Barbarian Quest

Chapter 117

Urich took a step forward. The humming of the priests filled his ears, and the north wind thumped against the walls of the temple.

'Ulgaro...'

He was the god who enchanted countless warriors. A cruel and arrogant god, forcing and demanding his descendants to struggle after driving them into this barren frozen land.

"Your blood," the high priest repeated.

Beeeeep.

Urich's ears rang strangely. He looked up in the dark temple, where the only light source was the torches.

'Light.'

But there was sunlight that seeped through a twisted crack in the wall, touching Urich's feet. The small fragment of sunlight was warm. Dust danced in the light as they floated in the air.

'The sun god.'

Urich stared at the sunlight for a while.

"Urich," Sven called from behind. The high priest stood beside Urich, blocking the sunlight.

'I know.'

Urich cut his palm and offered his blood to the basin.

Drip, drip.

His blood trickled down. It was a sacrifice of life. An overwhelming wave of euphoria blurred and then cleared his vision. The priests' voices churned in his head.

Wooooh.

Urich heard a buzzing in his ears. He squinted toward a corner of the temple. Each flicker of the torch seemed to reveal Ulgaro's figurea warrior in a winged helmet, holding an axe, looking at Urich.

'Illusion.'

Urich didn't let his consciousness drift away easily. He bit his tongue to keep himself together.

"Well done."

The high priest smiled contentedly. He looked down at the blood that was pooled in the basin. His eyes were gleaming with a look that was almost manic toward the blood.

Stumble.

Urich missed a step as he was walking down from the altar.

Thud.

He fell to the ground, laughing at the absurdity as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Haha."

Urich got up as he put his hand on his face. His face was half-covered in sticky, warm blood that trickled out of his cut palm.

"You have offered your blood to Ulgaro," the high priest said to Urich, grabbing his arm with his stained hand.

"Remember this day, for Ulgaro will remember you. Keke."

The high priest cackled with his hand over his mouth. He turned away after finishing his job.

"Hold on, I want to show my son Ulgaro's achievements," Sven called to the high priest, who waved his fingers in the air.

"Ah, you know of the dragon's lair," the high priest mused.

Sven nodded, intending to fulfill his promise to Urich.

"What makes you think you have the right to see the dragon's remains?"

"How arrogant.

The priests murmured. The high priest calmed them by raising his hand.

The dragon's lair was considered a sacred site even within Mulin. It wasnt a thing that anyone could see willingly. Only a warrior who had done enough in Ulgaros eyes or one who had accomplished feats acknowledged by the priests could see it.

"The end is near. Ulgaro's return is not far. He will lead the warriors to divine retribution against the heretics..."

The high priest muttered. The priests of Mulin awaited the end. They knew that the Imperial army was approaching and that it was going to be their final war.

"Your life is nearing its end.

The high priest said to Sven as he caressed his cheeks. He stared into Svens eyes, observing his condition.

"When I close my eyes, I can already feel Ulgaro calling me to the Field.

"You are worthy to see the dragons remains, but not your son."

"My son is a great warrior. Better than anyone in Mulin."

Sven spoke with conviction. In his eyes, no warrior was greater than Urich.

"Hooooh, can you stand by those words, Sven of Gorigan?"

The high priest smirked, swallowing a breath.

"I do not lie before Ulgaro."

"Are you saying your son can be tested to see if he is worthy of being in the presence of the dragons remains?"

"If it is a test for a warrior, then yes, anything."

Sven rolled his eyes to look at Urich, who nodded in agreement.

They had traveled far to see the remains of this dragon. Urich had no intention to give up after coming so close.

"Looks like were going to have blood for Ulgaro," the high priest said, summoning a priest.

"Summon Yorcan the Giant."

The priests murmured. Sven's eyebrows twitched.

'A giant?'

Sven had never heard of such a being. Giants were mythical, like fairies, belonging to legends and myths.

* * *

The priests ascended to the top of the temple and blew their horns loudly. The northerners who were sparsely gathered around the temple swarmed like ants at the call. They waited, in their disheveled appearances, for the high priest to emerge.

As darkness fell, torches were lit at regular intervals, illuminating the darkness. The high priest emerged from the temple, following the trail of torches.

"Today's offering to Ulgaro shall be human. Ulgaro will accept this blood offering and lead us to victory."

Urich watched the northerners from behind the priests.

'Theyre going to use me as a sacrifice.'

Human sacrifices were not uncommon. It's rather Solarism, which refrained from such practices, that was unusual. Human life was the most precious offering that existed; offering it to god was the ultimate sacrifice.

"Yorcan the Giant!"

"The bloodline of giants!"

The northerners chanted. A giant warrior was summoned by the priest.

"My god."

Sven, who had been keeping his composure up until this point, widened his eyes in disbelief. Northerners were indeed known for their large stature, but there was one man who stood out. His size could not be described by the usual words of large or big.

'That is not normal.'

A grotesque face appeared next to the torchlight. His shoulders were slightly stooped, but even then, he stood twice the height of an average man.

"A... giant."

Sven looked up.

"Wow, that is a real giant."

Urich's eyes sparkled as he observed Yorcan the Giant.

"Urich, something's wrong. This is"

Sven stuttered unusually. Urich was indeed a formidable warrior, unmatched by many humans. But this opponent was not human. He was a literal giant.

"Ul, Ul... garo!"

Yorcan the Giant stuttered in a deep and clumsy voice. His nose was flat and wide and his jaw was long and protruded. His limbs were abnormally long even for his abnormal stature, and his hands and feet were large enough to grasp a person's head.

"Is he truly from the bloodline of the long-extinct giants?"

The giants from stories were standing right before their eyes. Yorcan's facial features suggested he was quite young. His reputation had spread only about five years ago, which explained why Sven hadn't heard of him.

"He's pretty damn hideous, isn't he?"

Urich stabbed Sven's shoulder as they observed Yorcan.

Thump!

Yorcan ripped a small tree from the ground and threw it aside. His strength was monstrous.

This was a trap. They were never going to test Urich. They were going to use him as their sacrifice all along.'

Sven thought he had to save Urich. His grip tightened, ready to draw his axe at any moment.

"Urich, I'll handle this. I'll be the sacrifice."

"What nonsense! You think I'd let you have all the fun?"

Urich pushed Sven aside, laughing. He was not intimidated by Yorcan; instead, he seemed invigorated.

'The world is vast. Im so glad I came all the way out here.'

Urich was delighted. He was witnessing a legend he had only heard in tales. The existence of a giant was right before his eyes, looking down at him with immense strength.

"For Ulgaro, for Ulgaro, I will kill you," Yorcan declared. Yorcan the Giant was once a human child, just like everyone else.

He had always been taller than others, surpassing adults in height before even reaching ten years old. By the time he was old enough to be considered an adult, he had already earned the nickname 'giant.' His strength was as immense as his size, unmatched by any warrior.

When Yorcan came to Mulin on a pilgrimage, the priests proclaimed him as a giant blessed by Ulgaro and appointed him the guardian of Mulin.

'Like Urich, he's a being blessed by a god,' Sven thought.

He asked the northerners around him about Yorcan, learning that Yorcan was indeed a being blessed by Ulgaro. An ordinary human child couldn't become a giant otherwise.

Sven couldn't stop Urich. He was already ignited with a fire inside him and was already gearing up for the fight.

'Two warriors blessed by gods. Whose blessing is going to prevail...?'

Urich, though unknown which god's blessing he had, was also believed by Sven to be a warrior blessed by a god. The Urich he had been witnessing had accomplished feats beyond human capability.

"The Field of Sword craves the soul of a warrior."

"Ulgaro is starving. He desires a new warrior."

Priests muttered as they circled the two warriors.

"Raiding is a proof of life."

"Life is about taking that of others'."

"Battle, warriors."

The starving northerners, forgetting even their hunger, shouted their chants and raised their arms with the cries of Ulgaros name. In a frenzy, they inflicted self-harm, spilling blood on the ground. Men embraced emaciated women, sowing the seeds of life.

Whoosh!

Priests threw powdered dried mushrooms into torches and bonfires, creating an intoxicating, hallucinogenic aroma. Those intoxicated drifted further and further away from reality.

"Are you worried about your son, Sven of Gorigan?" The high priest wiggled his fingers as he spoke.

"I didnt expect you to put him against a warrior with Ulgaros blessing... "

"Do not resent us as this is all Ulgaro's will. You came to us on the day of sacrifice. You might be thinking that it was purely your will, but it was all arranged by the god."

Sven wiped his face with his palm, wanting to behead the priest in anger. The rage of a warrior boiled from within.

"I see that even priests misinterpret Ulgaro's will at times, Sven said to the priest as he composed himself.

"You speak nonsense. Is a warrior like you questioning a priest serving Ulgaro?"

The sacrifice prepared by Ulgaro today is the giant, not my son.

Are you saying that the will of Ulgaro was better interpreted by a warrior than a priest, Sven of Gorigan?

The high priest showed his distaste. Receiving the will of Ulgaro was the duty of the priest.

"In old legends, giants, fairies, dragons... they all eventually fall to human warriors. Just like Ulgaro was once human before becoming a god."

Sven smiled, shaking off his anxiety, and looked at Urich's back. Urich stood firm and calm, unsheathing his sword with calmness as he always does.

"Yorcan the Giant, I'm genuinely happy to meet you. Im being serious."

Urich held a sword and axe in each hand. He widened his stance, glaring upward.

"Ooo, aaaaah!"

Yorcans roar was almost a screech. He was holding a two-handed axe in each hand like they were one-handed axes.

Chomp, chomp.

Before heading into battle, Yorcan chomped down whole mushrooms. They were pain-relieving mushrooms, necessary for Yorcan, who couldn't properly run due to severe knee pain without the numbing mushrooms.

Yorcan foamed at the mouth, swinging his axes vigorously. His intimidation was unparalleled.

"Hooooooh."

Urich exhaled deeply, his breath visible in the cold night air. Darkness enveloped him as the night deepened.

Buuuup.

A priest blew his horn, and Yorcan, reacting to the sound, charged at Urich.

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