Skavit watched from inside the metal beast as Nila put on her helmet while chatting with Wood in the distance. The vehicle around him crooned, a unique, soothing melody. His tail couldn’t keep itself still, brushing against the metallic wall behind him while those pointy ears remained pointed at the ceiling.

  Suddenly, a small nudge came from his side, briefly scaring the rat, making him lightly jump in his seat before turning to face who poked him. It was Arizona again, sitting right beside him while Quito glanced over the grenadier’s shoulder curiously.

  “So… heard you had a meeting. Not exactly my business, but I did notice that your kind has been… restless since it happened.” Arizona spoke with a bit of a hushed voice while taking glances at Wood in the distance. His job was to follow orders, not ask questions, and the Sarge made sure his men followed that. “How good the meeting went for that to happen?”

  Skavit remained silent for a few seconds, his eyes shifting towards the Wood as well while thinking carefully about his next words. Then a sigh came from his other side, making the rodent’s ears twitch and shift towards the sound before he looked.

  “Could you all not gossip with the sarge right there?” John spoke, his words rolling out in a low rumble. His brows furrowed in annoyance, staring daggers at the two other Marines. He had broad shoulders and pale white skin, with muscles battle hardened after wielding heavier weapons for so long.

  This seemed to make them step down, dropping the subject just as the vermin found the perfect words to speak while keeping it vague.

  “Nila said ye all will get the Clans together.” Skavit quickly explained, making Quito’s eyes briefly wide for a moment while Arizona didn’t seem that surprised. Silence would take over between them, with the grenadier thinking for a few seconds.

  “I mean… that’s kind of expected at some point.” He pondered, looking down at the vermin. “But I guess that wasn’t so obvious from your kind’s perspective.” He added, shrugging while a small smirk appeared on his face.

  Now that Skavit thought more about it, what the grenadier pointed out made sense. Despite that, the prospect was exciting, with just the thought of it making his stomach flutter and his ears stand high on end.

  Before he could push the chat forward, though, footsteps echoed against the metallic hull of the Metal Beast. The remainder of the squad got in, each taking a seat, with Quito hopping off from his and sitting in the opposite row of seats where his Fireteam sat. Finally, the sergeant and the ambassador stepped in.

  Nila moved to the last seat on the roll Skavit was in, closer to the drivers, lowering herself down on it before glancing at Arizona. She didn’t need to utter a word, with the grenadier getting up with a groan and then nodding towards the rodent so that he could switch seats, and of course, he’d oblige.

  Now that he sat right beside the Ambassador, he took a few glances at her, while she just offered a simple smile towards him.

  “Close the ramp, we’re ready to roll,” Wood blared as he sat down as well, opposite seats. Soon, the ramp began its lift, the hydraulics moaning like the sound of a mother in grief before a brief darkness met them. The lights came to life, and some marines relaxed, leaning back while others remained tense.

  A smooth ride greeted them for about thirty minutes until finally the armored vehicle began to shake and bump, signalling that they were finally away from the Outpost’s confinement. Outside, faint sounds of excited rodents mirrored the events of the previous day before people began yelling. It seemed like the Royal Guards were escorting them once more.

  “How long until we arrive at the marked point?” Wood asked, looking at the two drivers and the screens, one having a weird map of the region.

  “We should get to the river border in two hours.” The primary pilot, a blonde, replied. He’d nod towards his assistant, who would turn to one screen and press a couple of buttons to adjust some settings on the map.

  “Perfect. Remember that if this old girl can’t make the crossing, we’ll immediately ditch her and call for extraction.” The sergeant grumbled at his men.

  That phrasing made Skavit tense, taking a few glances between the Ambassador and Arizona. He knew that was just in case of emergencies, but with the Sarge himself acknowledging that it could happen? Certainly didn’t help the rodent keep his hopes up.

  “C’mon, Sarge, have some more faith.” Arizona chuckled, an impish grin appearing on his face. “Weren’t you the one telling us to show her some respect?”

  Wood simply rolled his eyes, leaning back against his seat with a sigh. “Good point, good point.” He replied, avoiding the argument by just agreeing with it.

  With that, the vehicle briefly fell silent, only the soothing hum of the machine being audible while faint sounds echoed from the outside. It was like an ear candy that echoed through a constant melody.

  “Let’s go over the evacuation procedures.” The Sarge sighed while most of the crew groaned in annoyance.

  Time went by quickly under the bumps and shaking of the vehicle, alongside Sarge’s voice. Soon, though, they arrived at their destination, and Skavit had to help. Getting lifted up by John and instructed by Wood, he opened one hatch and peeked outside.

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  Right ahead lay a crude dirt road that split the undergrowth apart and a stone bridge over a river. In the distance, there were stone huts, some half-buried into the ground, while rodents went on with their day. A couple of giant herbs lay on the sides of the road, but aside from that? Nothing much is going on. The rodent took his time scanning the area, using those side-facing eyes to their full potential here.

  “Clear!” he squeaked, looking down at John, who gave a quick nod towards the sarge.

  “Alright, close the hatch.” Wood ordered, glancing towards the drivers as the machine gunner lowered Skavit. “Go around it. All of you, get ready to hop off in case shit hits the fan.”

  Skavit quickly moved to his seat beside the Ambassador, who seemed to be just as nervous. Her right leg anxiously hopped in place while his tail curled around itself.

  The metal beast sped up, the humming growing louder as it moved, stone and the giant herbs crackling under the tracks as they ran over them until finally, the vehicle tilted downwards. It began descending towards the riverbank, trickling down the slope. A soft rumble reverberated, water flowed against the hull while half of the vehicle slowly submerged.

  Skavit shifted, marines gripped their rifles as they waited. The drivers? They remained tense, whispering to each other as gears shifted. Soon, the vehicle moved towards the center of the river, losing its footing on solid ground. It floated against the stream, its rumble roaring through their ears until suddenly, it bumped into something. The tracks clawed at the soft mud, failing to get a firm grip.

  Stone crackled under the tracks, crushing them and the mud over the other bank of the river. Finally, the machine’s hum subsided as it climbed out of the water, going up the slope with ease before coming to a complete stop on the other side.

  The blond driver shuffled in his seat to look back at the squad. “Any leaks?”

  Everyone took glances under their feet and around, the tension hanging in the air until finally the Sarge shook his head. The driver would let out a small sigh of relief, turning back to the controls, pressing a couple of buttons here and there alongside his assistant.

  The sarge turned to the rodent, “Skavit, I need you to check a metallic box outside.” Wood ordered, gesturing towards the hatch.

  John swiftly moved, grabbing the rat the moment he got up from his seat and raised him. Skavit fumbled around with the hatch before finally pushing the heavy thing open with a groan coming from both him and the hatch itself.

  He’d climbed on top, using John’s head as a support to get onto the metallic hull. From the corner of his eye, though, there was something happening. Members of his kin hurried outside their huts, guards who wore a soft cyan coloration hurrying and guiding them away from the small village. He’d stare at the scene, a few whispers already coming from the drivers on the inside, but he focused on the task.

  Crawling over the top of the vehicle, a metallic box stood on its side. The rodent scratched the top, unsure of what to do. “What now?” He asks, glancing back at the open hatch.

  “Keep an eye on it.” The sergeant blared while Skavit turned his head to the unmoving box. “Did it open?”

  “No!” The reply came out quickly, his smaller hands quickly reaching over to it. The pads of his fingers felt around the metal’s top until a soft click finally echoed.

  “Try opening it.” Wood ordered, and the rodent wouldn’t waste a second. He grasped the upper half of the box, the metal moaned as it opened, bringing light into the darkness inside. “There we go!”

  Skavit tilted his head, inspecting the item inside. It was a large “X” with four smaller ones at the tip of each arm, with what seemed to be a brick in the middle of it. The thing sprang to life, the propellers spinning rapidly like an angry swarm of bugs. He’d lean back, giving some space to it before the machine magically lifted itself into the air and hummed through the sky.

  Many things confused the vermin for these past two years with the humans, but this one? Easily made it to the top five.

  “Come back in and close the hatch.” The sergeant blared. Skavit quickly crawled over the top of the vehicle, grasping the hatch’s bar handles before jumping inside, using his own weight to shut it close. John caught his legs, giving the rodent some support to lock the hatch before setting him down.

  Inside the armored vehicle, the sergeant and ambassador were shoulder to shoulder over the pilots, glancing at one screen that broadcasted the outside from high above.

  “Let’s see what we got here…” Wood mumbled as he leaned over the two drivers. The rodent approached, getting on the very tips of his feet to have a look.

  On the screen, the green vegetation took over the screen. The grasslands extended into the distance, with giant herbs scattered alongside some fields of crops. Suddenly, the camera turned down, aiming at the ground below and showing a top-down view of their vehicle. Then, the machine moved on, scanning the surrounding area.

  It wouldn’t take long for them to find something. A few dozen warriors wielding spears and simple bows hid in the grass. They divided into three groups, staying low. This was already a bad sign, but Skavit’s eyes widened after the flying machine went over the hill where the first talks would be held. Once again, a large group of soldiers, probably a hundred, stood tall and ready, some glancing up at the machine, but most importantly, the carriage for a Matriarch or Monarch was nowhere to be seen.

  “Looks like a trap.” The rodent blurted out, and suddenly, all eyes inside the vehicle were on him, even Sarge and Nila turning their gaze to the vermin between them. All this attention made his body tense, tail curling on itself while ears fell flat against his skull as he explained himself. “I-I don’t see where the M-Matriarch is, s-so that might mean that they are here to battle.”

  Wood hummed, thinking in silence before taking a glance at the Ambassador, with her giving him a quick nod. He then turned to the drivers, giving the blonde one a few pats on the shoulder. “Call CIC, we’ll inform them and tell them to get an emergency extraction ready and continue scanning the area.

  With a quick nod, the driver reached for something in his ear, his assistant pressing a button on a screen to her right as they waited. Meanwhile, the Sarge turned to Nila with a sigh while squinting his eyes at her.

  “I wish to at least hear what they have to say,” Nila explained before turning to the vermin expectantly. “Any more insights, Skavit?”

  The rodent tensed, ears perking up like headlights. “Yes! Eeeh… the Yeth Clan’s Matriarch is… yong. Y-Ye know t-this already, the Ziff-Tredan Clan went to war with them before ye all arrived.”

  The ambassador slowly nodded, a soft hum coming from her. She reached with a hand to her own mouth while closing her eyes in a sort of meditation.

  “Okay, let’s rehearse an emergency plan here.” She blurted out, nodding towards the Sarge, who immediately began relaying orders. Soldiers did last-minute checks on their weapons, with Arizona loading a weird-looking grenade onto the tube underneath his gun’s barrel. Finally, she turned to him once again. “First, climb back up, Skavit, we don’t want to scare them too much.”