Chapter One: Battling the Barbarians
Moctezuma looked upon the great city of Tenochtitlan and smiled. The capital of the great Aztec Empire was prospering well. Outside his palace, jaguar warriors trained; practicing their skills in melee combat, footwork, endurance, and sometimes even archery. The Aztec army already had 1,000 men and was growing by the day. Moctezuma knew that the cities of Texcoco and Texpan had a small army of only 300 each, and were trying hard to keep up with the Tenochtitlan power.
Further away from Moctezumas great palace, men were being trained to build and construct. Tenochtitlan had plans to build a new city for the Aztec Empire, and Tenochtitlan was preparing men to do this job. 2,000 men were almost ready to leave Tenochtitlan and form a new city. It would be called Tlateleco.
Meanwhile, Moctezumas top advisors were working on a plan to build a great sacrificial altar, to appease the gods.
Moctezumas smile widened. Tenochtitlan must be the greatest city in the world, he thought. Soon, it will be so great that any other peoples that may exist will bow down to it.
By sheer coincidence, that statement would soon be put to the test.
General Five Jaguars looked out upon his troops. The great Aztec warriors were ready to fight. An invasion by the hated Northern Barbarians was imminent. Although these barbarians werent very civilized, they had 1,500 men, outnumbering the 1,000 Aztec fighting men.
The small band of 100 archers was poised to fire. The moment the evil barbarians were within range, they would fire.
Shields bristled within the ranks. Bloodlust and hatred for the northern neighbors ran through these men.
It was at that moment when the huge invasion force of barbarians broke through the trees 100 feet away from the Aztecs.
Just as the archers were about to fire, General Five Jaguars yelled Wait!
The archers kept their arms prepared, but did not shoot.
The barbarians drew nearer. 90 feet
80
65
50
FIRE!!!
A deadly volley of arrows penetrated the barbarian ranks. 3 fell, never to rise again. 5 others were painfully wounded in the volley.
Nock arrow, came the command from Five Jaguars.
FIRE!!!
Several volleys of furious fire coursed into the ranks of the enemies. 40 men fell in 4 volleys. Now, it was time for the infantry to begin their fight
Nakil readied his shield and stone ax. The barbarian now charging him was a medium-sized man who was ferociously waving around his ax. His sights were clearly set on Nakil. So, he took quick action to prevent a painful blow from his enemy
Nakil took the offensive, striking with his ax. The enemys blade meeting his own made a resounding clang. Since, the opposing man had no shield, Nakil used his own shield to shove his enemy.
The ploy worked perfectly. The fearsome uncivilized brute was knocked to the ground, ax on the ground a foot away. It was simple for Nakil to strike a death blow with his carefully chiseled stone weapon.
At the moment when he struck the death blow to his enemy, another raider rushed Nakil, slashing his blade in a deadly arc that would have killed Nakil had he not held up his shield at that exact moment. As the enemy vibrated with the force pushed back upon him with the blocking of his blade, Nakil lashed out with his legs, kicking the enemy to the same position as him; on the ground.
The stunned enemy could do nothing as Nakil struck his neck Blood spilling from the wound as yet another barbarian was killed by the great warrior Nakil.
Since Nakil had scared off anyone who might oppose him with his mighty kills, he had an oppurtunity to look around. His comrades were having similar luck. The trained, ferocious, and well-equipped Aztecs easily defeated most of the unruly, unready, and unequipped barbarians.
This, combined with the fact that arrows were raining in on them, had a profound effect the invading troops morale. Instead of bloodlust, all that the invaders felt was fear. Fear that they would be chopped up by the fearsome Aztecs. Fear that they would never see their wives and children. Fear that the seemingly unbeatable Aztecs would swallow them up whole.
That was when the retreat began. With the marauding Aztecs close behind, the attackers who were now being attacked abandoned their weapons and anything not essential to marching.
After battering the back ranks of the retreating lines, the Aztecs stopped their pursuit, chanting the haunting cry of Aztec glory, Aztec glory! all the while.
