Ethan was focused intently on the unfolding situation ahead, his senses stretched to the max.
"Stop right there!"
A loud shout exploded from the front, slicing through the rain and wind.
Startled, Ethan snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. A group of dozens stood ahead, blocking the path. At their head was a man whose face looked like it had been carved from the stubborn hide of a mule. A curved saber hung on his back, and his body was spindly and thin.
Looking closer, he resembled a mummy more than a man, like something that had crawled out of a desert tomb. His ugliness was legendary, made worse when he opened his mouth—yellow, crooked teeth jutted out like cracked stones, and his words came out with a nasal wheeze that grated like hooves on dry stone.
'Didn't I adjust my direction to avoid them?' Ethan thought.
"Four humans and a cub, daring to stand tall before the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Tribe... and trying to sneak past us like rats? Do you want to die?"
