11 | P a g e Prologue Three carriages rattled down a narrow road, surrounded by a dense, dark wood. This was the Wyrm’s Whiskers, a forest that separated the Kingdom of Asura’s northern border from the valley known as the Red Wyrm’s Upper Jaw. The Upper Jaw was a natural chokepoint, but unlike its counterpart—the Lower Jaw—far to the south, it was located several days’ travel from the Asuran border. There was a good reason for this, of course: The forest between the border and the valley was infested with monsters. Many years ago, the Kingdom of Asura built a wall to the south in order to keep those creatures from wandering into its territory, a measure that dramatically reduced its spending on monster extermination. Largely neglected, the forest remained home to vicious monsters…as well as bandits and criminals who’d fled Asuran territory. Few were eager to risk a journey through it. Still, some hardy merchants did push their way to the Northern Territories and back in pursuit of profit. The leader of this small caravan was one such man. He was a trader by the name of Bruno, an up-and-coming merchant who’d made something of a name for himself in the last year, and had only just joined a major Asuran trading company. Bruno’s current task was to bring two carriages stuffed with goods from the Kingdom of Asura to the Northern Territories. This was a sizable, valuable shipment. Losing it would mean the end of his career, and possibly his life. There was a good chance he’d face attacks from monsters, bandits, or both. Before joining his current company, Bruno had been a simple traveling merchant, accountable to no one but himself. In those days, he’d relied on his own sword and instincts to protect his cargo. But now that he’d come up in the world, he was facing far greater