Just as Catherine was sorting through this intelligence.
Suddenly.
Far in the distance, a clamor arose from the border between the hills and the swamp below.
Catherine's train of thought was instantly broken.
She immediately focused her senses and listened intently. Sure enough, she could faintly make out waves of roaring, sharp hissing, and even the CLANG of weapons clashing.
Trouble.
Catherine immediately stood up and raised her hand to signal.
All the resting Soldiers instantly snapped to attention, silently moving to advantageous observation points and entering a state of alert.
Catherine found a nearby rock to conceal herself, simultaneously retrieving a monocular telescope from her Space Ring. She squinted, looking down from her high vantage point toward the source of the sound.
About two or three hundred meters below, a chase was underway.
The party being pursued was a group of humanoid creatures over two meters tall, with earthy-brown skin and knotted muscles.
