It would not be easy for the Rikaner Kingdom to stop the McKennan Ratfolk; nor would it be easy for the McKennan Ratfolk to invade the Rikaner Kingdom.
The former were one of the Thirteen Ratfolk Clans. If the Rikaner Kingdom could defeat an entire clan on its own, the Ratfolk would not be a problem shared by every major race.
The latter were advancing deep into enemy territory without support, while the Rikaner Kingdom could call on the surrounding countries and City-States for help.
The Allen Continent had never been united: the Rikaner Kingdom and the Tartun Empire were enemies; both were enemies of the southern nations; all three sides were enemies of the other races; and all of them were enemies of the Ratfolk.
Surely the McKennan Ratfolk could bring together people who had nearly forgotten what war was.
"Move, move, move! The Ratfolk are marching north, and you're slacking off!"
At the City Wall construction site, where torches had been planted everywhere, Eli Gravel berated the resting workers with Copperbeard's customary roughness.
"We've been working for twelve hours straight!" complained a worker who had been at it from noon to midnight.
"If the Ratfolk breach the City Wall, you'll never have to work again!" Eli had Copperbeard's way of thinking, too. "Every extra pound of cement you pour means one more Ratfolk has to die before they can climb over!"
"Master Eli, the school says we're not supposed to use pounds. We're supposed to use kilograms."
"What's your name?"
"Virginia Marcos, Demitro Toli, Lucius Tari, Aldo Watson, Tangji, Cornelius, Perry, and Krog... Where are they?"
Before the assembled Knights' Order, Perkins reeled off the names.
"They spent more than ten days on the road, then killed tens of thousands of Ratfolk outside the City Wall. They're