The team of four hunters prowled through the thick vegetation of the jungle's underbrush. They were all equipped with bows and had already knocked an arrow, ready to fire at the first sign of their target. They assumed a Y formation, with two pointmen in front and the other two in a line behind. The two in front each scanned the area around and to the side of them. The hunter on the right took over the right side, while the hunter on the left side maintained vigilance over the left flank. Carefully, they moved throught the underbrush, their footsteps barely making any sound as they rolled their feet whenever they took a step. The leader was positioned in the middle of the formation, with two hunters in front and one hunter behind him. He gripped his bow tightly, with a single sweat droplet rolling down the side of his brow.

He exhaled a nervous breath and whispered to his subordinates. "Remember, be extremelely careful. The man we are hunting is the last remaining leader of the heretic uprising. He is said to be a well trained individual who had even participated in slaying the northern wyvern. Keep your eyes peeled and your bows ready." Just when his subordinates were about to nod and reply, a javelin soared out of the underbrush, striking one of the pointmen squarely in the chest. The remaining three hunters turned to the direction from which the javelin came, wide eyed and bows fully taught. The leader looked left and right, but couldn't find the man responsible for the thrown javelin. His eyes darted frantically from side to side, but all that they saw was the dense underbrush of the jungle and the numerous tree trunks blocking his vision.

"Quickly, blow the whistle." The hunter in the back of the back of the formation dropped his bow to the ground and quickly grabbed the whistle hanging at his hip. The whistle was a carefully carved piece of wood, that when blown into would create a loud piercing shriek. Just when the hunter was about to blow into the whistle, the leader noticed movement in the underbrush a few paces away. "There he is!" The leader aimed his bow and let his arrow fly. Before the arrow could strike, a grizzled old man, bearing many old scars, dashed out of the bush and hid behind a tree trunk. Another arrow struck the trunk he had hid behind. A piercing cry came from the leader's back, as his subordinate blew the whistle. "Good, reinforcement should be here soon." Saying so, the leader spared another quick glance at the hunter who had been struck by the javelin previously. The javelin was well aimed and had pierced the hunter's lung. He had died before he had crumpled to the floor.

The leader cursed, before glancing at the remaining pointman. They exchanged glances, before the leader gestured to the side of the tree trunk. The pointman nodded, before slowly and quitly moving through the underbrush, another arrow nocked and ready, aiming at the trunk behind which their target had hidden himself. The pointman moved to the side, intending to flank the target. The leader and the whistleblower moved together in the opposite direction. Just when they had seperated for a few paces and their full attention was placed on the tree trunk, the leader heard the snapping of twigs from above him and he instinctively jumped to the side, rolling on the ground, before recovering and halting in a crouch, aiming his bow at where he had previously been. Two paces from where the leader was, where the whistleblower used to be, stood an old lizard, with scars criss crossing its body. The whistleblower was pinned beneath its large paw, red blood flowing out of the several gashes that the claws had gouged out of the back of the unfortunate hunter. A gurgling sound came from below the lizard's paw, before with a twist of the lizard's claw only silence remained.

The leader let out a mad scream before releasing his arrow while aiming at the lizards eyes. However, with a flick of its tail, the arrow was slapped out of the air, landing ineffectively on the ground. The leader struggled to pull out another arrow from the quiver placed on his back, but before he could succeed, the lizard dashed and tackled the leader to the ground. The leader tried to resist, pulling out the knife tied to his hip, intending to stab the lizard, but before he could even do that, the lizard bit into the head of the leader, killing him instantly. Just when the lizard finished chewing, came the old man to the lizard, patting it on the neck. "You saved me once again, old friend." Behind the old man lay the body of the second frontman, an arrow sticking out of his neck. The lizard responded by leaning into the man's scratches. To the dismay of the lizard, the man didn't give the lizard many scratches, instead opting to search the bodies of the deceased hunters.

The man spoke to the lizard while shifting through the belongings of the hunters. "We need to go soon. They were able to blow their whistle, so we only have a few moments more, before our true persuers catch up to us." The man took the piece of bread that one of the bodies carried, a few arrows and pulled out the javelin embedded in the first pointman's chest. He then mounted the lizard and directed it to climb a tree, leaving no prints in the dirt. Stillness returned to the surrounding area, with only the cries of animals locked in a constant dance between life and death remained. A few moments later emerged five lizards, upon which sat lizard riders. Notably on the largest lizard sat a young girl, a few summers younger than Telamon. Her body had not yet had the time to fully undergo the process which turns children into adults. Even so, her temperament didn't match that of a young child, but was akin to that of an experienced veteran. Her identity was Eliana Feidi, eldest child of Feidi, city lord of Victoria and descendent of Minsol. She was in charge of leading the capture mission. Her highpitched voice rang out with an authority unmatched by children her age. "Search the surrounding area for clues as to where that traitor could be. Don't forget, he is a lizard rider, so he could be using the tree tops to hide his prints. Check the trunks for claw marks." The four lizard riders responded in unison. "Yes ma'am."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Telamon and Herodotos had finally arrived at the main road leading to the western city. It was a winding dirt path, wich cut through the forest floor. The trees at the side of the road loomed over the path, casting shadows over the well trodden earth. This road had been newly constructed, the chopped down trees allowing for wider carts to move through. Once the brothers arrived, they headed west, following the winding path. After following the road for half a day, a cart pulled by a strange creature appeared on the horizen, following their footsteps. The creature was a four legged beast, with a brown coat. It's legs ended in hooves and its wide frame supported a big head with a snout and two horns. The horns especially seemed dangerous, and Telamon didn't wish to imagine how it would be to get gored by these horns. Behind the beast was a wooden cart, upon which sat an older man. The cart was attached to the beast via a wooden harness. In the cart behind the old man were various wares, but the brothers couldn't make out what they were, as they were covered with a tarp, which protected the contents from rain and wind.

Once Telamon spotted the cart behind them, he punched the shoulder of Herodotos. "Ouch, why'd you do that for?" Herodotos rubbed his arm where he had been struck, clearly exagerating his pain. "Shut up and look." Herodotos followed the outstretched hand of Telamon and saw the cart pulled by the beast in the distance. "What is that?" Muttered Herodotos, while adjusting the bronze sword affixated to his hip. Telamon shrugged his shoulders and gave an unsure grunt. "The better question, is whether or not that is one of our persuers." Herodotos scratched his chin. "The beast does seem quite powerful. Could be another creature tamed to fight. But sending just one man seems a little too pretentious, if they're trying to capture us." The cart kept getting closer. "Perhaps there are more people hidden beneath that tarp. Or perhaps he is simply a scout?" Herodotos seemed doubtful. "What do we do?" Telamon helplessly shook his head. "Well it's too late to hide now. I say we wait until the cart approaches and assess the situation then. This is the main road after all, it would make sense that there are other travelers." Herodotos nodded at his brother's wisdom and stepped to the side of the road to wait.

Soon the cart approached and the man riding the cart got within speaking distance. Telamon raised his hand and shouted a greeting. "Hello! Forgive me for asking, but what manner of creature is pulling your cart? I have never seen such a powerful beast tamed before." The man on the cart laughed a deep laughter, the crows feet at the edge of his eyes crinkeling into deeper wrinkles. "Well, hello to you too. This fine lady is called a cow. They were recently tamed in the fields north-east of the capital and have since become popular helpers in pulling carts. Are you also headed to Synoro?" Synoro was the name of the western city. Telamon nodded his head. Herodotos narrowed his eyes and became more aware of the bronze blade strapped to his hip. Telamon continued to speak. "Yes. As you can see we are travelers. If I may be so bold, may I ask what your destination is?" The man on the cart narrowed his eyes and gripped something that was laying behind him on the wooden seat. Only now did Telamon realize, that he had a bronze spear all this time. Suddenly a great tension spread and it seemed like a fight was about to break out. Just when Telamon was about to make a move, the man started to laugh. "Hahaha. No need to be so tense, boy. I am a merchant, who travels from city to city, peddling my wares." At that he gestured backward with his thumb over his shoulder. "Rumor has it, that the city lord of Synoro is organizing another expedition to the west under order of her Majesty. That's a great opportunity for a merchant such as myself to make many sales. Now that I have introduced myself, it is only fair, that you introduce yourselves as well." Telamon exchanged a quick glance with Herodotos seeing the doubt he felt within his heart, reflected in his eyes. He turned back to the old merchant.

"As I said we are travellers, nothing more. We have also heard the rumors and wished to meet with the city lord to ask to join his expedition." Herodotos briefly revealed a confused expression, but was quick to cover it up. The eye of the merchant revealed a certain glint. "Well since the three of us have already made aquintences with each other, we might as well walk together. After all, we have the same destination and there is safety in numbers." Herodotos couldn't help but chime in at this point. "How do you know we aren't bandits, that wish to rob you?" The old man laughed again. "I've already had plenty encounters with bandits, and I'm still kicking around. I might not look like much, but I used to be a guard captain back in the day. Even participated in the fight against the uprising way back when." The merchant pointed to the spear behind his back and let out another boisterous laugh. "If you were bandits, you would have tried something by now. Seeing as you haven't I would like to invite you to travel with me." Herodotos and Telamon shared another look, before all tension from their shoulders deflated. Telamon spoke up. "We would happily come along with you. While there might not be bandits here, there might still be wild beasts. There is strength in numbers."