The Emerald warriors were flying. Leaping from the tree branches, they used localized bursts of wind mana to jump much higher than their legs could ever manage. As one group reached the apex of their flight, another formed air bubbles on the branches to cushion their fall. Intermittently, they cycled through the skies of the rainforest in practiced fashion.
Their eyes pierced the veil of the night like those of a hawk, and their pursed lips whistled out a constant stream of information between the two groups. If one looked closely, the shimmering moonlight would reveal a thin strand of wind connecting the two. The dense amount of wind mana imbued it with a light green hue.
It was an ancient technique from the Kukulkan clan used to maintain secured communication even during movement. The string of wind formed a tunnel that funneled their whistled notes to each other and most importantly muted them from the surroundings. It was great in the battlefield, but Maia doubted it was particularly necessary right now.
Several days of travel had gotten them through the canyons of central Kedra and into the rainforests of the north. The particular route they had traveled was devoid of life, even by the desolate standards of the area, and even now that they had made it to the north, nearby signs of life were inexistant apart from the occasional beast.
She didn’t call for the warriors to stop, though. Not for one second did she think that would be a good idea. Having known Venus for years now, she knew their group needed to be on guard, situations tended to… develop when it came to her, especially if Maia thought them safe.
Gripping Venus tightly by the waist, Maia propelled herself straight through the canopy of trees. Tasked with ensuring the safety of the Venus, she positioned herself at the heart of the Emerald warriors. Just as one group leapt over the trees and the other landed on the branches, she would skillfully fling herself through the forest, stopping midway between both groups at every interval.
Perching on a thick branch, Maia commanded the wind to silence her fall and awaited the next jump. Her body was tense, ready to react if a situation was to develop, but this came as a result of years of training. It was instinct. Her mind, on the other hand, focused on deciphering her friend’s intentions.
Venus had been quiet for the latter part of the journey, offering only a terse nod or swift shake of the head when asked if they were still headed in the right way. As skilled as their elite group could be at tracking, it was beyond even Maia to accurately guide Venus. When their target was to find fate, she found it easier to move quickly and adjust directions if necessary. Now, however, even the movements of her head had ceased. When Maia asked for direction, she was awarded with a blank stare.
Nevertheless, she continued forward. No direction just meant her previous command still held, or at least that’s what Maia told herself. The mystical ways of the fate hearers weren’t her cup of tea; it was all too abstract. Wind made sense; the rhythmic dance of combat made sense. The sounds of future and past, though? That she was happy to leave to Venus.
Deep in thought, she lingered a few seconds at each branch. Maia pretended it was accidental, but her internal doubt had caused her to slow a little. The warriors, too, slowed slightly in response, adjusting perfectly to Maia’s pace, and the formation was upheld. But perhaps these precious seconds would see their arrival follow Venus’ next command.
This mission had not been the raving success Maia had envisioned so far. Although Victor had died an honorable death, her pride as the commanding officer was wounded. Everything from this point on should be flawless. She would have no more deaths on her back. Not on this island.
“Stop.” Venus’ voice rang in the minds of Maia and the rest of the Emerald warriors. Although it had been projected through mana, Maia detected an aged tiredness to it.
Carefully laying Venus against a large tree trunk, Maia worked on making her comfortable while the warriors set up a perimeter. “Did we head in the wrong direction?”
Venus turned to face Maia, but her eyes were glazed over. She stared in silence as the seconds rolled into minutes and finally, when Maia was about to command everyone to make camp for the day, Venus responded. “We are here but not yet… There’s a battle. Here but not now. Yes, but not yet.” Every extra word sounded like it costed Venus far more than just air. Her shoulders sagged as her head began to droop. “Here but not now. Stalk but don’t hunt. Kill but don’t fight. End but don’t start.” Her voice quieted until it was nothing but a whisper. “Here but not now.”
Maia draped her now unconscious friend with a blanket. She had clearly drained her mana after a prolonged session with fate. It was not something she had thought possible, what with her eyes open, but Venus had projected one final message to Maia before falling defeated to sleep. Fate is so heavy here.
It wasn’t much. 5 words total but it was all Maia needed to believe Venus had delivered her with a prophecy, and a pretty important one at that. Eyes open, she had managed to tune into the whispers of fate and translate more than a dozen words. They had most certainly reached their destination now, and whatever was next would be up to Maia.
Whistling the note for regrouping, Maia gathered her regimen as she began to issue out her commands. Mentally replaying Venus’ words, Maia formed a rough idea of their meaning and began to prepare accordingly. If she was right, they had a lot of work to do before the here was actually here.
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Trailing behind the Puma Hunters, Alexander was painfully aware of how unaligned to subterfuge his talents were. It was the dead of the night, and the rainforest was pitch black. The solitary rays of moonlight that made it through the roof of trees did little to change the darkness, but even with the natural cloak, Alexander felt like he was blatantly obvious.
Every leaf that crunched beneath his shoes reverberated through the entire forest. If he held a branch for support, it would snap. If he tapped the grounded inspecting it for stability, it would crumble, releasing a small avalanche of rubble. Not to mention his still drying right leg from when he accidentally stepped into a pond.
He thought it a miracle the Green Mamba hadn’t noticed them encircling their base. Any more noise, and he feared the generals of the Puma and Eagle tribe would think better of inviting Alexander unto the expedition.
The Hunters were in their home grounds, though. Advancing through the forests, Alexander couldn’t even hear those traveling beside him. In fact, the rest of the group was so silent, the total noise output may have been equivalent to a small animal stumbling through the woods.
It was not, however. Following the approval of the generals, Jai and Joaquin had approved for a whopping 90% of the tribe’s military power to join the expedition into enemy territory. The command was put into effect immediately, and the group had been ready to set off even before the sun had set. Eagle and Puma warriors alike had come together to chart enemy territory, recheck routes, and quality check everyone’s equipment. The plan of attack was written, distributed, and taught over the span of a few hours.
But the hastiness of the affair was swept under the rug. The first taste of victory in many years for these tribes made them susceptible to pushing for more. There was a hunger in each of them. They didn’t just want a taste of victory; they sought to feast on the snakes, to drive them so far away the rainforests became theirs once more.
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It was a dangerous desire, and Kai had been quick to point out the Green Mamba may be expecting retaliation, might even be ready for it. Alexander wasn’t worried, though. He didn’t plan for anything to go awry, and Thomas, Kai, and he were ready to deal with any of the Green Mamba leadership. The rest of the pirates would crumble just as they had the day before.
Something about marching in line with a veritable army of allies filled him with confidence. This would be simple: a targeted attack that preserved as many lives as possible. Then, Alexander would remain with the recovering army to ensure everyone was properly taken care of. Foolproof.
Bumping into one of the prowling Puma Hunters, Alexander tried to apologize, but the warrior stopped him. Moving closer to be visible, the woman bowed deeply before walking away. It was the same response he’d gotten from the tribe the whole day.
After Alexander and his group saved them, the people had showered Alexander with praises and thanks. Their strength had been the missing talisman for their victory, and now that they marched together as one, feelings of a repeated success blossomed within.
At first, Alexander was embarrassed. He wasn’t even supportive of war but had somehow ended up as the image for one? It was ridiculous, but the more he saw the hope dwelling in the eyes of the Hunters, the deeper he felt this was right.
Dartuga’s prophecy had already promised he would be caught in the middle of conflict until his eventual death. Perhaps it would make sense to position himself as some sort of hope bringer.
Alexander’s stray thoughts continued until he reached an area that was actually well-lit. Sitting in a clearing within the rainforest, a series of spiked logs formed the gate walls of the Green Mamba’s encampment. Chain links holding up fire braziers hung from wooden posts intermittently throughout the wall, lighting the area and further driving the shadows to where the tribe’s warriors hid.
Walking along the edge of the forest, Alexander studied the walls looking for any signs of modification. He doubted a trap was coming, surely, they were still nursing their wounds, but Kai was wiser. There could be some merit to his words.
Keeping that in mind, he studied the logs. They were large pale things, easily clearing fifteen feet in height. They would be a pain to conquer, but nothing appeared out of place. The initial renditions drawn from scouts who had made the trek to the snake’s campsite in the past matched the site perfectly. Yes, identical. This was as he expected. Satisfied with his search, he quickened his pace as he rushed to meet the generals.
He found them soon after, hidden behind the trees facing the gates to the campsite. Kai and Thomas had already reached the rendezvous location and were discussing the plans extensively.
Waving his arms, Kai was frustrated. “I implore you to reconsider the plan. We should spread the forces out. Let us form two rings from our army before we break into their base. The possibility is small, but we should prepare for enemy reinforcements to arrive.”
“Our army?” It was the elder lady general from the Eagle tribe who answered. “The army is our tribes. We may have accepted you, but that does not mean we consider you one of our own.”
Rubbing his forehead, Kai exhaled. “I understand that, but I am doing my best here to ensure your people live!”
“Do not patronize me, young man. I have been warring against the snakes since you were a child. I know them. Know their patterns. They are an injured lion right now, nursing his wound and weakening by the minute. It will still be ferocious if attacked, but its fall is inevitable. What the lion does not do is call a new pride for help. It has never happened and will never happen.”
Thomas surprisingly stepped forward, as Kai was showing signs of losing his temper. “We are simply completing our task as advisors in this battle. Please do not mistake our advice for commands. Of course, you know the snakes better, but any number of external factors could lead to changes. What my friend here recommends would only cost us time and would potentially save the lives of your brothers.”
“Time, however, is a non-renewable resource. We neither have much of it nor do we particularly feel inclined to waste it.” This time it was the older, male general from the Puma clan who spoke. “Your advice is accepted and appreciated, but your strength would be much more appreciated. The plan continues. If you would, heroes, please prepare to aid our brothers if it is necessary.”
Kai appeared upset, or maybe more than upset, disappointed; Thomas merely observed the two generals expressionless. The pair was already walking deeper into the forest, unperturbed at slighting Kai. It was at this time Alexander moved closer to his friends. He had abstained from the conversation since he lacked the required skills to participate, but now that the discussion had ended with a clear disagreement, he sought to appease his friends.
“What was that about, guys?”
The calm Kai had momentarily regained evaporated at Alexander’s question. “They are being careless! Who in their right minds has one victory and then decides the most logical next step is directly invading the enemy camp with no back up plan. It was one win, and we did 95% of it! I just don’t get it. They sit there and call each other brother, but this is gonna be a massacre if anything doesn’t go as planned.”
Alexander scrounged his eyebrows. “We are the backup plan, Kai, but that doesn’t even matter. Nothing is gonna go wrong. You heard the generals. Do you really think after all these years the Green Mamba is gonna change tactics? And if they do, there’s no way it will be something we can’t handle.”
“What is the matter with you? We won one battle, narrowly! The only reason it ended so quickly was because you overused your mana, and you’re missing the greatest lesson you should have learned in the battle. As strong as we can be, we can’t be everywhere. We’ll stop terrible casualties from happening, but casualties will still occur.” Staring fiercely at Alexander, Kai continued. “This is a battle plan formed from years of fighting the Green Mamba, yes. But it was years of losing. Now that they won, I am sure something will be changing, and their greed for more will cause deaths. Many of them.”
Alexander backed away from Kai. “You’re overreacting, Kai. If all it takes is for me to overdraw my mana again, I’ll gladly do it. We have strength. You two are beyond powerful, and I can finally do something. Everything will be fine. This is a simple one. Back me up, Thomas.”
Leaning against a tree, Thomas had been looking out towards the pirate camp the whole time. At some point, the generals must have signaled for the attack to commence, because Alexander could now spot shadows darting across the clearing and towards the gate. Thomas didn’t look at them, though. His eyes remained fixed on the wooden gate.
“Kai is right, Alexander. Power like ours allows for the scales of battle to tip in our favor, but it is not enough to save everyone.” Curiosity lingered within Thomas’ eyes. He watched the gate expectantly, wondering how successful the general’s plan would be. “Right now, strong as we may be, we are forced to sit back and wait. We aren’t free to join the rush, for if the generals are wrong, it is we who must react.”
Light blazed from within the walls of the camp, probably from a fire that was slowly devouring the inside, and with that light, Alexander watched the members of the Eagle tribe dive in and out of the camp. The intention was for them to act as a hit and run unit; they would descend quickly, capture an enemy, and then fly away to a safe distance where they could drop them. The problem was all the eagle’s talons were empty.
Feeling his stomach drop, Alexander felt the confidence and optimism that had built within him from the battle fade away. Unconcerned, Thomas continued. “Individual strength is like a rock in a river. Eventually it can block the current entirely, but for the most part, all it can do is inconvenience the ebb and flow of the water.”
In unison, horns blew from within the wooden logs, all around the circumference of the campsite. The Hunters, who were beginning to exit the gate confusedly, stopped in their tracks. The smell of smoke was heavy in the air by now and had further illuminated the area, but apart from the crackling of the burning wood, silence had returned to the rainforest following the horns.
The tribe's warriors looked to each other for direction, and after a few seconds, when nothing had happened, they continued their prowl back to the trees. Alexander observed their return on full alert. Once again, it was stealthy. Their nimble movements camouflaged with the natural cloak of the night and save for the mild thumping on the ground, Alexander noticed nothing.
Wait.
The tribe’s warriors and Alexander noticed it all at once. There was a thumping in the ground, and it was growing louder by the second. It was deep, menacing, and familiar. Closing his eyes to listen more closely, Alexander finally realized what it was and swiftly turned to face Thomas and Kai.
The latter was already sparkling with lightning as he spoke. “War is never simple, Alexander. Never.” With the fire from the burning Green Mamba campsite, Alexander could now see an army of pirates quickly surrounding both the clearing and their own army. “And this is what shortsightedness can lead to.”