"... What do you say we call a truce?"

Drake wasn't expecting that. Not at all. However, it made sense. He had already shown he was a tough nut to crack, and, although he would fall if the Cleaners persisted, it was more than clear that he would take many of them with him. Not only that, but for a scouting party, getting stuck in a battle was less than ideal.

He directed a glance at Kniivar, who seemed completely oblivious to her wound, and sighed. He was worrying too much. Iferes were generally tougher than humans, and Kniivar had spent a good half of her short life in a cage, being mistreated and abused. There was no way a flesh wound - and a very light one, on top of that - would bother it.

"All right, what do you propose?!"

There was no way in hell they were going to simply forget he just killed two of them - six, if you counted the Iferes. Drake knew that because if he was in their position, he wouldn't. It was just that the price for revenge was too hefty, otherwise the Lapidum scouts wouldn't even be willing to negotiate.

"You hand over the Ifere that can control plants, and we let you go!"

Drake laughed. The Cleaners sure had keen eyes, working out Kniivar's skills pretty quickly. In the middle of a forest, being able to control wood made one an important asset, and a powerful ally. Unfortunately for them, there was no way in hell Drake would give up his companion.

"Not gonna happen!"

"I thought so. Then, leave your Yscalent behind, and walk back the way you came."

That was probably the Cleaner's objective since the start. He must have suspected that Kniivar was Drake's companion, and knew he wouldn't give her up, so he settled for the second-best option. If he rejected it, Drake would be putting himself in an even worse predicament than he already was. And it wasn't like he really needed the mount. Sure, it would be a pain in the a*s not having it, and he would need a few more days to get back to civilization, but that was it.

"Oki doki. But how can I be sure you won't attack me again once I can't run away anymore?"

"You won't. Now, f*ck off! Only reason we are letting you so lightly is 'cause we have a schedule to follow."

Drake knew he shouldn't say anything. The Cleaners were being surprisingly easygoing already, which improved his impression of them. Patriotism was lost in Drake. Even during a war, he wouldn't mind making friends with the squad from Lapidum. He doubted that would happen, however. And his boisterous nature didn't help.

"Schedule, hum? Nothing to do with the ones I killed?"

"You!"

A lone shot rang out, and a bullet flew dangerously close to Drake's ear, impacting in a tree behind him. He looked up hurriedly, to where the shot had been fired from, and saw a woman dressed in black standing on a branch. Without wasting a breath, he hid behind another tree. From the murderous intent he saw in her eyes, he guessed he had killed someone important for her.

Alas, the Cleaners were true soldiers. Even with the obvious hatred she felt towards him, the woman didn't press the trigger again. Her boss was making a deal with him, so she could only follow his orders, albeit unwillingly. If they swapped positions, Drake wasn't sure he could do that.

"Uhmm..."

Drake weighed his options, and sighed. He didn't notice, but if any of his old friends were observing him right now, they would have been shocked by his calmness. He didn't feel intimidated or scared, nor did he feel fear for his life. Maybe, just like Higler said, he was suited for this kind of life.

"All right, I'm letting the Yscalent go! If you go back on your words, I swear I'm taking three or four more of you down with me!"

"Humph! We aren't like you dogs of Menoraz. Lapidum soldiers have honor."

"Beautiful speech, friend. Would have helped if you hadn't killed civilians, though."

Drake didn't care much about how the war went. For him, it was just another needless conflict. Lapidum and Menoraz had been at each other's throats for centuries now, and so had other kingdoms like Greemien and Flare. A border skirmish like this one wouldn't change a thing.

However, while it was a pity to see so many soldiers die, on both sides, in the end, that was their job. But the civilian witnesses the Cleaners killed didn't deserve to die. They didn't need to die. Drake found the Lapidum scouts without their help, didn't he?

There was no answer from the other party. Drake supposed they were either ashamed of themselves - improbable - or decided it wasn't worth answering. It didn't matter.

Slowly, always paying attention to his surroundings, he removed everything of value from his mount's saddle, and tapped it's rear, sending it trotting into the forest. One of the Cleaners would grab it, or the Ifere would live a life of freedom from now on.

"There you go. Now, hold your end of the bargain."

Apart from a rustle of leaves, there was no answer. After a few minutes, Drake started hearing the forest again, as it appeared to come back to life. From what he had learned, that meant the Cleaners were gone. Sighing, he scratched his head, and looked at his companions.

"Well, that could have gone better."

Getting up, he walked towards one of the Andasites he killed. The black spikes and sharp teeth didn't look so threatening now. The grass around the corpse had died, thanks to the black blood flowing from the Ifere's wound. Drake had gotten it right in the neck.

For the next minute, he searched around, but all he found were that one Andasite and the Rugoan. The Cleaners he killed, and the other Iferes, had been taken away. Those two were too close to him, so they were left behind. It was a pity Drake couldn't bury them, but now he was on foot, and had no time to waste.

Drake found himself in a predicament now. The mission General Lilac gave to him was to found the Lapidum scouts, which he did - or they found him - but, more importantly, he was to enter the other kingdom, and gather intel. He had several choices to make, one of them being if he was going to go back the way he came, or advance even more into unknown territory. He also had to find a new mount, otherwise even if he uncovered some useful information, it would be obsolete by the time he delivered it.

Looking at the tracks and Yscalent pawprints left on the layer of dead leaves that covered the forest soil, Drake frowned. He stared at Kniivar - whose wound had already stopped bleeding - and at Frainer, who tilted it's... Body curiously. Seeing his two companions like that, he sighed again.

"It would be a horrible idea to follow them, right?"

"Tututu..."

"Thought so. Let's go them."

To tell the truth, that's what Drake had been planning on doing all along. He knew that after he gave them his Yscalent, the Cleaners would be so sure he couldn't catch up to them that they wouldn't even bother hiding their tracks. Now, he could discover where they were going, and possibly find their base. At least, that's what he hoped for.

"According to the map, if we walk one day in that direction, we enter Lapidum. One day more, and there should be a city. We have no mount, so that's going to be a three days journey."

Already walking, Drake laid down their itinerary to his partners - not that it mattered to them. After the Cleaners they went. And, while the three wandered through the forest, the war started.

-------------------------

Lapidum Kingdom struck first. Without any previous warning, their army sprung into action, their artillery - which consisted not only of cannons, but also different Ifere skills - pelting Menoraz's formations.

Luckily, Drake's birth kingdom was ready for it. Their army was smaller, but they were defending their homes and families, bringing their ferocity to a new level. Their own artillery started firing, and, for the next few hours, the whole world seemed to become filled with endless explosions. At least that was how the soldiers on both sides felt.

On her command center, behind the front lines, and out of range from the enemy's cannons, General Lilac oversaw the battlefield. She had been to countless battles, so she was more than aware of how they went. The real fight would only start after the artillery barrage was done breaking their morale.

"Uff..."

War was always the same. Sure, there were new variables, new tactics, new enemies, but in the end, war was just that. War. To General Lilac, a small skirmish with Lapidum was nothing. She wondered when a real war would break out. One that really made her blood boil, and forced her to use all her talents and abilities. For that, however, she feared she would have to wait another lifetime. Or until one of the kings and queens grew a spine, and tried to unify the twelve kingdoms. Knowing the rulers, she doubted that would ever happen.

"Ma'am, they are slowing down. What should we do?"

A colonel's words brought her back from her dangerous thoughts. Royalty was royalty, you couldn't disrespect them, even if you were right. Blood ruled over reason.

"Tell the men to get ready to resist their attack. We have the advantage of being in defensive positions, while they will be out in the open, so let's not take any risks. And I want someone watching our flanks at all times."

"Roger that."

As the officer walked away, barking orders to the soldiers, General Lilac went outside the command center, to where her two companions were waiting. They got up and stretched lazily. She smiled, and picked up a firearm from one of the weapon racks to the side.

Followed by the Iferes, the famous general walked towards the frontlines, from where she could already hear shooting and screams. She grinned.

"James, I will be leaving the command to you. You know the drill."

"Uhum. Be careful, ma'am. And happy hunting."

------------------------------

Sarah was paralyzed, shaking in fear. She was young, only twenty this year. Two years ago, she had joined the Menoraz Army, thinking she would find glory. Instead, all she did for those two years was clean latrines, avoid pissing off her superior officers - avoid them at all costs, if possible - and repetitively train the same boring old maneuvers.

When General Lilac, her idol, announced a war was starting, she got pumped up. Her chance to shine, and make her family and country proud, was here. She had several fantasies about how she would bravely run through the battlefield, explosions behind her, and kill enemy soldiers left and right while saving her comrades. She would impress General Lilac so much that the woman would choose her as her personal aid, and she would be promoted to captain after her very first combat situation.

Unfortunately, those were all just dreams of a naive woman. What really happened was that she cowered in a corner of her bunker as Lapidum rained explosive shells on top of them. For hours, all she heard were explosions, and the occasional scream of panic as large amounts of dust fell from the ceiling and on someone. She prayed it wouldn't happen to her, otherwise she might not just scream, tense as she was.

Then, after what seemed like a lifetime, the explosions dimmed, and everything went quiet. After so many hours of the deafening noise, the ensuing silence seemed almost... Oppressive. She could hear her own heart beating, echoing in the room. She was pale and sweaty, but no one seemed to notice.

When her sergeant told Sarah and her unit to walk out, they did so hesitantly. However, training and discipline soon took over, and they manned the different defensive positions and trenches set up all around Menoraz's side of the battlefield.

In the distance, she could see Lapidum soldiers charging at them in their all-black uniforms. Their Iferes followed suit, some already using their skills. With shaky hands, she aimed her own weapon at them, and waited for the command to fire. It never came.

"Argh!"

With a gurgling noise, her sergeant fell down. Blood flowed from a small hole on his neck, where a thin silver needle had pierced through it. A metal-type skill. Almost at the same time, bullets started impacting the sandbags in front of her.

She heard screams and yelps of pain, and saw her fellow soldiers firing back. She saw Lapidum soldiers and Iferes falling down, and saw the blue uniforms of Menoraz become dirty with blood and mud. She was frozen, unable to help, unable to fight back. Fear gripped at her, and she watched as a small Ifere breathed a tongue of fire in her direction. She wouldn't be able to dodge, not when her legs didn't obey her. At this moment she understood that Sarah, the dreamer, died here.