually prominent Hunter tribes dating back to the times Kedra was ruled by a monarchy. Decades back, the government had changed into an oligarchy after the royal lineage had been usurped, only to later dissolve entirely as the Eagle tribe and Puma tribe split the island in half: the Eagle tribe ruled the Northern half and the Puma the South.
Upon hearing who made up the pirates they were hoping to ally themselves with, the group was able to come up with a plan. It was simple really. The Eagle and Puma tribes, like most other Hunters, respected glory in battle above all else. They initially planned to challenge the leadership of the tribes to show them their strength, but when they saw an all-out battle already happening, they adapted their plan. Diving from the jet, they intended to display their strength in combat.
It's so different in a war. Sprinting to another injured Puma tribesman, Alexander inspected him and began his healing. Although he was also supposed to be fighting against the opposition, Alexander was struggling to find his place in the battle. The transition into real combat was not as seamless for him as it had been for Thomas and Kai, and more so than the physical one, changing his mindset from healer to warrior was causing him tremendous strife.
He was witnessing the terror of war for the first time, and it was disorienting. All around him, lives were constantly being lost. The clangs of metal were deafening, but even still, Alexander could still here the screams of pain resounding in the rainforest. Warriors said their final goodbyes to fallen allies from both sides of the conflict, while others made do with the unfortunate reality they would live on maimed from here forth. Driven by his natural instincts, Alexander had focused on healing and side-lined any intent to fight.
Staring at his newest patient, Alexander activated his eye skill as he searched for any injury that could be hidden. It was a young, unconscious male, not quite a boy but to call him a man might be a bit of a stretch. Blood soaked through his shirt, revealing an egregious cut across the majority of his torso. The laceration was deep but already in the process of closing thanks to Alexander’s white flames. Ahh, he’s also got a deep stab wound on his hip.
Moving his hand downward, he began working on the second injury. A few seconds later, the youth regained consciousness with a scream. He didn’t look quite there yet, but he was able to tell Alexander was healing him and pleaded desperately. “My-my fiancée! Please, she’s right here. Heal her! My injuries are light and can wait.”
Alexander’s hand remained on the youth’s hip, but a small tremble could be discerned in it now. “I’m so sorry, but there’s no more help I can give her. She- she felt no pain, though.” A soul-wrenching scream escaped the youth, and between sobs, he passed out once more. Now that the patient was asleep, the subtle tremble escalated up his arm until Alexander was shaking visibly.
He had seen death before. By no means was he numb to it, but this was certainly not the first time he had been unable to save someone. However, something about the war, the very fact that death continued all around him, and there was little Alexander could do to prevent most of them shook him to his core.
Placing her flipper over Alexander’s trembling arm, Pengu sought to help. If asleep bad, we can fight the baddies till no one sleeps. Watching over Alexander, Pengu chirped her words through their telepathic connection.
Alexander smiled softly at Pengu’s innocent words. You’re a little silly, but I think you’re today. We might be more helpful immediately if we can drive the Green Mamba back. The tremble in his arm slowly receded until it had vanished completely. That does mean we are gonna stay up late after the battle to heal everyone else, though.
Pengu chirped cheerfully at Alexander’s revitalized psyche, ignoring his last words. Waddling beside him, wind and fire mana gathered around her flippers as they headed deep into enemy territory, fully intending to showcase the results of her training.
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Peering through a thin veil, Venus observed as the Emerald warriors performed a ritual around their campfire. It was Kukulkan tradition to honor the death of any fallen comrade, and death in battle warranted the most prestigious of rituals. The Emerald warriors danced and sang as they masterfully utilized their wind mana to perform acrobatics. None of them were sad, and despite their exhaustion, each of the Emerald warriors was set on performing the ritual before resting. To them, there was no greater honor than dying on a mission. This was a time to celebrate in the success of their clansman.
Trudging away from the commotion, Maia walked over to stand beside Venus. “Can you please wipe the frown from your face? I’ve told you countless times there is no mourning death in battle in my culture. It’s almost disrespectful.”
Continuing to look at the fire, Venus spoke with anguish in her voice. “We both know everyone is free to express their emotions on the passing of a warrior in your culture. You must be happy for the person, but individually, you can mourn the loss of their company. Plus, I’m wearing a veil. I could be smiling for all you know.”
“Your voice does little to hide your sorrow.” Pausing to measure her next words, Maia sighed. “It’s okay. It pains me too. I’m beyond happy for him, don’t get me wrong, but as their commander, I should’ve been better. There was no reason for us to have been poisoned in the first place much less…” She stopped herself from saying any more, but her eyes lingered on Venus’ eyes behind the veil. “How is it by the way. The veil, I mean.”
Bringing up her hand to the veil, Venus ran her hand through the fabric. “It is very helpful. I can’t remember the last time my eyes have been graced with the beauty of the universe, and while I am thankful for it, it is quite… jarring. The veil is splendid at toning everything down for my sensitive eyes.”
“Venus…”
Interrupting Maia, Venus abruptly sat down as pink fog emanated from her and formed a chair. “You shouldn’t punish yourself, either. The situation was out of your control, and you responded the best you could. It pains me to know a kind soul like Victor will not be a part of our ensemble anymore, but I do not blame you or anyone else in the slightest.” Motioning with her hand, Venus invited Maia to sit beside her in the chair that had just formed beneath her. “Let us instead speak of our next plans. We shall honor Victor by completing the mission most successfully.”
Maia remained standing, waiting to see if Venus intended to speak more of the past, but she eventually relented. She knew Venus seldom spent time lamenting the past, and she was keen on finding out more of what awaited them in the rainforests in the North.