Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 348

Chapter 348: Behold my stuff(2) Chapter 348: Behold my stuff(2) For most, life began and ended in the same place.

Generations toiled on the same patch of earth, their lives linked to the familiar fields and villages where their ancestors had lived and died.

Even among the free men of the Confederation-those rare wanderers of the seas who sought plunder and glory-true wonders remained elusive.

Their raids might bring fleeting glimpses of lions or wolves, creatures of myth to most, but such beasts were distant shadows, more often heard of in tales than seen with their own eyes.

Yet nothing in their experience-neither the humble lives of villagers nor the storied exploits of seafaring raiders-could have prepared the gathered free lords and their retinues for what Blake Elio revealed upon the Call.

It was not Blake himself, though his commanding presence drew attention like iron to a lodestone,as he was the man who had led the rise of the free people, the one that had conquered the island of Harmway renewing the golden age of the Confederation, but what amazed was instead the sight that followed him.

What he brought was no mere oddity; it was an impossibility made flesh, so outlandish and extraordinary that even the hardest and most battle-worn among them were struck silent in its wake.

He rode tall on the back of an animal unlike anything most had ever seen-a creature with long, spindly legs and a humped back that rose high above the heads of even the tallest men.

Its gait was strange, a swaying, loping motion that seemed almost unnatural, yet Blake sat atop it as if he were born to command such a beast.  Behind Blake trailed a procession that defied the imagination.

Towering birds, easily as tall as a man and broader still, stalked forward on powerful legs.

Their long necks stretched skyward, their feathers shimmering in the sunlight with hues of gray and cream.

Their piercing eyes, set in sleek heads, scanned their surroundings with curiosity.

A massive cage followed, hauled by a team of men straining against its weight.

Inside, a lion lounged with a dark mane that gleamed like polished obsidian, its amber eyes fixed lazily on the crowd as though it deemed them unworthy of its full attention.

When it yawned, its cavernous mouth revealed rows of dagger-like teeth.

And then there was the dog-or what the onlookers first assumed to be a dog.

Its body was sleek yet muscular, its coat a mesmerizing pattern of black and gold spots that rippled with its every movement.

A small, scruffy mane adorned its neck, giving it a savage, untamed appearance.

Its shoulders sloped forward, its gait lopsided .  The crowd could do little but gape, their murmurs barely audible against the spectacle before them.Even the nobles arguably the more knowledgable of the batch, could do nothing but amaze and be amazed by the amazing sight .

The gathered free men murmured among themselves, their voices hushed but tinged with a mix of awe, envy, and incredulity.

They huddled in small clusters, their rough-spun cloaks and leather jerkins marking them as men accustomed to the sea and the blade, but even they were shaken by what they were seeing.

“Did you see the size of that bird?” one said, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“A head taller than any man here, and look at those legs!

Ever seen a bird walk on two legs without flying away?Can it fly?” “What in the name of the Sea God is that… dog?”Another said elbowing his companion.

”Look at that motherfucker; he is laughing while looking at me.You are the one in the cage bitch!” a man shouted witnessing for the first time the laughing of a hyena ”Did not even know animals could laugh…” “And what about that… thing he’s riding?” someone else asked, his tone filled with disbelief as he gestured toward Blake atop his mount.

“Its back-what’s wrong with its back?

It’s all bent and swollen, like it’s carrying barrels under its skin.” “It’s not a horse, that’s for sure,” muttered another, shaking his head in bafflement.

The murmurs continued, but the underlying tone was clear: Blake Elio had done something none of them had imagined.

He had brought the exotic, the unknown, and the fearsome to the heart of the Call, displaying his power and reach for all to see.

Blake’s swaying motion beneath him was foreign yet commanding, each step of the animal drawing a hushed awe from the crowd.

He held the reins loosely in one hand, his other resting on the hilt of his axe.  They spoke of him, of his wealth, his audacity, and his power.

The awe in their voices swelled his chest with pride.

Blake felt the weight of their attention, not as a burden but as a crown.

And today, riding through the Call, he felt as though he had claimed the throne of the free men without ever needing the title.

Behind him, his crew marched with heads held high, their boots striking the stone with purposeful steps.

They carried their captain’s demeanor like a second skin, their shoulders squared and their faces filled with pride.

As the murmurs of the gathered free men swirled like the sea breeze, a booming voice cut through the din.

“Blake Elio!

Still parading like a peacock, I see!” Blake’s head turned sharply at the familiar voice, his dark eyes narrowing before they softened, a rare and genuine smile curving his lips.

He swung his gaze toward the source, and there he was-a man as wide as a boulder striding toward him, his steps purposeful and heavy, causing the ground beneath him to seem to tremble.

The man’s beard had grown longer since their last meeting, wild and untamed, flecked with streaks of gray that added to his formidable presence.

His barrel chest was clad in thick leather armor, worn and scarred by countless battles, and his arms, thick as ship masts, swung with the confidence of a man who feared nothing.

Blake eased himself down from the camel with a practiced motion, the beast letting out a guttural grunt as it shifted its weight.

He handed the reins to a nearby crew member and began striding toward the approaching figure, his boots crunching against the packed earth beneath him.

“Kroll,” Blake called, his voice carrying a warmth rarely heard in his tone.

His smile widened as they closed the distance between them.

Kroll’s face broke into a grin, his teeth gleaming beneath the wild expanse of his beard.

When they were within arm’s reach, Blake extended his hand, but Kroll had other ideas.

“Enough of that formal nonsense!” Kroll bellowed, sweeping Blake into a bone-crushing embrace.

Blake laughed-a sound as rare as a calm sea during a storm-and awkwardly patted the larger man on the back, enduring the bear hug with good humor.

“It’s been too long, Kroll,” Blake said as they pulled apart, his smile lingering.

“Aye, it has,” Kroll replied, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder.

He clapped Blake on the shoulder with a hand so heavy it nearly made the younger man stagger.

“And look at you-commanding beasts and men alike.

You’ve done your name proud” Kroll’s sharp eyes fell on the camel Blake had just dismounted, his thick brows furrowing as his gaze raked over the creature.

The hump on its back, the long, gangly legs, and its peculiar expression-all of it seemed so absurd that the seasoned warrior couldn’t hold back.

“What in the name of the sea gods is that thing you were riding on?” Kroll demanded, his voice half-laughter and half-genuine incredulity.

Blake smirked, tilting his head toward the camel, which stood there chewing lazily, utterly indifferent to the attention it was drawing.

“That, my friend, is my latest piece of loot.” “Loot?” Kroll barked Blake’s smirk widened as he crossed his arms.

“Oh, if you think that’s impressive, wait until you hear the rest.

The silver we hauled back from the raid was enough to fill a ship-a fortune fit for kings.

But it wasn’t just silver we brought.

The rest of the ships were loaded with wonders.” Kroll raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Wonders?

You mean more of these…

what’s-it-called?” He gestured at the camel with a dismissive wave.

Blake chuckled, shaking his head.

“No, far grander things.

On that journey, I saw creatures that defied belief, some I tried to capture, unsuccessfully however .

There was one-massive, broad as three ships side by side, with skin-like armor and teeth that could crush wood to splinters.

We tried to capture it, but the beast was too unruly, too strong.

One of my men got too close, and it snapped him up like a morsel before dragging him into the river.

The water turned red, and that was the last we saw of it.I swear it was as strong as it was fat.” “And then,” Blake continued happy to have someone to talk about the things he saw , his voice tinged with awe, “there were giants-towering beasts with ears like sails and trunks that could tear trees from the ground.

We thought of trying to capture one, but when it roared, the earth seemed to shake beneath our feet.

Even my bravest men wouldn’t go near it, not that I blame them.” Kroll let out a low whistle, his usual bravado tempered by Blake’s tale.

“And finally,” Blake added, his tone growing quieter, “there were monsters that moved silently in the rivers, their eyes barely visible above the water.

They could wait for hours, still as death, and when they struck, it was like lightning-fast, brutal.

One of them dragged a sailor under so quickly, we didn’t even see the splash.” He met Kroll’s eyes, his own dark with the memory.

“Going into the water with those things was suicide.Some of my men that went for a swim on the river, mistook those things for logs, useless to say the rest of our time there was spent away from water, at least those of rivers.” Kroll scratched his beard, his grin faltering for just a moment before returning, though now tinged with unease.

“By the gods, Blake, you’ve truly seen it all.

And here I thought I’d lived a life worth telling tales about.” Blake let out a hearty laugh, clapping Kroll on the shoulder.

“Oh, trust me, old friend.

After what I’ve seen, this one I had been riding seems like a harmless pet by comparison.” Kroll shook his head in mock disbelief, his laughter joining Blake’s before curiosity got the better of him.

“All right, I have to ask-where in the seven seas did you go to find these…

things?” Blake’s smirk turned into a knowing grin, his eyes gleaming as he spoke the name.

“Azania.” The word hung in the air like a thunderclap.

Kroll’s smile vanished as if it had been wiped from his face, replaced by a sudden surprise as he finally realized just how mad his friend truly was.

After all, there was a reason for which pirates steered clear of the lands of the sultan.