Barbarian Quest

Chapter 168

Urich thought hard about the reasons behind Duke Langster being appointed as the commander of the outpost in the Sky Mountains. Rather unexpectedly, the answer came pretty easily.

"So, they decided to appoint Langster, who already has experience as the viceroy of the north, as the commander of the outpost... They really are serious about investing in the western expansion."

Urich knew how much Emperor Yanchinus was obsessed with great achievements. His obsession was close to madness. It was no surprise that he was going to try to conquer the west at any cost.

‘Duke Langster has it tough. This is almost like a demotion, no matter how you look at it.’

Urich managed to get various information from the northerners.

"The pioneering road Yailrud is nearing completion. It's a bridge made with the blood and lives of its workers."

"That was quick. But I’d expect no less from the empire."

Urich stroked the stubble on his chin and blinked a few times. The construction of Yailrud was as fast as he had expected. He realized again that one should not hope for luck against the empire.

‘They have about five hundred soldiers stationed at the outpost.’

Considering all of them were imperial soldiers, it wasn't a small number at all. The imperial army could easily take on forces several times their size in a group combat. They were experts in collective warfare.

"Give me a weapon now. I have nothing else to say."

The northerner said and sighed, embarrassed by his own action. What he had done out of his desire to head to the Field of Swords was shameful and unmanly.

"Sword? Or axe?"

When Urich asked, the northerner chose the axe. Urich threw an axe to the northerner without hesitation.

"Urich?"

The surrounding warriors were on alert, puzzled by the act of giving a weapon to a prisoner.

"It's fine. It’s sort of a ritual for them."

Urich calmed the warriors and drew his sword. It made a clear sound.

"Imperial steel..."

The northerner muttered, looking at the axe and Urich's sword. He laughed softly.

Urich and the northerner shuffled and circled each other, sizing up. The surrounding warriors watched on.

Whoosh!

The northerner swung his axe threateningly through the air. Urich loosened his body, following the northerner's axe with his eyes.

'He's sluggish from being a captive for so long, but he’s still got his edge. I can see that he is going to give it his all.'

This wasn't a duel. It was a fight to the death. Urich had no intention of showing mercy. He moved forward with all his might.

'A step and a half.'

Urich measured the distance accurately and precisely, swinging his sword widely. The northerner rolled to the side, dodging the sword.

Thump!

Urich added momentum to his charge, kicking the rolling northerner. It sounded like the northerner was hit with a hammer. It was a nimble sequence as if Urich had anticipated his opponent’s movement.

"Cough!"

The northerner coughed up blood, rolling on the ground. Urich gripped his sword with both hands, slicing from below upwards.

Schluck!

The sword blade split the northerner's abdomen. Without armor, it was a lethal attack that was deep enough to spill the intestines.

"T-thank you."

The northerner expressed his gratitude as his lips quivered.

Urich nodded and ended his suffering by cutting his throat.

"Take care of the body and bury it properly in the ground. Also, place a sword on the grave."

Urich ordered the burial according to the customs of the north. The warriors shrugged but followed Urich's command without a word.

"What about the other ones?"

"We've extracted all the necessary information, but we can't just let them go. They know too much about us."

Urich gestured a throat cutting motion. Vald nodded, understanding the order. Screams followed from the captives’ tent.

"We have Urich on our side!"

The warriors exclaimed. The enemy they were facing was not completely unknown. Urich knew them well. There was no need to fear an enemy that you already knew about.

Vald finished dealing with the rest of the captives and came out of the tent. The warriors, following Urich's orders, piled up dry wood to cremate the prisoners.

'To the afterlife they desire.'

Urich had no intention of dishonoring the dead. Solarists were cremated, and the northerners were buried.

"Vald, we need more warriors,” Urich said as he looked up at the mountains.

"We have over four hundred warriors here."

"That's not enough. For now, we need to bring in warriors from the Stone Axe Tribe as well. Vald, you have to go and bring them here."

Vald nodded and went on his way.

Urich went up the mountains with dozens of his warriors who were loyal to him. He needed to see the status of the mountain range for himself.

‘Three shifts of one hundred and fifty men are on guard.’

The four hundred and fifty warriors took turns guarding for a week at a time. There were several warriors watching the mountains day and night.

Urich wrapped his fur tightly. Although it was summer, the wind blowing near the gorge was cold.

"It's Urich! Urich is here!"

Unlike the camp at the base of the mountains, the warriors who have been keeping watch looked disheveled. Even in the harsh cold of the mountains, they couldn't light a fire and had spent a week on the mountain, eating minimally and standing guard without rest.

‘My people.'

Urich felt a surge of emotion looking at the warriors. While Urich and Samikan enjoyed the glory of the expedition, these men silently guarded the harsh mountains without complaint. Urich was the only one who could truly appreciate and understand the difficulty of their work.

"I'm going ahead to scout. Those who will join, raise your hand."

As soon as Urich finished speaking, the warriors raised their hands. Urich selected ten warriors who looked in good condition.

Urich and the warriors went beyond the guard line. They kept watch in all directions, pioneering the path.

"The shamans said we would all die from the curse of the mountains."

One warrior spoke as he walked alongside Urich. Urich snorted at those words.

"People don't die easily from curses. The biggest killer of people is other people."

The power of the heavens and gods was feeble.

Urich knew from experience how frail the gods were. They only governed the afterlife. They had no influence on the present world that humans live in.

Whooosh.

Urich and the warriors walked above the gorge. Looking down, they couldn’t see the bottom of it. Occasionally, they heard the sound of waterfalls, but only when they really focused on it.

'Beneath the gorge lies a waterfall, and above, the terrain twists and turns treacherously.'

Regal Arten had the brilliant idea to navigate along the cliff edges of the gorge. There were crevices just wide enough for one person to step on, and Regal Arten's expedition team used them to cross the Sky Mountains relatively easily.

'And now, they are building Yailrud, a pioneering road, along that very cliff.'

Once Yailrud is completed, even an army would be able to cross the Sky Mountains.

Urich frowned. He pictured the imperial army marching along Yailrud. If they fully cross the mountains and establish a base below, it would be the end of everything.

'We have to cut them off in the mountains.'

After some walking, a path touched by humans appeared.

"This must be the path their scouts have polished coming and going."

Even the mountains, once so heavily resistant to human footsteps, were eventually conquered by humans.

'If possible, it would be best to destroy Yailrud now.'

No matter how strong the imperial army was, they weren’t going to be able to cross the mountains without Yailrud.

The warriors looked at Urich, who was deep in thought.

'The one who crossed the Sky Mountains.'

The warriors guarding the mountains knew unprecedented changes and crises were approaching. They saw the tangible threat of the empire with their own eyes and thwarted them with their own hands.

'In a time like this, Urich is the only one who can lead us.'

It wasn’t just the Stone Axe Tribe who thought so. Even the warriors from other tribes also relied on Urich.

"Urich, there's smoke rising over there."

A warrior who walked further ahead came back to alert Urich.

"I wouldn’t have expected anything less from the experienced conquerors. They're slowly expanding their territory."

Urich spat on the ground, baring his teeth. He crouched low and advanced. Seeing the source of the smoke, Urich's eyes widened like a beast's.

Yailrud had already extended to the gentle ridges of the mountains. The imperial army was building a temporary camp to guard the incomplete Yailrud.

'Duke Langster is a very cautious man. Even for the Mulin Subjugation, he gathered the northern imperial army to form a big enough force to advance leisurely. He uses solid and meticulous tactics.'

Duke Langster did not rush. He fortified his camp, slowly expanding the empire's territory. His experience as the viceroy of the north was formidable and not to be overlooked.

"What are they doing?"

A warrior whispered to Urich.

"They're fortifying the camp. To prevent us from destroying the bridge. It would be better for us if they climbed up the unfinished bridge to attack us. If they’re defending like this and gathering full forces to strike... there’s no way for us to stop them."

"No way to stop them? We are warriors!"

The warriors were indignant at Urich's words.

"We are poorly armed, and compared to them, we severely lack experience in group combat. We have to know the difference between bravery and meaningless death."

"So what are you saying? Should we retreat?"

"We'll attack before they can finish fortifying their camp."

Urich signaled with his hand. The warriors quietly retreated, heading back down the mountains.

The empire's engineers were skilled, and the camp was going to rapidly become fortified day by day.

Urich gathered all the warriors waiting at the base of the mountain. There was no time to even wait for the rest of the Stone Axe warriors to join.

Three days later, Urich climbed the mountains again. There were dark circles under his eyes. He was deeply fatigued from not resting properly.

'Four hundred warriors.'

Urich looked at the warriors following him up the mountain. They cleared a path by cutting through bushes and trees with their axes.

'Judging by the size of the camp, there must be at least a hundred soldiers.'

Urich squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them. Despite outnumbering them, he couldn't be complacent.

'These warriors put their trust in me.'

Urich felt a heavy sense of responsibility. This was completely different from the time he was leading a mercenary squad.

Mercenaries were men who risked their lives for money. They threw themselves into life-or-death situations for fair compensation, which helped Urich not feel guilty about their deaths.

'These warriors are risking their lives for their kin and brothers.'

There was no selfishness in the warriors' eyes, only the desire to protect their family and brothers. Their pure and innocent motivation ignited a fire in Urich's heart.

"I won't tell you a lie that all of you will survive this. After the battle, a lot of you will bleed out and die a cold death. We are going to start the fight without our shamans, and in the mountains, a deep wound means certain death."

Urich looked at the smoke rising in the distance.

The warriors' gaze concentrated on Urich. They needed someone to rely on. Urich took a deep breath and continued.

"...I am Urich, the man who was blessed by the sky to cross the mountains. The shamans call me the Son of the Earth. I can promise you only one thing. I will always stand in front and beside you. Let's fight shoulder to shoulder."

Urich invoked his divinity that was gifted by the shamans. He did not reject the symbolism he carried.

Filled with elation, the warriors raised their weapons high. Their fervor was enough to dispel the mountain's cold. Some warriors, showing how heated they were, even stripped off their fur cloaks and leather garments to stand bare.

'If the warriors need something to rely on, I will be that thing.'

Urich took a handful of ash from his pocket and smeared it on his face. His face turned menacingly dark.

"The mountains did not give them their permission. We will deliver judgment to them in place of the sky."

Urich forced out the words, even if they were not what he really wanted to say. If such words could bolster the warriors, he was willing to say even more.

Screeech!

Suddenly, a hawk soared over the mountain ridge, crying long. The hawk spread its wings wide, circling above Urich and the warriors before disappearing.

"The sky has answered!"

The warriors exclaimed. Their eyes widened. The hawk's flight seemed nothing less than a sign from the heavens. The heavens have responded to Urich's words.

Urich was just as surprised. The hawk's appearance was most likely a coincidence. Life was full of astonishing coincidences.

Urich watched until the hawk vanished with his eyes wide open.

"Maybe this really is the will of the sky... Keke."

Urich chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders. He stood up straight, drawing his sword and pointing forward.

As shouts filled the air, the warriors charged forward.

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