A/N: Mandatory overtime at Amazon has robbed me of my time to update sooner because by the time done with work and get back home it's nearly 5:25 am, and once I get my sleep, it'soff to the next shift. So hopefully I'll get this chapter in by the end of this week. Anyway, story wise, Hiccup has to conquer his inner demons before going to war against Drago and his army, so that his mind is clear and that the warped phantoms of those he loves won't leave him vulnerable. Just a heads up, after this chapter, the war between Kumandra and the Northern Alliance is going to begin, so brace yourselves for what's to come, we're nearing the end here people! Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

(Normal pov— Heart Nation)

"We're almost there, Hiccup!"

Hiccup could barely hear Namaari barking out over the roaring waterfalls as they neared their destination. The two of them were walking up a mountain path leading into a cave mouth that was shaped like a dragon's maw. Turning around to look at her Viking friend, Namaari noted Hiccup nearly slip on one of the wet steps thanks to his prosthetic leg. "Be careful," she cautioned. "The path is slippery thanks to the water, as you can see."

"Yes, I can see that."

Eventually, the two young adults reached the mouth of the mountain's cave, and Hiccup gasped in awe at what was within it. A statue of Sisudatu, the craftsmanship of the statue was exquisite, and it was fashioned out of traditional Asian dragons; serpent-like, long whiskers along its snot, and long hair. There were candles scattered throughout the cave, as well as fire basins that had not yet been lit.

"What is this place?"

As Namaari entered the cave, she answered Hiccup while speaking over her shoulder. "A place to meditate, to find inner peace, and to cleanse the soul. When the Druun still ravaged our lands, I would come here many times to clear my head, reflect on my actions, and relieve myself of the weight of the world bearing down on my shoulders," Namaari removed her curved boots and allowed her bare feet to touch the shallow pool of water and the stones beneath her feet. She then extended a hand out to Hiccup. "Come. Join me."

Hiccup removed his right boot and tread across the shallow water whilst Namaari lit the basins and candles, allowing the light to illuminate the cave. Around her torso was a satchel full of meditation properties needed to aid Hiccup in making the dark phantoms of his loved ones become memories to empower and encourage him, rather than tear him to shreds with false words. Even now, as Hiccup was ready to purge these dark phantoms, they continued to taunt and torment him.

"Do you really think this pathetic attempt of severance will get rid of us?" Turning to his left, Hiccup could see the face of his beloved, Astrid. Her beautiful face was scrunched up with spite and dark amusement. She then gave him a malicious grin. "You will never be rid of us, Haddock. We're all dead because of your attempts to sway the mind of an unreasonable madman."

Ignoring the phantom of his dead betrothed, Hiccup approached the center of the cave, but Astrid's voice filled his ears again, but it was full of hatred and resentment. "Don't turn your back on me, Haddock!" Her voice was dripping with venom as she seethed. "You try to run from what you did to us and the Viking people, like the coward you are! No matter where you go, you will never be rid of us. Never."

Out of the corners of his eyes, Hiccup can see shadows skittering along the walls and ceiling of the cave. Vikings. Wing Maidens. Defenders of the Wing. Faces he vaguely recognizes. Faces he barely knew or never learned, yet he still interacted and fought alongside these phantoms when they were yet among the living, nonetheless.

"Heir to the throne of Berk... Dragon Master... Dragon Conqueror... Spawn of Loki..."

They swarm him now, faces of former allies and acquaintances move in like a pack of wolves seeking to overpower an elk. Hiccup's breathing quickens as they all continue to whisper poison in his ears. "N-No," he exhales shakily while slowly backing away. "No!" He then exclaims, gaining the attention of Namaari.

"Hiccup the Useless. Always have been, always will be."

Turning back to the phantom of his beloved, Hiccup is intimidated by the phantom's intensity. Of all the phantoms that haunt him, this one haunts him the most. The phantom knows that because of his choice to reason with Drago Bludvist, Hiccup lost his chance to live a life with Astrid, something the phantom uses to its advantage. Its adolescent eyes meet his and bore into his very soul, laying all his regret and trauma bare. It sees him for what he is: a frightened boy pretending to be a man, one who was responsible for the slaughter of his race and culture.

"Always seeking to prove those around you wrong," seethes the phantom wearing Astrid's face. "Even to the very man who butchered the Viking people."

"I will kill Drago," Hiccup promises, turning to face the phantom before growling out. "You will be quiet."

"You will fail, just like you failed so many times throughout your life to prove you were worthy of being heir to the throne of Berk, just like you failed your father's expectations, and just like you failed the people who trusted you to follow your chief's command by not seeking out Drago Bludvist," the phantom smiles, sweet and full of hatred. "Didn't you say that you couldn't imagine a world without your beloved? Well, you not only failed your people but also failed yourself--"

"I said be quiet!" Hiccup said angrily.

The phantom's cruel laughter is a knife between his ribs, leaving him gasping.

"Why the anger, hiccup?" The phantom emphasized the meaning of his name, runt of the litter. Her venomous words seep into the very crevice of his mind. "Astrid did not die a warrior's death, and neither did any of your loved ones. They suffered terribly in their final moments and they suffer in the afterlife. They do not feast and drink with the gods, instead, they curse you and renounce your pathetic effort to avenge their deaths."

Hiccup's tolerance expired and he bellowed out in fury.

"QUIET!"

The phantoms that had encircled him all backed away from the young Viking as he seethed out through gritted teeth. "You're all insufferable! Save your poisonous words and torment for someone who gives a damn!" Panting heavily, Hiccup looked to Namaari who looked unsettled by his behavior. After the phantoms give him a moment of respite, Hiccup approached his friend and gestures to the center of the cave. "Let's get this over with. I'm ready to be rid of the phantoms that haunt me to no end."

Nodding, Fang Nation's leader sat across from Hiccup and prepared the ritual. As Namaari made final preparations, Hiccup could hear the laughter of those haunting him, the phantoms circled him with cruel, malicious smiles on their faces while also scoffing.

"This will do you no good, no matter the outcome here, we will always be with you."

"You couldn't change the mind of Drago Bludvist when it mattered, what hope do you have of severing our hold on you?"

"An admirable attempt to be rid of us, but you will fail in this task."

Ignoring the phantoms, Hiccup looked to Namaari who had prepared several ingredients that she had crushed and mixed together. Taking two flint rocks, she soon ignited the substances in the bowl between the two of them, the aroma filling Hiccup's nose soon caused his eyes to roll in the back of his skull and he grunted out in determination.

"This ritual is about coming to terms with your shame and regrets, Hiccup," Namaari's voice drowned out the venomous whispers of the phantoms in his ears. Seeing that he was struggling, Namaari gave her Viking friend counsel. "You can't fight the phantoms off with your fire sword or with your words. Accept their words. Move through them."

Growling, Hiccup could feel his bones ache, his heart beating faster, and he grit his teeth together as the phantoms continued to put him to the test with their words.

"Try and cut us out, we'll just burrow back inside you until we're all you have," the phantom wearing Astrid's face smirked. "Go on, try and tear us out of you, that'll only cause our claws to sink deeper into you."

Crying out in agony, Hiccup could hear Namaari pleading for him to stop fighting the phantoms, but she ignored her, he was determined to be rid of his demons. The pain Hiccup was feeling became too much, and Hiccup's eyes returned to normal as he then sob weakly. "I'm sorry, Astrid," he then looked to all the phantoms of his parents, friends, and allies. "I'm sorry that my gamble cost you all your lives. I... I never meant for any of this to happen, please, forgive me."

"You will receive none from us."

The phantoms all lashed out at Hiccup, pouring out their bitterness, hatred, and anger onto the young Viking. Namaari quickly severed the ritual as Hiccup's agonizing roars filled the cave, until eventually, he curled himself up on the ground, shaking violently and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hiccup?"

Exhaling shakily, he murmured. "I failed them. All of them," he then looked to Namaari with tears streaming down his cheeks. "They refuse to forgive me."

"Your true family wouldn't torment you, Hiccup," Namaari reassured before stating. "You need to come to terms with yourself and acknowledge that your actions were driven by the desire to acquire peace. Drago would've attacked and slaughtered you and your people regardless of whether or not you chose to reason with him, it was only a matter of time."

Hiccup said nothing, instead, his only response was a nod. Knowing that Hiccup would want to try the severance ritual again, Namaari spoke softly. "We can try again later, Hiccup," she then reached out to take his left hand. "For now, rest. Gather yourself, and when we attempt to perform the ritual again, you'll be free from your demons. I promise."

Murmuring thanks to his friend, Hiccup squeezed her hand gently and prayed that a second attempt to sever his demons would work. Lest he is driven to the brink of madness rather than receiving a glorious death in battle.

Raya was brought to consciousness when she was splashed by a large bucket full of water. Gasping loudly while sputtering water out of her mouth, Raya whipped her now-soaked hair out of her face to see one of Drago's men snicker at her with a bucket in his hand before walking away. The princess then saw the war master himself approaching, he had a stern look on his face before approaching her.

"Pity. To see such a beautiful young woman like yourself reduced to this—"

Spitting in Drago's face, Raya snarled out. "Spare me your "pity," if I have to die to ensure Kumandra is unified and that the dragons are far from your grasp, then I will die a happy woman," she continued. "I will be the martyr that forges an everlasting unification with Kumandra if you and your animals kill me. Not only will you and your army be destroyed, but Hiccup Haddock himself will see to it personally that you drown in your own blood."

Wiping Raya's spittle off of his face, Drago snorted. "Do you truly believe that whelp who believes himself to be a wolf can beat me?" Pounding his fist against his chest, Drago growled. "I am Drago Bludvist, War Master of the Northern Alliance! Conqueror of man and dragons, slayer of giants, the bane of empires, and the undisputed Dragon-God of this world!"

"Hubris... a fine quality," Raya snorted while smirking, "one often possessed by delusional madmen who perish from it."

Snarling, Drago then seized Raya by the face with his false hand, causing her to groan in pain under his iron grip. Bearing his teeth, Drago spoke lowly. "Under different circumstances, I would hack out that sharp tongue of yours," his grasp loosened and he continued. "But I will not kill you, girl, I need you alive so that your friends and allies will give me the means of recouping my losses and I will then have the means of reducing these lands to ashes before moving from this place." As he removed his hand from her face and took his leave, he could hear Raya laughing. He turned to face her once more, narrowing his eyes in question.

"What makes you think you'll get what you want?" She then continued. "I would gladly give my life to ensure Kumandra stays unified. Should I die, you get nothing: no Bewilderbeast spawn, not Sisu, the dragons from Scandinavia as well as Kumandra, and you won't be able to kill us all. Hiccup has a plan. He's already told me and every chieftain in Kumandra what he plans on destroying you and your army. Your defeat is inevitable, Drago. You will never leave this land. Your world-dominating conquest ends here, and every culture that you put to the slaughter will finally know some measure of peace when Hiccup takes your life."

Smirking, Drago shook his head. "I wouldn't count on that, child," he then took his leave while speaking over his shoulder. "Hiccup Haddock will meet the same fate as his people. He cannot stop me from fulfilling my destiny, and neither will you and all of Kumandra."

Raya exhaled in worry, Drago wasn't fazed by her threats and confidence. What if the nations of Kumandra and the dragons by their side wouldn't be enough to stop Drago and his army?

"No. I can't give him reason to doubt Kumandra's unity," she growled to herself. "I can't give in to my fear." With that said, Raya then looked to her chained arms. Scrunching her face in concentration, Raya had learned methods to free herself from bondage as a child and throughout her young life. She needed to focus and recall the lessons she had learned.

She was done being Drago's leverage and done being used like a common whore by the Dragon Flyers. It was time to deny the war master of the Northern Alliance of his desires to retake the dragons and it was time to deny him of his ultimate ambitions of ruling the world.

With a deep breath, Raya broke her left wrist, she bit down on her tongue, keeping her whimpers of agony at bay. She was soon able to worm her left hand out of the shackle. With her left arm free, Raya quickly checked to see if none of the warriors manning their posts were eyeing her, thankfully, there were only a small handful of warriors on the upper deck, and none had seen her begin the process of freeing herself. Repeating the process of breaking her wrist, Raya slipped her right hand out of the shackles and panted softly, the pain of breaking bones was excruciating, but necessary if she was to slip from Drago's grasp. Recalling the techniques of breaking bones back into place, Raya soon got to work on the shackles around her ankles.

"Halt, prisoner!"

Looking up, Raya saw a guard advancing, she even spotted the keys to her shackles attached to the guard's hip. Waiting until the guard lashed out at her, Raya clapped her hands together, stopping the guard's blade from severing her in half. With a snarl, the princess then performed a palm strike to the guard's nose, the force of the blow sending them back. Moving like a serpent, Raya quickly snatched the keys off their waist and got to work on removing the shackles around her ankles. Now free, the princess raced for her belongings which rested on a nearby crate. Unfortunately, Raya only had time to throw on her breast bindings, pants, and curved boots because the guard she had staggered was back on his feet and roared out.

"The prisoner is loose! Sound the alarm!"

As war horns sounded throughout the deck of Drago's flagship, the princess could see warriors advancing, too many to face alone. She used her whip sword to whirl the blade around her head and hack down any attacker that advanced. Ducking underneath an axe that nearly took off her head, Raya leaped in the air and landed a kick to her attacker's face, sending them back. She then whirled her whip sword to sever another attacker of both their arms, causing them to roar in agony and fall back while bleeding to death. Seeing a handful of Drago's Hands, archers, high-ranking officers, and the war master himself told Raya that it was time to leave.

"Don't just stand there, you fools!" Drago boomed out to his men. "Take her!"

Raya dove and rolled past several attackers as she then sprinted towards the edge of the ship. As arrows whistled past her, Raya then took a deep breath and dove off of Drago's warship, and entered the water below. While swimming along the bed of the river, a multitude of arrows and Singetail fireballs narrowly struck the rudely handled princess. Luckily, Raya was a great swimmer, and she remained on the bed of the river while swimming for her life. Despite evading death from arrows and fireballs, Raya felt her lungs burning as the demand for air grew urgent, she knew that Askari and his flyers were up in the sky, and the archers on Drago's warship could pick her off easily once she'd surface for air.

It was a risk Raya knew she had to make.

Once she emerged out of the water, she quickly climbed out of the river and made a break for the jungle while dodging and swatting away incoming arrows with her whip sword. As Askari and his flyers descended on her, Raya ran into the thick, dense forest. Thankfully the Dragon Flyers were shooting blindly and they couldn't urge their Singetails to follow because the oppressed dragons wouldn't be able to maneuver in the jungle, and Raya knew these lands inside and out.

"She's escaping! Get after her!"

Turning around, Raya could see dozens of flyer auxiliaries emerge through the thick jungle canopy from above and soon touched down on the solid ground and then proceeded to chase after the fleeing princess. Four of the pursuing flyers had bows in hand with quivers full of arrows strapped to their backs, so Raya knew she needed to keep out of range and find a place to lose her pursuers. Despite staying ahead of the flyers, Raya was fatigued, especially after being raped, brutalized, and deprived of food and water. Enduring the fatigue, the exhausted princess soon turned to a cove that held a large, freshwater lagoon, however, if she was going to hide there, she would have no cover from Askari and the flyers in the sky. Raya recalled exploring these jungles since she was a girl, she knew every nook and cranny, and she also knew where to hide and how to reach her home safely. Taking a deep breath, Raya sprinted towards the edge that lead to the cove, she then dove back into the water and opened her eyes, searching for a secret passage to evade Askari and the Dragon Flyers. Eventually, she found an underwater cavern that would lead to an underground passage and ultimately back to the very steps of her home. As she swam, she could see arrows entering the water near her, as well as Singetail fireballs, though the flyer's attempts to stop her were admirable, they were pointless once she reached the underground passage.

Up the sky, Askari roared out in disbelief that he and his men lost the princess, he knew that once they returned to Drago, he was going to execute those who displeased him for allowing this to happen, the head of the Dragon Flyers prayed that their master wouldn't pour out his wrath on them.

"What now, Askari?"

Turning to one of his men, the head of the Dragon Flyers gestured to the edge of the lagoon. "We pick up our auxiliaries and return back to our master," he then added in a hopeful tone. "Pray that Drago doesn't kill us for losing Benja's girl."

"M-Master, forgive us! W-We—"

"SILENCE!" Drago bellowed out in fury, causing the guard before him to shrink back in terror. In his state of fury, Drago ordered those tasked with guarding Heart Nation's princess to be brought before him, as these guards were rounded up, they were forced to their knees and trembled at the rage etched in Drago's face. "Your incompetence to protect our prisoner will cost you greatly. Not only did you allow Benja's girl to escape under your watch, but now the leverage we have to retake my Bewilderbeast spawn, the dragons previously under our control, as well as taking away Sisudatu and all of Kumandra's dragons has been set back because of your incompetence. Your services are no longer needed."

Looking to his Hands, the war master nodded at them, giving them the command to execute the kneeled guards. As the Hands drew their blades, the guards on their knees all desperately pleaded to Drago for mercy, but their cries fell on deaf ears and their pleas were silenced forever once the Hands decapitated their victims. As the deck with slick with their blood and as their heads rolled, Drago ascended the stairs leading to the upper deck of his flagship and signaled the warships of those who would ascend to his war council. Once the warriors of prominence boarded The Conqueror, Drago addressed them.

"I will dispatch General Hannibal and his elite warriors to track down Benja's girl and ensure that she is back in our possession. Meanwhile, you all will begin the task of eradicating the villages and cities of each of Kumandra's nations. Once we have the dragons back in our grasp, we will reduce these lands to ash and dust, but whilst the enemy leaders and their armies are distracted, we will lay waste to their people and all that they hold dear. Take whatever goods and valuables you can find: grain, cattle, wealth, weapons, anything that will give our armies a fighting chance in the impending battles," Drago then spoke the truth. "Once Kumandra's leaders and their armies learn of what you're about to undertake, they will move out against us. So, once you've done what must be done, prepare for hostile retaliation and do what you must to ensure the enemy forces are either routed or put the sword."

"By your will, Lord Bludvist."

Nodding, Drago then added. "Return to me victorious, and you will claim a seat at my war council and you will become my new warlords. Should return in failure, you will not live to see another day," the war master then gave his aspiring warriors a dismissive wave. "Fall to your purpose, return glorious or die forgotten." Bowing their heads in understanding, the prominent warriors disembarked The Conqueror and returned to each of their respective warships. The only one o these prominent warriors who remained was General Hannibal Barca, the man stood at attention as Drago watched the remainder of his promising new warlords return to their warships and made preparations to break off from the rest of the armada with handfuls of their ships to accompany them.

"If Benja's girl is to return back to our enemies, she will tell them of our plans. No doubt the fools who guarded her spoke too much about my intentions of attacking Kumandra's citizens and populations," Drago then turned to Hannibal while bearing his teeth. "We cannot allow her to slip from our grasp."

"I will assemble my elite Warband and trackers to hunt down our bargaining chip immediately, Lord Bludvist," he then added. "She will be back in our possession by day's end."

Narrowing his eyes at the Carthaginian general, Drago spoke in a low, yet firm tone. "See to it that she is, general," he then added. "It would be a pity to take your head when you stand as one of my best generals." Hannibal tensed at the war master's words, but that tension of fear was what motivated him not to fail his master. Drago then dismissed him, as he watched his loyal servant leave him, Drago looked towards the jungle with a scowl.

Whatever happens next would tell whether or not the Northern Alliance would emerge victorious or not. Drago growled to himself, he had come too far and had sacrificed too much only to fall short of his ultimate goal.

He would not allow failure from his followers, and he would not allow himself to fail. He would do whatever it would take to regain the dragons he lost and to add Kumandra's dragons into his own ranks, no matter how many he had to kill.

General Hannibal and his elite Carthaginians roamed the jungles of Heart Nation, they knew that time was not on their side, if they wanted to stay alive, they needed to recapture Raya and prevent her from warning Kumandra's leaders of what Drago intended to do to the people of the nations. Whilst the Carthaginians roamed through the jungle, they had a pack of spotted hyenas by their side. Retrieving the clothing that Raya had left behind allowed the Carthaginians to use their hyenas to pick up the scent of the fleeing princess. Eventually, the hyenas led the Carthaginians to an edge that led to a large cove and lagoon down below.

"The scent of our prey stops here, she jumped into the lagoon to lose Askari and his Dragon Flyers," Hannibal then narrowed his eyes as he looked over the lagoon. "She must have slipped from the flyer's grasp by entering a secret passage down in the lagoon. We will need to see for ourselves if that's the case."

Hannibal's second in command, a fierce woman named Tanyih, stepped forward while removing her gilded helmet and breastplate she then dove off of the edge and eventually landed in the lagoon. Opening her eyes, Tanyih spotted a secret cavern, she then emerged out of the water and ran a hand through her long, braided hair.

"Well? Did you see anything?"

Nodding at Hannibal, she spoke up. "There's a secret entrance here, the princess used it to escape the Dragon Flyers," she extended her hands out. "Hand me my breastplate, I'll make my way inside the secret entrance and make sure there are no traps waiting for us." Once Tanyih caught her breastplate, she submerged back in the water and disappeared. Eventually, Tanyih emerged out of the water and treaded up flat steps until she was on solid ground. Strapping her armor on, she took in her environment and noted pillars and statues of what were presumed to be the ancestors of Heart Nation, which were covered in moss.

Fireflies roamed the area, illuminating the dark abode. Tanyih noted torches and grabbed one, she then used flint rocks to give her torch the sparks needed to produce fire. She then lit the nearby torches and illuminated the entrance to this secret domain and then heard bubbling behind her. She then saw Hannibal emerge out of the water, as well as her fellow Carthaginian warriors and the pack of hyenas who shook the water off of their bodies.

Hannibal took a torch that Tanyih had offered him and then looked to the hyenas, they were sniffing the air and ground until they began chittering and then advanced deeper into the underground domain. Ordering his men to follow the hyenas, Hannibal and Tanyih led the way as they drew their swords, preparing for their prey to lash out of the shadows at any moment. The hyenas picked up their pace as the scent of their prey grew stronger, and the group of Carthaginians knew that Raya wouldn't be able to outrun a pack of hyenas, especially after being brutalized and tortured by Askari and his flyers.

She was a wounded dog that would soon be caught, and once she has served her purpose to Drago and the Northern Alliance, she would die.

Raya had finished tending her wounds after thoroughly washing the stench of her rapists off of her skin and removing any trace of their seed from within her by taking proper tea that prevents pregnancy. The princess had used this underground domain as a means of stashing supplies and resources over the past six years in case she needed to replenish what she had on her, and she was glad that she had stashed such goods, especially now.

After washing and applying a healing paste to the scars Askari had inflicted on her body, Raya whirled around when she heard a series of menacing, yet chilling laughing coming behind her. Recalling traders and merchants that had come to broker business with her father and mother as a child, Raya remembered hearing similar laughter from a predatory animal native to Africa, hyenas. Not only did the laughter of hyenas grow closer, but so did the exclaims of men and women, Drago had dispatched his pawns to retrieve her. Though the princess had managed to regain her strength somewhat, she knew that she would need to defend herself, Raya refused to be brought back to Drago and used as a bargaining chip. She would fight off those hunting her or she would die trying.

Suddenly, the hyenas Raya had heard advanced, the princess assumed a battle stance, with her blade in hand, she steadied her breathing as the pack hunters drew nearer. One of the hyenas veered off from the pack and pounced on the princess, but Raya kicked them away. Another hyena leaped towards her, jaws wide open, ready to sink its teeth into her flesh. But Raya ducked and cleaved the hyena in half, the beasts' blood and insides raining down on Raya like a waterfall. As more of the hyenas veered off, two more charges while snarling menacingly. Activating the whip feature to her blade, Raya swung her blade over her head and proceeded to decapitate the two advancing hyenas. Diving away from another one of the large beasts, Raya whirled her blade with ease as she then plunged her blade through the back of a hyena's head, they soon dropped dead once she extracted her blade from the beast's head.

"There she is!"

Looking up, Raya recognized one of Drago's best generals, Hannibal Barca, the fierce and well-esteemed Carthaginian general, and his elite soon circled Raya, just like the hyenas. "Princess Raya, you would be wise to lay down your arms and surrender to me," Hannibal said firmly. "If you wish for your people to prosper, you will surrender—"

Raya's response was to use her blade to take off three enemy warriors with one swing. The other Carthaginian warriors all roared out as they lashed out at Raya, but as she whirled her whip blade overhead, the princess was about to keep her attackers at bay. She then noted four enemy warriors' four-shot crossbows, all of them aimed their weapons at her, ready to shoot her with multiple bolts. Knowing that she needed to flee, Raya then lashed out at Hannibal, she swung her whip blade at his face and it slashed him across the bridge of his nose, causing him to cry out in agony and fall to the ground. Clutching his heavily bleeding face, the Carthaginian general saw Raya reach for a small sack near a crate of supplies. The princess then slammed the pouch on the ground, releasing a thick cloud of smoke and giving her the opportunity to escape.

"Don't just stand there! After her!"

While fleeing from her hunters, Raya heard the snapping jaws of the hyenas as they drew close to her legs. Racing towards a wall, Raya run up along the wall and backflip. While in the air, Raya whirled her blade and struck down several of the beasts, their blood staining the ground. Only three hyenas remained, and Raya whirled her blade as the pack leader slowly crept towards her while the other two beasts pounced. Being tackled to the ground, Raya held her left arm up to keep the hyena's snapping jaws at bay. She then drove her blade through that hyena's neck, they soon fell limp on her body and the two remaining hyena's charged. The pack leader was about to sink its teeth into Raya's throat, but she quickly held her blade up until the hyena's jaws wrapped around her blade. As the princess fought with the pack hunter, she screamed in agony when the other hyena sunk its teeth into her left leg. With a snarl, Raya cleaved the pack hunters face and then proceeded to thrust her blade down their throats, killing them instantly. As the hyena attached to her leg took another bite, Raya's snarl of agony was followed by the princess driving her blade in their back multiple times until the hyena released her. Whimpering in pain, Raya then finished off the final hyena by removing its head with one strong, precise swing.

Getting back on her feet, Raya could see her human hunters advancing. With a deep breath, Raya blew a strand of her hair out of her face and assumed a battle stance, ready to fight to her last breath if needs be.

The small sect of Dragon Flyers that Mkali the Fierce was leading had finally landed in the jungles just outside of Chief Benja's palace and where the citizens of Heart Nation resided. Whilst dismounting her Singetail, Mkali reached for a pouch strapped to her left leg and pulled out a telescope to see what they were up against.

Aten dismounted Mkali's Singetail and sighed as he reached for a double-bladed palm axe strapped to his back. He twisted the weapon in his hand which ultimately led to him wielding one axe in each hand, he then strapped each axe to his thighs before approaching Mkali.

"It seems the Kumandran leaders have all established a war camp into sections, save for Heart Nation itself, since their city rests below the mountain and above Benja's palace," she then inquired. "Who do you intend to assassinate, serpent whisperer?"

Smirking at the nickname Mkali branded him with, Aten narrowed his eyes before pointing down at the head tent of Spine Nation. "With the chieftain of Spine Nation dead, the warriors under his command will attack first and ask questions later," he then shrugged. "Brutes of their caliber often act on base impulses rather than fall back to reason."

"Fair enough," Mkali then voiced worry. "You must move swiftly, while I lead my fellow flyers to apprehend Sisudatu and our master's Bewilderbeast spawn, you eliminate Spine Nation's chieftain. Time is of the essence, and we must move swiftly."

Aten turned to his ally and cooed. "Worry not, as soon as my serpent's venom enters my prey's blood, he'll be a dead man in seconds," he then smirked. "It is you who must move with haste. The dragons are protected by Fang Nation warriors and no doubt Sisudatu and the Bewilderbeast spawn are both under heavy guard. Failure is not an option."

"Yes. We cannot fail, not now," she returned to her Singetail and mounted the oppressed dragon. "Enough prattle, let us see this done. By the will of Drago Bludvist." Turning to her fellow flyers, Mkali urged them to follow as they flew low in the jungle canopy.

Meanwhile, Aten cracked his knuckles and made his way down to the Kumandran war camp. He knew speed was of the essence, and so he wasted no time and made his way to Spine Nation's section of the war camp, intent on killing the leader of the huge, axe-wielding warriors.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and if you guys want to support me on FanFiction.Net and archieveofourown.org, that would be much appreciated. Anyway, the end is near, be prepared for battles and war!