A long snake of men labored through the hills as they tried to force the animals, carts and metal along with them.

Although they had tried to compact their formation as much as possible, it had still proven difficult with the steepness of the hills around them. At least their immediate path was somewhat wider than the passes farther north. By now, Atau and his men had moved east from Cashan and entered the very southern reaches of the Sallqata mountain range. In this region, Cashan warriors under the previous lords had spent an inhuman amount of effort and managed something almost impossible: They had flattened the earth and created a path through the hills and mountains, to connect the narrow sea north of Sachay with the eastern coastal port of Ulta.

In effect, this act had politically split the southern peninsula in half, and even now the pass continued to make trouble, as its existence had complicated the already tricky succession of Cashan even further. Somewhere hidden within these hills would be the third son of Villca, the third contender for patriarch of the house. Together with his men, he had holed up in here and cut off the east from the rest of Sachay.

No matter how dangerous the journey would be, they needed to pass, so the men around Atau had no choice but to risk the arduous trek. Although they had been allowed to cross by the two competing young masters inside Cashan, their word mattered little here. All around them, atop the hills and built into the cliff faces, were small fortifications. They were brand new, only built a few decades earlier, as a way for Cashan to tighten their grip on the east of Sachay. Throughout the nights, Atau could see the fires lit within, to prove that the forts and towers were still stationed with possibly hostile forces.

In the end, the captain could only hope that the man who occupied them would be as reasonable as his brothers in Cashan had been. Despite their cannons and muskets and armor, Atau knew that they could never make it through the pass if any amount of troops was intent on stopping them. Maybe they could manage a retreat with reasonable losses, but their ships were still waiting along the eastern coast, together with their precious cargo. If Corco wanted to begin the first phase of his development plan, they would need those resources.

Thus, the complete quiet they had been hit by since entering the pass had been more than just a bit unsettling. With trepidation, they continued on, while the deafening silence from the forts covered them like a blanket.

“We shouldn't have left those cannons back in Cashan,” his temporary adjutant complained.

“Nonsense. Those cannons were gifts from the king to the young masters. Not only will they help strengthen the south against northern invasion, without the gifts it would be much harder for us to get any kind of concession from the Villca people.”

“Still,” the man continued with a frown, “a couple extra cannons and we could just storm those annoying forts. Why give up our advantage like this and hand over our precious weapons everywhere we go?”

Atau answered the man with a frown of his own. No matter from what angle, the mercenary's objection made little sense. A handful of extra cannons would make little difference in their overall strength so long as they didn't use them in open field combat. Plus, giving up the weapons as gifts to the two most influential houses of the south had been a smart move by his cousin, and entirely within his rights. After all, the weapons and equipment carried by the wolf mercenaries, down to their cultivation technique, had been provided by his cousin. If they thought that the weapons were theirs to keep, it would set a dangerous precedent.

However, before Atau could cut the mercenary back down to size, drums from a hill to their left interrupted his thoughts. As soon as he looked up and saw the shadows of an army form along the hills, all ideas of conflict with his men disappeared into thin air. Now they needed to show unity, for all around them, figures of warriors appeared, spears and bows in hand.

“Defensive Positions!” First they would have to weather the storm. Thus, his men did what they had been trained for. At least this wasn't the first time the wolf mercenaries protected a convoy from an ambush, so the formation was set soon after, without much fuss or chaos. They pulled together all the donkey carts they had prepared for the cargo in Port Ulta and built makeshift barriers, with the halbardeers and musketeers positioned inside, to cover attacking angles from both hill tops. Together with the large shields distributed among the troop and the heavy armor all of them wore, the enemy would have few options but to starve them out, not unless they had a massive advantage in numbers to overrun them with.

Rather than continue along this unsavory train of thought, Atau looked up ahead, to the men who still waited above them and played their drums in content. Throughout their preparations, their enemy hadn't even made an attempt to disrupt them. Since they had already made the stupid decision of threatening the king's army, they might still be hesitant to attack. In that case, it was only a matter of time until they took a heart. Thus, the captain decided it best to prevent any future stupid decisions. After a while, he had found the loudspeaker his cousin had left him and directed it towards the hill he had first heard the drums from.

“My name is Atau di Pluritac, official under Corcopaca Titu Pluritac, King of the South! I have come with message from the king and wish to speak to Pahuac Guaman Villca, young master of Cashan!”

Without response, Atau's request was swallowed by the hills. Even so, the captain retained his calm. Under cover of the rocky surroundings, it would still take a messenger a while to sneak close enough for any answer besides outright hostilities. They didn't have their own megaphones, after all. As the men waited, tensions only increased. However, Atau stood out in the open, away from any cover, to ensure his men that there was nothing to fear. Indeed, an accidental misfire by one of his nervous troops could result in a catastrophe for both sides.

At last, after minutes of standoff, a gruff voice answered Atau from within a large rock formation to his left.

“So the king sends an army as greeting? Why take three hundred men to march through the Guaman Pass!?”

“The men are here to transport the king's goods from Port Ulta through the southern pass. The king asks three favors of young master Villca: First a request for passage, second an invitation to the king's banquet after the fall harvest and third cooperation concerning the quartz mines under the young master's control!”

As he spoke, Atau scanned over the hillside to his left, to find the hidden speaker. However, he failed to see anything suspicious. Whoever the messenger was, he was good at stealth.

“Words are cheap,” the voice came back, annoyed. “You must have made your way through Cashan with this equipment and were not stopped! I wonder how much benefits the usurpers of Cashan have received from the great king Corcopaca to be escorted through their occupied lands unscathed?”

At last Atau frowned. This wasn't going all too well. Still, he would have to stick with diplomacy for now. They didn't have enough men and powder as it was. They really couldn't waste them here over hurt pride.

“The king has gifted the first and second masters of House Villca no more than he is willing to offer the third. Within the king's considerations, all groups hold the same weight. Further, the king respects the sovereignty of Cashan and is not willing to involve himself in the conflict for succession!”

Even though he had made great concessions in admitting Cashan's sovereignty, once again no one answered for an uncomfortable length of time. Thus, another tense standoff had been caused by Atau's words. When the captain was almost willing to prepare his men for combat or retreat, a figure appeared at last, leaving the cover of the rocks no more than fifty steps away from their position. Right away, muzzles aimed at the messenger before them.

“Stand down!” Atau shouted. “It's only one man! I'll deal with him, so you stay back, and don't fire under any circumstances!”

Another look at the new visitor revealed to Atau the appearance of a proper warrior. The man before him was dressed in the lamellar armor of the Yaku, with a full helmet and a demonic face mask made of precious crystal. His whole attire had been painted red, which in the red-colored hills around them had become an advantage rather than a hindrance. No wonder he had managed to sneak this close. Axe in hand, the warrior marched towards them without a word.

“My name is Atau di Pluritac, an official sent by King Corcopaca,” Atau repeated his earlier introduction.

“I've heard you the first time, warrior. However, Pahuac Villca is a man of honor and cannot be bribed like his two brothers were. Only a real Sachay man shall have the honor of meeting the young lord.”

With a frown, Atau stepped past the barricades and in front of his opponent.

Similar height, similar build, the captain thought as he compared the man to himself. This one was clearly a proper, trained fighter, something which could be gleaned from his stance as well. With a chest raised from pride, the captain introduced himself a third time.

“This warrior was born in Puscanacra, as the son of Governor Sonco Cauac Saqartu. I have spent seven years in the barbaric lands, fighting the foreigner barbarians who drove off our forefathers. Now I am cousin and close confidant to the great King of the South. If I cannot be considered a man of Sachay, who could?”

With a nod, the man moved even closer.

“Let's see about that,” he said, before he swung his axe without warning.

Just in time, Atau managed to raise his mace to deflect the oncoming attack up and over his head. While the masked man before him regained his footing from the failed attack, Atau took a few steps back and grasped his own weapon, his mace, tightly in two hands. Before he could so much as say a single word in defense, the warrior had already closed the distance and launched a second attack. Another swing from the right, another one aimed at Atau's side.

Maniac!

Once again, the captain turned to the side, this time his weapon under firm control, to parry the oncoming hit. This time, the axe was caught on the handle, but the red warrior simply retrieved his axe and hit again. Not for a second did he consider the possible repercussions of killing the king's cousin and messenger. Both men were without shields, and so the red warrior's reckless charge kept the captain on the back foot, forced into defense. All of his energy was focused on parries against vicious hit after hit. Every time he attempted a counter, his opponent would preempt him, forcing another defensive move.

Bit by bit, Atau could feel himself getting pushed back, towards the barricades behind him. Something had to change if he wanted to win this fight. Risks had to be taken. Once more, the warrior before him swung, once more from the right, like he had done so many times before. However, this time Atau let go of his weapon with his left. One hand freed, he stepped into the warrior's range and grasped for the axe's handle.

Let's see you attack now, Bastard!

Once he had grasped the axe, Atau could feel the full power of his foe. Although he had better leverage, he still failed to hold on and stop the blow. Instead, the axe was redirected at his shoulder, where it glanced off his chain mail. At the same time, the captain swung with his right, his fierce mace finally unleashed onto his hapless opponent. At the last second, the moment of impact, the red warrior jumped off his toes, backwards. He was still hit square in his side, and tumbled to the ground, but Atau knew that the battle wasn't won yet.

Too light.

The warrior's quick-witted action had robbed the strike of its force. Still, no matter how quick this warrior was, on the ground he would still be helpless. Meanwhile, Atau's shoulder felt numb, but it wouldn't leave more than a heavy bruise. Ignoring his own pain, he rushed towards the red warrior, to finish his work. However, once again the man surprised him. Although the impact made the warrior tumble across the uneven floor, he managed to take the force of the hit and push himself back onto his feet. Once more the two men returned to their uneven standoff, once more an eerie quiet set in across the battlefield. And once again, it was time for the warrior to surprise Atau.

“Truly, a man of the south,” he said as he put his axe away. Still, the captain wouldn't give up his vigilance, at least not until the man raised his hand towards his face and removed his mask. What Atau found underneath were features he was more than familiar with by now. Although he had never met the man, he could guess very well who stood before him. “It seems official Atau is worthy of meeting the new lord of Cashan.” At last, the final member of the Villca brood had appeared, a grin on his face. Somehow, the captain could feel that Pahuac Villca would present a challenge much unlike his brothers.