Chapter 306: Chief

Ten. Twenty. Fifty. He stopped trying to count. There were simply too many.

’There has to be close to a hundred people here.’

His heart began beating faster beneath his armor. These weren’t ordinary soldiers. Judging by their equipment and the way they carried themselves, most of them appeared to be warriors with some level of authority. Officers. Commanders. People who would probably be involved in the war against Percvale.

’So many people...’

Darion reminded himself why he was here. Information. That was all that mattered. He couldn’t let the number of people in the room make him panic.

---

Darion slowly moved toward the back of the room. He didn’t want to stand out. The masked warrior who had brought him inside didn’t seem particularly interested in where Darion went, so Darion took advantage of that. He found an open spot among several other warriors and quietly positioned himself there.

He kept his posture straight. His hands remained relaxed. He didn’t look around too much. He behaved like someone who had attended meetings like this many times before.

’Just act like you belong.’

That had gotten him this far. There was no reason to stop now.

Darion briefly glanced around again. Everyone seemed focused on the front. Whatever was about to happen was clearly important. He turned his attention forward.

And that’s when he finally saw him.

At the front of the room stood a raised platform. And standing upon it was an older man.

Darion immediately knew he was the Chief. There was no introduction. No announcement. The man’s presence alone made it obvious.

He was older than most of the warriors in the room. His body carried the marks of countless battles. Scars crossed portions of his exposed skin, with one particularly noticeable scar running along the side of his face.

His posture was straight despite his age. He didn’t need to shout. He didn’t need to threaten anyone. There was simply an authority about him that made everyone else seem quieter.

Chief Dross.

Darion had finally found the man responsible for Vrethka. The Chief slowly raised both hands. Immediately, the room fell silent. Warriors who had been shifting around straightened their backs. Conversations stopped. Everyone’s attention moved toward Dross.

Darion watched carefully. ’They really respect him.’ This wasn’t fear alone. These warriors genuinely seemed to recognize Dross as their leader.

But Darion’s attention didn’t remain on Dross for long. There was someone standing beside him. A man who looked completely different from the warriors around him.

He was slender. Much slimmer than the heavily built warriors filling the room. At first glance, Darion might have mistaken him for an ordinary officer. But something about him immediately felt different.

His posture was almost unnaturally still. While the warriors around the room shifted their weight or adjusted their weapons, this man barely moved. He simply stood beside Dross. Watching. Listening. Observing everything.

Darion noticed something else. Several warriors occasionally glanced toward him. Not openly. Just quick looks. Almost as if they were checking his reaction to what was happening.

’Who the hell is that?’

Darion narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn’t seem like a normal commander. There was something about the man’s presence that made Darion instinctively cautious.

’He’s important. Maybe the second-in-command. Maybe someone even more important than that.’

Whatever the case, Darion knew one thing. He needed to remember this man’s face.

Dross finally lowered his hands. His gaze traveled across the room. Then he spoke. His voice was calm. Controlled. Yet somehow it carried across the entire chamber without him needing to raise it.

"Three days."

The words immediately captured everyone’s attention. Darion’s eyes narrowed.

Dross continued. "In three days, Vrethka marches on Percvale."

Darion’s heart skipped. ’Three days?’ He had suspected an attack was coming. He knew Vrethka was preparing for war. But hearing an exact date made everything far more real. Three days.

That was all the time Percvale had. And Seren was still waiting outside. Garren was back in Percvale preparing the territory’s defenses. They had no idea how close the attack actually was.

’I need to get back.’

But Darion forced himself to remain still. He couldn’t leave yet. Not before he learned everything he could.

Dross continued speaking. "Our warriors are prepared."

He spoke about the training they had undergone. The weapons had been checked. The armor had been prepared. Supplies had already been gathered. Food had been stockpiled.

Everything required for the march had been arranged. The scouts had returned. They had gathered the information Vrethka needed. The route had been studied. Percvale had been observed. Its defenses had been assessed.

Darion listened to every word. His mind immediately began putting everything together.

’So the scouts weren’t just watching us. They had been gathering information for the invasion.’

The two scouts Darion had encountered near Percvale had only been a small part of something much larger. He remembered what they had said. Vrethka’s recent victory had made them stronger than ever. They had clearly been preparing for something. And now Darion knew exactly what. War.

Then Dross finally spoke about the person at the center of the entire plan.

"And then there is the Necromancer."

Darion’s entire body became tense. He forced himself not to react. His hands remained at his sides. His breathing stayed controlled. But inside his armor, his heart was pounding.

Dross spoke about him with confidence. About his undead. About his abilities. About the threat he represented. But there was no fear in the Chief’s voice. Only certainty. Dross believed their preparations were enough. He believed Vrethka could defeat Percvale. And most importantly, he believed they could deal with Darion himself.

The room listened. Darion listened. Every word felt like someone discussing his execution while he stood directly among them.

’They’re talking about me.’

He felt sweat beginning to form beneath the mask.

’They’re literally planning how to kill me.’

He had never experienced anything quite like it. Usually, when people wanted to kill him, he knew they were enemies. He could fight them. He could summon his undead. He could prepare. But right now, he was standing in the middle of the people planning his death. And none of them knew he was there.

Dross continued explaining why he believed the plan would succeed. He spoke with complete confidence. There was no hesitation in his words. No uncertainty. To Dross, the outcome was already decided. Percvale would fall. Darion would be dealt with. Vrethka would march into his territory and crush the resistance before it could become a serious problem.

Darion listened silently.

’He really believes this is going to work.’

Darion couldn’t help wondering what information the scouts had brought back. What exactly did they know about him? Did they know the number of undead he possessed? Did they know about his strongest undead? Did they know about the limitations of his abilities? Or were they simply assuming that he couldn’t possibly stop an army this large?

Darion didn’t know. But there was one thing he understood clearly. Vrethka wasn’t bluffing. They weren’t threatening Percvale. They were going to attack. In three days.

When Dross finished speaking, a low murmur spread throughout the room. Warriors nodded. Some struck their fists against their chests. Others raised their weapons slightly. Voices rose throughout the chamber.

"Vrethka!"

"We will win!"

"The Necromancer will fall!"

The confidence in the room was overwhelming. Darion stood among them. Completely silent. Surrounded by warriors celebrating a war that could destroy everything he had built.

His hands slowly curled into fists.

’So this is how it feels.’

He had fought plenty of enemies before. But this was different. These people weren’t simply planning to fight his soldiers. They were coming for his territory. His people. His home. And him.

Darion looked toward Chief Dross. Then toward the slender man standing beside him.

’Who are these people?’

He needed to know more. Especially the second man. There was something about him that Darion didn’t understand.

Eventually, Dross’s speech came to an end. The warriors began moving. At first, Darion wasn’t sure what they were doing. Some turned toward one another. Others adjusted their armor. The atmosphere in the room shifted. It no longer felt like a simple meeting. It felt like something was about to happen.

Darion watched carefully.

’What’s going on?’

Then he noticed something. The warrior nearest to him reached toward his face. Darion’s eyes followed the movement. The warrior’s hand touched the side of his mask. Another warrior nearby did the same. Then another. Then another again, all reaching for their masks.

Darion slowly looked around the room. One after another, the masked warriors were reaching for their masks. His heart suddenly began pounding harder. He could hear the sound of his heart beat.

’Wait...’

Darion’s hand remained at his side. He stared at the warriors around him. Then at Chief Dross. Then at the slender man standing beside the Chief.

Slowly, he realized what was about to happen. They were taking off their masks.