Chasing the Target

February 14, 1696.

The Elysean expedition moved before dawn, the dense jungle ahead swallowing their columns as they marched toward the twin mountains where N'kosi's fortress lay. The warriors they had interrogated had given them enough information to plan a route, but the thick vegetation, the humid air, and the unseen dangers of the terrain made every step treacherous.

General Armand Roux led the column from horseback, his saber strapped to his side, his revolver loaded and ready. Beside him, Captain Étienne Giraud rode with a map in his hands, periodically glancing at the markings made the night before.

Chief Ibara and his warriors marched alongside the Elyseans, guiding them through paths that had been long forgotten by foreigners.