Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World - Chapter 126

Chapter 126: No mercy!
The walls of Eisenburg had stood firm for centuries, enduring the harsh cold and countless barbarians’ assaults without ever failing in its duty to protect Stahl’s citizens. However, right now, the imposing structure had been unable to maintain its integrity.

Zuna unsheathed her sword, a vengeful grin playing on her lips – “Charge!” she shouted, pointing her sword at the broken wall.

The army behind her remained in a state of disbelief, unable to comprehend what they had witnessed and afraid to even take glance at the robed man. Just moments ago, many believed they were doomed to die on these lands, their bodies consumed in a burst of fire and mist. There was no hope in their hearts.

“The ancestors have not forsaken us on these accursed lands!” – Clamors echoed through Luak’s ranks, making their morale soar. The soldiers’ eyes gleamed with reverence as they looked at the robed man as if he was some kind of deity sent by their ancestors – “Follow our commander! Follow our ancestors!”

They charged at the walls like a pack of unruly wolves, unable to control their instincts. There was no formation, only a desire to invade and conquer. A desire to honor their ancestors. They were like the barbarians of the Frozen Forest.

“These barbarians, they truly don’t understand about war.” – The robed man cursed, stopping himself from conjuring another spell to wash their lives away – “Well, I still need them to search this whole city and there are not many able enemies atop those walls.” – he lightly tapped his pockets, a small parchment hidden inside – “I have been waiting for this day for fifty years…fifty years…I will finally be able to put my hands on the final clue.”

“A whistle?” – Suddenly, the robed man’s ears caught the distinct sound of a whistle coming from the forest nearby, tearing through the air.

His instincts kicked in; his index and middle fingers glowed in a fiery red as he made a circle in the air. A small shield of fire materialized above him. At that right moment, he felt his circuits slightly quivering, causing to almost wince in pain – “Whose arrow is this?” – He angrily screamed, looking at the broken arrow near his feet.

He furiously directed his eyes toward Luak’s army, ready to blame it upon someone within their ranks. However, he could only see as a rain of arrows descended upon the hopeless soldiers, caught completely off guard. Their disperse and chaotic formation didn’t allow them a chance to raise a shield wall.

Within the forest, Henry lowered the long, curved bow in his hands – “I missed it”- he muttered, his eyes glowing with a purple hue – “What about you?” – He inquired, turning to the hundreds of barbarians who were also lowering their bows.

“I got one!”

“I missed!”

“I took two down! It seems like someone owes me a bottle of liquor!”

The barbarians responded, some lifting their bows victoriously and eagerly demanding their prizes from the bet.

“What about you, Gedhe?” – Henry asked.

“I missed the woman, my lord” – Gedhe responded, his eyes fixed ahead as if capable of seeing through the trees. Although he didn’t have one arm, he could still use his teeth to hold and loose the arrow. – “But…” – He raised his bow high with an arrow already nocked, calmly releasing it.

The arrow cut through the canopy of trees and vanished into the gray skies. However, Henry and the seasoned barbarians could clearly discern its trajectory.

A few steps away from the walls, Zuna, who had just miraculously evaded a sudden arrow, turned her head. The vision made her legs quiver. There were dozens of corpses strewn on the ground, arrows lodged in their bodies.

“What happened?” – She asked herself, but soon, her question was answered as an arrow came through the forest.

“COVER!” – She shouted towards a noble, but it was too late. The arrow soundlessly hit his throat, getting stuck there. His body dropped to the ground, his eyes unable to discern what happened.

Gedhe gracefully lowered his bow, a grin spreading across his lips – “I also got one, my king” – he said as Henry looked at him at loss for words.

“Good job…” – Henry responded, unsure if this was the right answer, deciding to just give his orders – “I want you to lead your people and handle those invaders while I confront that mage. We need to act swiftly and aid the capital as quickly as possible. I didn’t anticipate a mage in their ranks. I hope Iosif is fine.” – His gaze remained fixed on the smoke billowing into the skies.

Dropping his bow, Henry drew his silver sword and looked deeply into each soldiers’ eyes, a firm look – “There is no room for restraint. I want their heads by the end of this day”- A brief second of silence spread, before he continued – “Let loose and go wild! They are worse than those Winter Orcs. They’ll show no mercy; they’ll slaughter your families and do even worse horrors to your women and children.”

Henry turned his gaze back to Gedhe – “I entrust the situation to you” – he declared, kicking the ground forcefully before dashing towards the mage, who had refused to follow the soldiers closely and was practically alone in the chaos.

As Henry sprinted towards the lone mage, Gedhe turned to his fellow brothers and began rhythmically pounding his chest, creating a drum-like sound that resonated with the beating of their hearts. The barbarians around him followed suit, synchronizing their chest-strikes, the collective sound blending into a singular, powerful orchestra.

As Henry sprinted towards the lone mage, Gedhe looked at his brothers and then began hitting his chest strongly in some kind of rhythm that seemed to be like drums, his eyes opened wide. The other barbarians followed suit, also hitting their chests. The sounds of each one of them seemed to be mixing together, blending like one.

Under the beating sound, Gedhe screamed like a beast – “AHHHH!” – He unsheathed one of his battle-axes in a swift motion and then cut his palm, allowing the blood to stream away from his palm.

“NO MERCY!” – Gedhe said, his bloody hand marking his forehead with his own blood. The others followed suit and soon, blood dripped from their foreheads.

Those of Luak would finally be able to meet the demons in Stahl’s imaginary. The barbarians that struck fear and fury into every single one of them.

-x-

Henry easily evaded the trees, like the wind pr a soft force of nature. his eyes were focused on the distant mage. The pulsating purple glow within him refused to be contained, emanating an aura of unwavering determination and urgency that cut through the dimly lit woods. In a matter of a few seconds, Henry left the forest, only a few feet away from the robed man.