Kasa stood behind the makeshift wooden rampart and gripped his sentry pike so hard that his knuckles turned white. He looked out across the open plain to the base of the Metaran mountain range. There troops from the enemy army kept spewing forth from a narrow pass. They spread out along the edge of the plain as they set up camp, looking like locusts ready to devour a field of crops.
"If you hold that pike any harder you are going to break the shaft," said a gruff voice from behind him.
Kasa spun around fearfully and pointed the pike clumsily in the direction of the voice.
"Stay that weapon you jumpy fool!"
"Sorry Tobias, but you startled me!" apologized Kasa, quickly lowering the pike.