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“I have been having dreams, ever since that day… It was the day that I saw that fool Shintiro. When I was younger, he was our leader. Now… he’s nothing but a worthless man.” Luntra ponders over her strange dreams. She dares not tell a soul in the village that she talked to Shintiro in the jungle. She wanted to speak to her most trusted friend. But even doing that would risk both of their lives. Shintiro was a name that must never be spoken of in the village.
“I see my village being attacked… But why? Is it because of Shintiro? It must be because of those Guardian Stones. I see in the distance, a yellow light that refuses to die.”
Luntra wakes up bathed in a cold sweat. She tries to catch her breath. She wipes the sweat off her face. In her small straw hut, she ponders over the many dreams that she has been having. Her dreams are a vivid representation of the underlying tension and fear that permeates her entire village. There is a sense of looming danger that threatens everything she holds dear. She takes a sip of water and tries to calm herself down. The mention of Shintiro, a name that is taboo to utter within the village, only brings up an unhealed wound of the past, a past that Luntra struggles to move on from.
“When we needed him most, he became consumed with the desire for power. He became a selfish man. But he was a man who once fought with his people, side by side until his ambitions took him away from them. That’s why I will be different. I will not let my… father’s mistakes consume my life. He is not my father, he is a stranger, a relic of the past. And all things of the past… must…. burn.” Luntra dreams of becoming a better leader. She desires to be a leader that cares and respects her people, a leader that will not abandon them in their time of need. She longs to become a leader who will not let their ambitions and selfish greed get in the way of protecting the people they care about the most.
She gets up from her bed and begins to work on her daily chores. Luntra works hard in the fields growing fruits and vegetables for the village. She goes about her day making food for the villagers. She feeds the elderly. She shows genuine care for everyone. She shares the food grown with everyone in the village, taking the food from hut to hut. But she kept thinking about her father Shintiro. “Shintiro… That name was once one of honor and respect until it was tarnished by the actions of the one who brought me into existence.”
Her dreams kept reminding her about the Guardian Stones, and perhaps Shintiro's connection to them. She felt deep inside her that the stones could be the source of this impending catastrophe. She wonders if the dreams are a premonition or a simple manifestation of her deepest worries. Every day that passes, Luntra kept these growing concerns in her heart. It was a burden too difficult for her to bear.
Luntra one morning was giving a wise old woman a warm meal when suddenly she grabbed her arm. “Huh?” Luntra looked up at her. Luntra was trying to avoid eye contact.
“Dear, what is the matter with you?” The woman asks in a concerned soft-spoken manner. “I can sense something heavy, and it sits right over your little heart.”
Luntra looks at the wise old woman dumbfounded. It caught her off guard as tears started to take shape in her eyes realizing that the woman was able to notice a change in her demeanor. She was shocked at first, wondering how she could tell but decided to open up to her. "I… I cannot shake this feeling that something terrible is going to happen to our village,” Luntra did not want to go into details. “But I do not know what to do or who to turn to." She collapses to her knees.
The wise old woman listens attentively and places a comforting hand on Luntra's shoulder. She nods from time to time, giving Luntra a warm comforting feeling. "Trust in your instincts, my dear. The answers will reveal themselves in time. For now, focus on the things that you can control and let go of the things that you cannot." Luntra nods, feeling a sense of calm wash over her. She knew that she had to be patient and wait for the right moment to act.
The wise old woman's words offer Luntra a sense of comfort and guidance. Luntra takes a deep breath. The idea of trusting her instincts and focusing on what she can control is empowering and helps her to feel more in control of her situation. Luntra takes a moment and says, “Thank you.”
“It is true, the village is weak right now,” The wise old woman wipes a tear from Luntra’s cheek. “But your humble, positive, and energetic spirit keeps us all together. Never change my dear.” After hearing those words, Luntra smiles confidently. She felt better after sharing her inner thoughts with a trusted friend. Even though she didn’t go into more detail about what exactly was on her mind, she still felt a sense of relief from all the stress she felt after thinking about her odd dreams. She gets up and continues with her daily chores.
Luntra goes to her small hut in the far right of her village. Her hut is almost isolated from everyone else. She lives alone. She has faced a lot of hate and discrimination from a few villagers who know that she is Shintiro’s daughter. Despite that, she has gained a reputation for being a loving, hardworking, assertive person. She tries her best to always contribute and lend a helping hand when it is needed.
At her hut, she grabs her spear and heads out with all the tools and things she needs to fish by the river. She breathes deeply and prepares herself to catch some fish. She knows that catching fish requires a lot of skill and patience. She hopes to catch enough fish to share with everyone in the village. After a long struggle, she realized that today was not her day. She sighs in frustration. There just wasn’t enough fish in the river and they were just too fast to catch. As she strikes the water with her spear to catch fish, she suddenly hears an odd noise. She quickly turned to face where the noise was coming from.
It was a noise that was familiar to her. Luntra's heart races as she recognizes the sound. It's a noise that triggers a deep, primal fear within her. She grips her spear tighter and scans her surroundings for any signs of danger. She decides to move from her current location, sensing someone or something heading her way. She makes her way up a small hill and hides behind a large tree.
She knows that she's vulnerable and alone, an easy target for predators or enemies. Despite her fear, Luntra knows that she must remain calm and focused. She starts to follow the noise, her senses heightened, her body in a state of alert. She focuses all her attention on finding where it’s coming from. That’s when they appear out of nowhere, three reptilian human-like warriors. They were riding Valpians searching for something. She peeks around the tree to get a better look at them. It was clear that the warrior in the middle was the one in charge.
“Reptilian soldiers…” Luntra whispers to herself. “What are they doing trespassing on our land?” Luntra's heart races as she realizes who the trespassers are. She knew exactly who they were. Throughout the land, everyone knows the reputation of the reptilians. The reptilian kingdom is full of warriors well-known for their hostile and aggressive nature. She could see that the leader in the middle had the head of a snake and hissed from time to time. His tongue wiggles around each time he hisses. The other two henchmen riding along with him were crocodiles. “Argh. I hate reptilians, they’re so disgusting. How dare they even touch our land.” Luntra pulls her dagger out slowly.
Luntra's hatred for them runs deep, born from a lifetime of conflict, a history that stretches decades apart. Humans and the reptilians were sworn enemies. She feels a rising anger at the sight of these creatures on her land, but she knows that she must be careful not to act rashly. With her spear and dagger in hand, she's ready to defend herself, if necessary. For now, she waits, watching from afar. Her grip becomes even tighter on her weapons, wondering what they were up to.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she did not let it distract her. She didn’t want fear to control her. She remained focused. Luntra is a skilled warrior. Just like Shintiro, her fighting skills were feared among her peers.
Luntra waits until the reptilians are distracted before she makes a move. She dashes to the next tree for cover. She makes her way down the hill, trying not to make any noise that would bring attention to herself. She wanted to know what exactly they were up to. She decides to follow them discreetly, keeping her distance but making sure that she doesn't lose sight of them. She scans the area near the reptilian warriors. She concludes that it was only three of them. She knew that only three wouldn’t pose much of a threat to her. But if a whole army was nearby, she would be in trouble.
With her weapons ready, she sets off deeper into the jungle, determined to uncover their intentions and protect her village at all costs.
With the cover of a tree, she could overhear their conversations. One of the crocodile warriors pats its Valplian on the head. The Valpian then raises its massive head and makes that familiar sound Luntra heard before. The leader hissed and asked the crocodile warrior, “Is your Valpian picking up anything?”
Luntra freezes, her heart still beating uncontrollably in her chest as she hears the leader's voice. She knows that she must be careful not to make a sound or give herself away. She strains her ears to listen in on the conversation, hoping to glean some information that could help her.
“Nothing in this area, General Plaetios…” The crocodile warrior's response is unclear, but the leader's impatience is palpable. Suddenly, the leader's voice becomes even more aggressive and threatening.
“Keep combing the area! I think we’re close to what we’re looking for.”
Luntra can feel her hands shaking around the handle of her dagger. She knows that she must be ready for whatever may come, but her fear is growing stronger by the second. Luntra tries her best to be cautious, maneuvering her body away from any twigs or fallen leaves that may produce a noise that would give her position away. She realizes she is only a few steps away from them.
She licks her lips as she tries to calm her heart down. For a moment she closes her eyes. She waited for a while but realized they were about to carry on, moving even deeper into the jungle. She makes a last-minute decision, knowing that there wasn’t any more information she was going to get out of their conversations. She thought perhaps she could get the information from them by force.
“Those hideous creatures are the ones trespassing on our land, I have a right to know why they are here. And if they refuse to tell me… I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my people.” Luntra nods, opens her eyes, grips her weapons tight, and reveals herself to the reptilian warriors.
“What are you looking for?” With a strong confident voice, she calls out from the cover of the tree.
The reptilian warrior’s eyes light up as they are suddenly startled by the unexpected voice echoing around them in the jungle. “Huh? Who said that?” General Plaetios hissed as he looked over at his henchmen in confusion.
Luntra's determination and courage are clear as she steps out of the trees and faces the reptilian warriors. Her firm, confident voice carries across the jungle as she demands to know their purpose for trespassing on her tribe’s land.
“Do not act dumb, vile creatures. Tell me!” She points her dagger at them as they turn around on their Valpians.
The reptilians are caught off guard by her sudden appearance, but Luntra's assertiveness shows that she won't back down without answers.
One of the crocodile warriors begins to chuckle after getting a good look at her. “Look, it’s one of those fragile little humans.”
The other crocodile warrior responded to the first “HAHA! Go home, filthy human, before we decide to kill you.”
“You’re trespassing on our land. The land of the Ceulix Tribe! Tell me, why are you here? I’m not going to ask again.” Luntra raises her voice even higher.
The leader, General Plaetios responded, “We do not need to answer to no one.” General Plaetios hisses and his voice deepens as it becomes more threatening. “In the name of the Reptilian Kingdom, the kingdom of Lord Psuno, we shall go and do as we please.” As they all turn around and continue, the two crocodile warriors chuckled as they stare menacingly at Luntra.
“That was the wrong answer! You chose your words poorly.” Luntra positions her body, grips her spear, and with all her might throws the spear into one of the crocodile warrior’s back. The spear pierced right through the warrior’s armor. The intensity of the blow pushes him off his Valpian, sending him falling to the ground face-first. His Valpian takes off, disappearing into the jungle.
Suddenly, the situation escalates as Luntra grips her dagger in hand and prepares for the worst. Luntra's bold and aggressive action has now put her in direct conflict with the reptilian warriors, who may now view her as a threat to their mission. On their Valpians they quickly turn around to face her. General Plaetios' face was full of rage.
The other crocodile warrior reacts swiftly. He was shocked at first that a small human could do so much damage. He watches as his friend lies in a pool of blood motionless on the ground. Rage begins to build up inside of him. His focus shifts quickly from the warrior on the ground to Luntra with a dagger in hand. He dismounted his Valpian. His hands shaking while enraged, he reached for his sword and readied himself to engage Luntra in battle. He was determined to take her down and avenge his fallen comrade.
Luntra holds her ground and prepares herself to fight. “You fool, you’ll pay with your life! Hisssh Kill HER!” General Plaetios screams out, ordering the second crocodile warrior to act. The second warrior lunges at her at full speed.
“You’re going to wish you were dead after I’m done with you.” The crocodile warrior threatens Luntra but that doesn’t even faze her.
“You repulsive lizards are alike. Rude and arrogant!” Luntra’s body tenses up as the crocodile warrior approaches with great speed.
“We are REPTILIANS! NOT LIZARDS!” The crocodile warrior takes a swing with all his might as Luntra simply blocks his sword with her dagger. She pushes him back with her while blocking his swing. The crocodile warrior takes a few steps back. He makes his move again, coming at her from another angle.
Luntra quickly moves to the side, dodging the warrior's next attack, and counterattacks with a swift kick to the warrior's gut. That only enrages him even more. He holds his hand over his gut while squinting his eyes. He takes a few steps back to recover.
“YOUR DEAD!” The crocodile warrior screams out at the top of his lungs. The crocodile warrior doubles over in pain, but quickly recovers and lunges at Luntra once again.
“You should not have left your stomach open to an attack. That blow could have been fatal.” Luntra smiles while mocking the crocodile warrior.
The crocodile warrior begins to breathe heavily and shakes his head trying to focus. He spits on the ground and begins to lick his teeth.
“I’m going to laugh in your face when you’re bleeding on the ground, you human scum!” The two engage each other once again. The battle was fierce. Luntra was gaining the upper hand with her impressive agility, dodging every single swing. However, it was clear that each one was determined to emerge victorious. Luntra's skills as a warrior prove to be too much for the crocodile warrior. He starts to slow down. His breathing labored. At first, he is overwhelmed, trying to keep up with her counterattacks.
That’s when General Plaetios notices that his warrior could fail. Still sitting on his Valpian, he slowly pulls from his back a bow and arrow. He preps the arrow on the bow and aims it while closing one eye. He hisses, then pulls back at the arrow and sends the arrow flying straight to Luntra’s head with lightning speed.
Luntra dodges the arrow with quick reflexes. The arrow almost catches her by surprise. At that moment she knew she couldn’t let her guard down. The arrow misses by mere inches and lands in a nearby tree trunk. She gets a good look at General Plaetios, who is now aiming another arrow straight toward her.
She gulps as her heart pounds vigorously. Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. She only had seconds to react. “Good job! HIiisssh,” General Plaetios pulls back at the next arrow, “Now, try dodging this one.” The arrow launches at her with great speed.
She suddenly grabs the second crocodile warrior’s arm and pulls him in toward her. She blocks his attack as he steps forward unaware that an arrow was speeding straight toward his shoulder. The arrow, with lightning speed, stabs him in the shoulder as pain surges through his body. The warrior drops his sword to the ground as he puts pressure on his injured shoulder. “Ahggghhhh!!!” The crocodile warrior screams in pain. Blood began dripping from the wound. The arrow can be seen protruding from his shoulder.
“You idiot! Get out of my way!” Screams General Plaetios, at this point agitated with the incompetence of his soldiers.
Luntra thinks fast and sprints to her spear. She runs to the motionless crocodile warrior on the ground and pulls her spear clean out of his back, holding his body down by stepping on it with her left foot. More blood spills out of the dead warrior, some blood landing on Luntra’s legs. Blood now drips from the spear's tip as she grips it tight. She gives out a warrior cry. Taunting the reptilian warriors.
With tears in his eyes from the pain of the arrow in his shoulder, the crocodile warrior bends down to pick up his sword. He grips it tight, getting himself ready to strike again. He growls in frustration trying to lift his arm that’s gripping the sword. Pain surges throughout his arm. Blood can be seen rolling down the arm where the arrow was protruding from.
Luntra charges at the second crocodile warrior, using her spear to knock his sword out of his hand before landing a swift and powerful cut to his neck. Blood splatters out as soon as she lands the killing blow. The injured warrior stumbles back and falls to the ground, gasping for breath. He struggles, putting pressure on his neck, blood flowing from the massive cut, but to no avail. He bleeds out and dies on the spot. The ground is soaked with his blood. Luntra, who was breathing hard, looks down at his lifeless body and shakes her head.
General Plaetios hisses in frustration. He dismounted his Valpian and threw the bow and arrows to the ground. He knows it's ineffective against Luntra. She was much too fast to land a blow with an arrow. He draws his sword and stares at her menacingly.
“Your luck, my dear, ends here,” General Plaetios does some practice swings of his sword. He lifts his head high and shifts his view from left to right with a smile on his face. “Look around you and enjoy what little time you have left. I assure you; you will be on the ground begging for your life in just mere moments. Hissshs” His tongue wiggles around in the air. He takes his first few steps toward her, gripping his sword tightly.
Luntra is determined to prove herself and defend her land from intruders. She refuses to back down in the face of the powerful reptilian warrior. She readies herself for the inevitable confrontation. She grips her spear tightly and steadies her stance, preparing for the battle. She knows that she will need all her skills and strength to defeat General Plaetios. With a deep breath, she charges at the general, spear ready. She aims for the general's unprotected side and strikes forward but he counters quickly and pushes her back.
“How predictable. Of course, you would aim there. I wanted you to do that.” General Plaetios hisses at her and repositions his stance. “What a simple-minded strike. It is no wonder you humans die so easily.”
Luntra turns around trying to catch her breath. She gulps and smiles. She didn’t want his comments to get the best of her, ruining her concentration. She kept her mind focused and paid close attention to his body language as he moved about with his sword. With that first strike, she now knew that the battle would not be an easy one to win. She was starting to have second thoughts about her decision to face them in combat. General Plaetios was proving to be a very difficult opponent to face.
A look of amusement glistens in his eyes as he eyes Luntra. He laughs lightly and says, “You cannot defeat me with a spear.” His laugh dies down as he takes a step closer, and she backs up. His grin grows as he watches her retreat. He moves forward, blocking her spear thrust.
General Plaetios parries her strikes, dodges her constant attacks, and counters with several powerful strokes. He continues to hiss from time to time. It starts to get on Luntra’s nerves, making her lose momentum and focus. She second-guesses her strikes and becomes disoriented with each blow General Plaetios inflicts. With each slap, kick, and punch she receives to the face, she comes to realize that each attempt at inflicting damage just isn’t working. Her body tenses up as she attempts to strike again but it was in vain, he counters with a powerful punch to her mouth.
Luntra loses balance. The blow makes her fall back. Trying to desperately regain her balance she ends up tripping over a tree root. She drops her spear to the ground. She begins to breathe hard. She lifts her head to face him, trying not to lose sight of her opponent. Luntra slowly wipes the blood off her lips. Staring at her blood, her heart begins to pound rapidly in her chest. She becomes agitated with herself. She slams her fist on the ground in frustration.
“Get up! No sense in tasting the ground just yet. There will be plenty of that soon enough.” General Plaetios mocks her as he gestures to her to get up.
Luntra grits her teeth while growling. She takes hold of her spear and gets herself back up. She grips her weapon tightly; dirt can still be seen on her legs and chest after getting up.
“Death comes swiftly, my dear, but for you, even more so. Hissssh.”
Luntra soon realizes that his skills are formidable and overwhelming to her. She becomes frustrated as he starts eating away at her confidence with constant threats that he will kill her. He takes full advantage of her weaknesses and even fights dirty with no shame. He grabbed her by her hair, pulled it, and pushed her back with a slap to the face.
He chuckles, enjoying every last bit of her humiliation. “You barbarians know nothing about the sophistication of the art of fighting. A blade is an elegant weapon to be used to kill… elegantly, with class, and… style.” General Plaetios keeps talking, making her lose the last bit of focus she had left.
“Shut your mouth!” Luntra lunges forward with another swing.
General Plaetios counters her attack yet again. “You swing your bulky, low-class weapon like a clumsy infant. You do not deserve to be called a warrior.”
He has been using the same strategy for the whole fight, trying to overwhelm her with sheer force. With every move she made, he was successfully able to match her speed. And with every stroke, he does more damage as Luntra’s abilities begin to slow down. Finally, Luntra could not go on any longer. Her adrenaline was running low. She begins to tire out.
General Plaetios notices her body language as Luntra begins to back away from him, slowly retreating deeper into the jungle. He could sense her body becoming more sluggish as the battle continued.
Luntra takes several steps back looking from left to right trying to find something that could aid her. General Plaetios could see in her eyes her desperation. He smiles menacingly knowing he has the upper hand. It will only be a matter of time before victory is his. As he marches forward toward her, he can only think about all the pain and suffering he will put her through when he has her on the ground with his sword pinned to her chest. General Plaetios chuckles at the thought of making her beg for her life.
Luntra realizes she's come to a dead end. She's backed up into a corner. A large stone wall from a mountain was behind her. There was nowhere to go as General Plaetios took his final steps toward her slowly.
“And here we are. Your final resting place. Tell me, what is your name?”
“What good does it do you? I’ll be dead anyways.” Luntra quickly responded, trying to calm her pounding heart. She gulps as she holds her weapon tight and high. Her hand is shaking as sweat pours down her forehead. This was it. Her final moments. She braces herself for his final strike.
“Oh, I just wanted to know the name of the foolish human that got all her family and friends killed. Because when I return… I’ll make sure that your village is burnt to the ground.” General Plaetios' words sent shivers down Luntra’s spine. What came to her mind were her disturbing dreams.
She grits her teeth as rage surges through her. “Don’t you dare touch my people. I’ll KILL YOU!” Luntra’s rage makes her lose focus as she strikes forward with what little energy she had left. She screams at the top of her lungs as she lunges forward, “AAAHhhhhahh!” With one swift motion, General Plaetios counters her attack, he steps to the side quickly and by twisting his wrist in a circle, sends her spear flying. Luntra loses her grip on her weapon and her spear gets tossed to the side. General Plaetios quickly takes advantage of her sudden disarmament and cuts the side of her leg with his sword.
Luntra steps back in shock. Pain surges through her leg as her cut begins to bleed. She has no time to even focus on her wound. She quickly draws her dagger, but she knows it’s no match for General Plaetios’ sword. Her hands begin to shake uncontrollably as she holds her dagger out in front of her with one hand. As she stepped back her other hand touched the stone wall behind her. Her back is now against the wall of the cliff.
In that tense moment, as General Plaetios closes in on her, she notices a bright yellow light. She suddenly looks to her right trying not to lose sight of General Plaetios. On the ground, some kind of bright yellow light was making her lose focus.
The mysterious light got General Plaetios’ attention as well. He hisses at the sight of the light. He squinted his eyes, trying to turn his head away from it. He stopped in his tracks when he realized that the light was starting to obstruct his vision. General Plaetios uses his arm to shield his face from the intense glowing yellow light. His attempts were in vain as the blinding lights kept hitting his eyes.
“What is this?” Luntra had no idea what exactly was happening. Luntra hesitates at first to reach for the yellow light. Although she struggled in her mind not to do so, Luntra, with her dagger in hand, takes a deep breath and reaches out to the perplexing light.
“What is happening?” General Plaetios yells out. He had no clue what was happening either. He braces himself in fear of being unexpectedly ambushed by others in her village.
"Trust in your instincts, my dear.” Luntra can now hear in her mind the voice of the wise old woman of her village. The voice was comforting. She was no longer afraid. The yellow light was giving her a power she never knew she needed. The confidence that was drained before by the constant threats and mocking remarks of General Plaetios was now fully restored. Her confidence surges in her once again. As she reaches for the yellow light she's confident that she will come out of this alive.
“I will not die here. I need to protect my village.”
ns 15.158.61.12da2
