Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World - Chapter 117

Chapter 117: The quality of a leader
“Only bring what you can get your hands on, nothing more than that! We need to leave fast!” – Gedhe shouted in the language of the barbarians as he walked around Orsus’s streets, which had been arranged in a circle with the large bonfire used for rituals to the ancestors placed right in the center – “After you finish, gather in front of the village! One of the king’s soldiers will escort you towards the capital!” Gedhe instructed, his eyes surveying the chaotic scene unfolding before him.

The barbarians had constructed Orsus to be a place to call home, a peaceful land without the daily struggles for survival, but now they found themselves swallowed into chaos again. People rushed through the streets, darting in and out of their wooden huts, carrying bundles on their backs and in their hands, bringing everything they could fit into their hands and bundles. It seemed like a natural thing for them. The barbarians had long since learned the importance of traveling light for survival, having lived a nomadic life inside the Inner Layer, frequently fleeing from danger. They didn’t forget such memories.

Instructed by Henry, Gedhe summoned back all those who were outside hunting or gathering wood and medicinal plants. He spread the message that they had to leave immediately, but as the king told, he didn’t explain the reason and there was no need to do that, since it was an order of the king and he was there to exert his influence over the village. Gedhe only told them that they were going to leave for the capital and they had to be fast.

Following Henry’s orders, Gedhe immediately called everyone back to the village, especially those who were outside hunting for food or gathering wood and medicinal herbs. He then commanded everyone to pack their bags and leave Orsus, without giving an explanation. He used his strength and authority to quell any questions, also using Henry’s image to mitigate their worries. They were not being expelled from these lands, only temporarily. Gedhe only told them their destination and that they had to act fast.

“Gedhe!” – Suddenly, a desperate cry echoed from behind Gedhe as he felt someone grabbing his arm, prompting him to turn around.

“Harvor.” – Gedhe said, looking down at a golden-haired woman who seemed to be in her early forties, yet radiated the same energy of someone in their twenties. The desperation in those green eyes were almost palpable.

“M-My son! My son, Urff! I can’t find him!” – Harvor’s anguished voice brought to life the desperation reflected in her eyes. She felt as if the ground beneath her was shattering, ready to swallow her whole.

Gedhe could sense the woman’s hands, which had tightly gripped his arm until now, trembling.

“Calm down, Harvor!”- Gedhe said, his tone firm and filled with confidence. As a leader, he had to remain as strong as a mountain. “Tell me everything.” – Gedhe said, freeing his arm and placing both hands on the woman’s shoulders.

“Urff and the others left this morning, as they always do, to hunt for the food we sell at the capital” – The woman began, her words rushing out so fast that Gedhe struggled to grasp the words – “T-they usually returns when the birds stop singing and the cold wind gets stronger. However, even though the birds have stopped, they still have not returned to the village. I am worried. Urff and the others never takes so long.”

For a brief second, Gedhe remained silent, recalling the golden-haired boy born seventeen sun cycles ago. He was a smart kid that learned things fast, someone that could receive a Tribal Tattoo in the future. He had gone a few times with the kid to hunt. Soon, Gedhe offered a reassuring smile to the woman, one that seemed to say that everything would be fine.

“Harvor, don’t worry!” – Gedhe said, the smile not leaving his lips – “Urff is a smart and strong warrior that will become a pillar of Orsus. I have seen him hunting a few times. I bet he and the others have caught a big and strong prey. They will soon be back and boasting about this feat.”

The woman nodded rapidly, agreeing to the leader’s words. Indeed, her kid was smart and strong, one of the bravest and biggest of his cycle. She even thought that he would become a leader someday. The desperation in Harvor’s green eyes eased slightly, but still lingered.

“Right, right! Urff is a great child! He will be here soon…right…soon!” – she repeated those words, trying to reassure herself that everything would be fine and her son would soon be in her embrace again.

“Now, I need you to join the others and prepare yourself for the journey. Don’t forget to travel light, we need to be fast.” – Gedhe instructed, gripping her shoulders a little harder to instill confidence – “I will search for Urff in the surroundings, and when I find him, I will send him to the capital to meet you right away.”

Gedhe had already chosen five hundred barbarians to accompany the king to the war, all of whom had lived pased twenty cycles, seasoned warriors that had fought for their entire lives. Because of that, Urff wouldn’t be required to join and could be sent back to the capital along with the others. There was no space for a greenhorn kid in a war. It was better to preserve young blood than to let it die.

“O-Okay!” Harvor stammered, rubbing one hand against the other nervously.

“Great, now go. We can’t wait much longer,” Gedhe said, removing his hands from her shoulders and allowing her to return to her house and prepare to leave.

“That was exceptional” – The voice of the king reacher the barbarian leader’s ears, prompting Gedhe to turn his head and meet Henry’s gaze, which was filled with praise – “This speech leave me with no disappointment or embarrassment in having you as my direct representative in these village. You really have the right to be the representative of you people. In fact, you are dealing with this matter splendidly.”

Gedhe had truly exceeded Henry’s expectations. Previously, the king had viewed Gedhe as someone that could be easily replaced with time, someone that could be temporarily used due to his characteristics. He was someone that could do anything to ensure the safety of his people, even deliver them to their worst enemy. Henry planned on using his authority to manage the people and slowly swallow them. However, at this moment, Gedhe showcased a quality that Henry always sought in leaders of his army, someone capable of problem-solving, adaptability, and one that could pass tranquility and firmness.

“I learned it from you and General Luther, my king” – Gedhe said, a little embarrassed but with a happy smile.

It was the truth. He had learned quite a bit from the general and the king. They were people who wouldn’t solve things with their fists, but mostly with communication. Gedhe understood that and had been applying it ever since they began lifting up the houses of Orsus. He had to become a leader in order to settle a place for his people.

Henry nodded with a smile. “We have a few hours. Do you want to search for the boy?” the king asked.

“If you allow it, my king.”- Gedhe said with deference.

-x-

“The birds have stopped singing” – Urff said as his green eyes looked upwards, scanning the canopy of trees. The frozen branches and gray leaves were swaying stronger than before, accompanied by a biting cold wind.

The small knife in his hands was painted with the blood of the red wolf lying lifeless under his feet, a Sanguine Wolf, whose belly was wide open with most of its internal organs removed, staining the white snow in red. Over the past two years, Urff and his team had focused on hunting down these Sanguine Wolfs near the village. They sold most parts of the creatures to the king, who used them for Tribal Tattoos on his soldiers. The remaining bits, like the skin, found their way to the capital, exchanged for various items such as clothes, iron tools, and weapons.

“We should get back…” – A woman with brown hair and brown eyes suggested. Under her feet lay another Sanguine wolf, a rare sight in the barbarian community, where women were usually assigned to gathering duties. Nevertheless, it wasn’t frowned upon for a woman to choose the path of battle. – “What do you think, Ingvar?”

The party had stumbled upon four injured wolves, their limbs broken and marks of teeth on their skin. They believed this group had been expelled from the pack after attempting to challenge the leadership, providing an opportunity for an easier hunt. The wolves were killed quickly, almost without resistance, leaving the hunters without a single scratch on their bodies.

Ingvar, an experienced hunter that lived for twenty-three cycles, the group’s leader, and a respected figure with a single necklace tooth around his neck and a wolf tattoo on his chest, gazed at the trees and declared – “The winds are changing. Let’s pack things up and leave. I’ll carry these two wolves, and you bring the others.”

When they were about to finish their job, they felt the snow beneath their feet trembling, like a giant walking near them.

“Grr”

Suddenly, a grotesque sound of teeth grinding against each other reached their ears, a sound that they heard a few times in their lives. One they heard multiple times a few years ago.

An Orc.