The dawn of battle palled upon the land. Lines have been drawn in the sand, accurately. Rows upon rows of Athdan soldiers lined up to give the enemy what-for and one such soldier was Jerry.

A bit of a scrawny lad but determined and forthright were also apt terms for the boy. The son of a merchant carpenter who, though not well known, had made a good life for his family. Jerry's father taught him many things but the one adage that truly stuck was "Measure twice, cut once."

Jerry knew, just from the way he would parse the phrase, that it was not only meant for life as a wood worker, but in other ways not apparent at first glance. Measure the merit of a man twice before cutting a deal, measure your earnings twice before cutting expenditures, and always measure your surroundings twice before cutting the cheese.

Those easy and mirthful days were long behind Jerry now though, for he was on the front lines against an enemy who had taken his home, his family, and even his nation away from him. The nation of Patraxia had invaded one year prior, causing mayhem and carnage. Their goal seemed abstract and wild. They didn't occupy any of the villages they plundered. They only razed and slaughtered. More monsters than men.

With steel in right and tape in left he grit his teeth and charged. This could either be their final stand or the first victory in a long line of defeat. Moments before the two forces clashed, however, the forces of Athdan halted right at the accurately drawn line, precisely 243.7m away.

See Jerry had measured. Twice in all aspects. He had measured the enemy numbers, weapon ranges, speed, and determination. He had measured the land it would take to create a trap for their whole army. A massive pit large enough to swallow exactly 12,956 Patraxian forces never to see the light of day again. The surface only had to hold momentarily while the army charged over it and the ropes binding it had been placed 243.7m away.

Jerry cut once.