"Push harder with that, you malformed viscachas!" Meloc shouted at the Vichus, who were pushing a massive load covered by a large blanket. Meanwhile, Ribras observed the area attentively, his analytical eyes scanning every detail of the terrain.
"Master, how much longer?" Troba asked, her voice laced with impatience as she glanced toward Tejod. However, he didn't even spare her a glance.
"Calm down, Troba. He's always like that, especially with women," Tertrol commented from atop his horse, adjusting his cloak with an air of nonchalance.
"What a troglodyte and outdated fool," Troba muttered under her breath, inspecting her nails with feigned indifference while being carried in a palanquin by six soldiers of her order.
"Yes, my lady! We serve you!" the soldiers responded in unison, bowing their heads slightly in a gesture of absolute obedience.
"According to my calculations, we'll arrive very soon thanks to these network systems I've created. It will be a great help, my dear R.U.B.Y., though it's still in the testing phase," Trebolg said proudly, stroking a small device in his hand.
"Ha! That junk… I don't think you should rely solely on machines. Strength is everything," Mejod retorted disdainfully, crossing his arms.
"What did you say, old man? Do you want to fight against my machines?" Trebolg snapped, visibly irritated as he tightened his grip on the device in his hand.
"Calm down, you two. For me, the best approach is to torture and crush the spirit of your enemy. That's where the real enjoyment lies," Blajon interjected with a sinister smile, as if savoring the idea of inflicting pain.
"Ugh, as barbaric as ever," Troba muttered in disgust, as the three began arguing among themselves.
Tertrol, mounted on his horse, took a hand to his forehead, massaging it as if trying to soothe an impending headache. "What a pair of fools," he murmured to himself, shaking his head in resignation.
Suddenly, everyone fell silent as they heard the deep, ominous voice of Tejod. With a strike of his staff on the ground, he caused everything beneath their feet to tremble.
"Silence and focus on the mission! Though I granted you powers, I can also take them away. Do you understand?" Tejod commanded, his piercing gaze sweeping over each of them.
The four fell mute and quickly nodded in unison. "Yes," they responded, not daring to defy him.
"I knew Tejod would step in at any moment to shut them up," Tertrol muttered quietly, barely audible to himself.
Then, Tejod directed his gaze toward Tertrol and asked, "Is the device you mentioned ready to help us win?"
"Yes, master. I'll speak with the scientists to ensure we're prepared," Tertrol replied calmly, though inside he was seething with fury. "One day I'll get my revenge, just you wait," he vowed to himself, masking his resentment behind a facade of obedience.
Tertrol retreated to where Meloc and his group were. "How's the device coming along, Meloc? Is it ready?" he asked, his tone professional but firm.
"Meloc says they're making the final adjustments, and it will be ready as soon as we locate the target," one of Meloc's subordinates responded, pointing to the enormous load covered by the blanket.
"Great. I hope everything goes well. After all, I'm trusting you, my chief rat of science," Tertrol remarked, his tone deliberately sarcastic as he looked at Meloc.
"Yes, my lord. Trust in me. Everything will go smoothly," Meloc responded with an exaggerated bow, attempting to hide his discomfort.
Tertrol returned to Tejod to report: "My lord, we are ready."
"Well, my second-in-command. We're almost there, where those fools are. I can feel it. Besides, the master has indicated as much," said Tejod with a malevolent smile, his staff glowing with dark energy as they advanced toward their destination.
"And will we see the master soon?" asked Tertrol, his voice brimming with anticipation as he watched Tejod intently.
"Yes, he will make an appearance to aid us against the creator of this world," replied Tejod, his eyes gleaming with a perverse light as he caressed the medallion hanging from his neck.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from ahead: "Halt! Do not advance any further."
The group came to an abrupt stop. Before them stood a small orange cat, boldly blocking their path.
"This is forbidden territory. No one may pass without Avocios's personal authorization," declared the feline firmly, though its diminutive size contrasted sharply with the imposing figure of Tejod and his army.
"And who might you be, little orange pest? Step aside, or it will get worse for you. I've only come for your cowardly leader, the great Avocios," challenged Tejod, slowly dismounting from his horse with a menacing air.
"So be it. I won't let you advance, ugly and filthy oversized rodent," retorted the cat without flinching, baring its small but sharp teeth.
"Who are you calling that, dirty talking cat?" shouted Tejod, enraged. His eyes turned a deep red as he pulled out his medallion, which began to glow with dark energy. With a swift gesture, he transformed the tiny feline into red jade before shattering it into a thousand pieces with his staff.
"Does anyone else wish to impede my way?" asked Tejod, laughing maliciously and raising his voice, so all could hear. His troops remained silent, terrified by what they had just witnessed. They remembered how Tejod had devastated their respective villages, and they followed him only because he was Urugas's emissary on Earth.
As Tejod laughed cruelly, figures began emerging from the nearby mountains. It was an army composed of cats, lynxes, and tigers, all ready to face them.
"Well, I think they didn't hear Tejod's warning and haven't backed down, those individuals," remarked Blajon sarcastically, crossing his arms as he observed the approaching enemy.
"Fools, they are nothing against our lord," said one of the soldiers of the Red Shadows, apparently Tejod's second-in-command.
"Rufalus, deal with those incompetents. I don't want to use my medallion now; I want to see them annihilated," ordered Tejod coldly, pointing at the feline army.
"Yes, sir," responded Rufalus, a soldier completely covered in armor that left not even his face visible. Though he nervously swallowed, he added, "Charge, soldiers!"
At that moment, a large contingent of Red Shadow soldiers surged forward at full speed, swords, spears, and other weapons in hand. Both armies clashed violently.
The felines fought with agility and ferocity, defending themselves and repelling their attackers. Cats leaped nimbly onto their enemies, lynxes roared as they knocked down shadow soldiers, and tigers used brute strength to carve their way through. Despite being outnumbered by Rufalus's forces, the felines proved to be formidable opponents.
However, the Red Shadows' army did not yield easily. While the felines were wreaking havoc, the numerical superiority and military discipline of the shadows kept the battle intense and evenly matched.
Observing how the felines were beginning to gain ground, Rufalus made a drastic decision. "Call in the archers and crossbowmen!" he commanded coldly.
Within moments, a rain of arrows fell indiscriminately across the battlefield. The shafts not only decimated most of the feline army but also struck several soldiers from their own ranks. Chaos erupted in full force.
The cats fought valiantly, but they could not fight on two fronts: hand-to-hand combat against the Red Shadows' soldiers while dodging arrows raining down from above. Gradually, the feline army began to retreat, their ranks thinned by Rufalus's ruthless strategy.
"This pleases me," Rufalus muttered with a malevolent smile, surveying the battlefield littered with bodies. "I've wiped out that army, though at the cost of sacrificing some of our own soldiers." He shrugged indifferently. "Well, no matter. There are more where they came from."
Meanwhile, one of the surviving cats raced desperately toward the nearby mountains. He arrived gasping for breath, visible wounds marring his fur, and approached the leader of the feline army.
"Lord! They have long-range weapons!" reported the soldier, struggling to catch his breath.
The leader was a tall, muscular black cat whose imposing presence commanded respect even amid defeat. He observed the wounded soldier gravely before speaking.
"I see..." he said slowly, his deep voice laced with determination. "Then it's time to change tactics. I will not lose any more brothers today, meow."
The feline leader gazed toward the horizon, where the enemy celebrated their temporary victory. His eyes gleamed with a mix of restrained fury and cunning. With a firm gesture, he summoned his men to plan their next move.