Kaden broke through the tree line, his feet crunching against the dry earth as he emerged from the dense foliage. His breath was steady, but his mind raced—still partially stuck in the volcanic region, in the heart of that molten abyss where a mystery egg sac pulsed ominously beneath the watchful eye of its monstrous guardian.
But now, his focus shifted.
The settlement stretched out before him, and something was different. His eyes flicked over the wooden barricades, reinforced with sharpened stakes, and the armed patrols that had not existed before. The settlement had changed.
And judging by the group of men charging toward him, so had its leadership.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!"