Chapter 316: The First Step of Conquest

Kellar came out of the house and turned to Grok.

"Gather the army. I want every commander and the generals Julian and Aldric here, immediately."

They came fast. By the time they entered, Kellar already had a map spread on the table.

Ophelia had come too. She had received the information straight from the bear god, so she did not need Kellar to tell her anything. She understood it all already. She had arrived before them and was using her divine eyes to trace the ten villages nearest the village.

When they were all there and saw the map, they were thrown.

"Seems we are ready to march to war," said Julian.

"That is right, Julian. We have received the mandate of the bear god. He wants these ten tribes subdued at once."

"Give the order, great shaman," said Aldric. "My knights are ready to march. We can go and wipe them all out in three days."

"I do not want you to do it. I called you for something bigger." Kellar laid his open hand on the map. "I want to use this for war exercises. The new recruits have to go through blood and fire to be warriors. I will personally lead the assaults."

Aldric opened his mouth and closed it.

"I want Karkadann ready to march. It will only provide supporting fire and serve as a mobile fortress." Kellar ran his finger over the map. "According to the information Ophelia just gave us, the ten nearest tribes are hidden inside the forest. The most critical thing is that each one sits inside the territory of the beasts. I fear our movements will alert the guardians of the forest, so we march with the full army, ready to be ambushed by the great beasts."

Krag stepped forward.

"My lord, when do we leave? There are several groups that traveled to the ash valley. For the most part the new ones have been rotating with the front patrols, to get used to it."

"By our route, the first stop is the south. We leave the red forest for last." Kellar raised his eyes. "Tell them to come back and catch up with us. We leave at once. Prepare enough food, water and supplies. Leave some Garnis and two squads to protect the village."

He turned to Marty.

"You will stay and command the defense of the city. Nobody enters, no exceptions. They will wait. If something happens, or there are important guests, have them wait outside the walls. If they try to force their way in, do whatever you have to do."

Marty swallowed.

"Fenrir will stay to watch from the shadows. If you need anything, communicate through the totem. I will send Little Green to assist you at once."

"Understood, great shaman. I will not fail you."

Marty stood up, excited. It was his first great commission. It showed how much the great shaman expected of him and trusted him. He could not fail him at a moment like this.

The troops moved at once.

Karkadann, the stone colossus, rose. The enormous fortress was already loaded with armament. The soldiers used the rope ladders hanging from its flanks and climbed fast. Every warrior reached the top without trouble and settled into his assigned station.

Kellar oversaw it all from Little Green, impressed by the order and discipline of his soldiers.

The war horn rang out and marked the end of the boarding.

Only the fifty knights ran alongside the turtle. Even though the animal seemed to move in slow motion, the horses went at a half gallop and still the turtle held its pace.

"Little Green, do you know who rules this place?"

"It is part of the territory of the late Leviathan. If my memory does not fail me, it must be the territory of the great serpent."

"Usually they are not on the surface," went on Little Green. "They live underground and like to devour fish and animals from the river. As long as we do not attack them, they should not bother."

"Let us hope so." Kellar folded the map. "I have already called the tiger king to catch up with us. He was his old companion. He could convince him to join us and avoid having to attack them."

"I would not expect much from that, master." The eagle turned its head. "Serpents are too territorial and they fight to the death. They have no fear and they only know how to die for their queen. As long as the queen lives, the rest of the serpents will fight without fear."

"A pity." Kellar leaned over the bird’s neck and looked at the ground again. "Let us see how they react. We are about to enter their territory."

Below, the column stretched. The men on foot closed ranks without anyone giving the order. Karkadann went in the center, its cannons already pointed forward, and the fifty knights had gone from flanking to covering the rear.

The ground began to change. The grass turned sparse and speckled with mounds of turned earth, one every few steps, as if someone had been digging all night.

Little Green dropped its height.

Between some great rock formations there was a small village, built among the trees. The houses leaned on the low branches and on the stone, and the ropes holding them were taut with the weight of the people already leaning out.

The tremor of the earth had warned them. Some ran with spears. A woman dragged two children toward the inside.

Kellar gave Little Green the order. The eagle landed in the clearing and he jumped off its back before the wings folded. He drew the Overlord Club and planted himself in front, legs wide.

He imbued his voice with mana.

"Present yourselves before the Overlord tribe!"

The voice came out of him enormous and bounced off the rock. Every bird in the trees rose at once.

A silence fell over the village.

Then, one by one, those with spears lowered them. An old man came forward to the edge of the clearing, hands open, arms shaking.