Chapter 61: [061] Drawing out
As someone who found the idea of kingdoms going against one another directly and losing hundreds or even thousands of men in war distasteful, Floki’s initial plan was to set up a trap not too far away from Blackstone, then lure them out with some rage-baiting script he had already prepared in his head.
This plan was thwarted when he found Cale and the others. Their escape had informed Blackstone that something was off.
Breeze might have already warned them to prepare, but the escape of Cale and co. was definitely the sole reason they were now standing at the border, awaiting their arrival.
It was still very early in the morning, and the entire atmosphere was cool and bright.
The border was now very noisy and heavily occupied.
The villagers of Blackstone had heard the commotion and gathered to watch. There were also some slaves among them who came to observe and speculate.
At that moment, their faces all held dumbfounded expressions.
Their chief.
Kellan Blackstone.
A feared warrior and chief who had awakened a unique power and had even summoned a knight,
Was now being played on the ground like a ragdoll by a young, handsome, white-haired man dressed in very simple clothing, possessing a lean figure that paled in comparison to the man he had just sent flying meters away with a single kick.
Surrounding him were the badly wounded bodies of more than fifty Blackstone soldiers, collapsed across the ground. Some crawled away with broken limbs. Others rolled on the ground, crying out in pain.
The remaining soldiers were taking cautious steps back as they watched their leader being beaten to a pulp.
In their midst was Breeze, who seemed completely unamused and wildly uninterested in whatever fate awaited his master, as he lazily ate a drumstick he had ordered one of the women to bring him.
He had been chewing on the same drumstick for close to an hour now.
Once every few minutes, he would glance at the battlefield before returning to his meal.
The soldiers had earlier tried to push him to fight for their lord, reminding him that he had sworn allegiance to him, yet each brave soldier was met with a bonk on the head that rendered them unconscious instantly.
The battlefield was messy and unusual.
But...
"I love it.."
Floki commented with a small smile as he strolled through the bodies on the ground, stepping on them mercilessly as he approached Kellan Blackstone.
Kellan’s body was currently reinforced with several layers of rock for defense, yet cracks spread across them. Certain spots had been broken away completely, revealing his badly wounded, naked body beneath.
Kellan’s body shivered uncontrollably with fear and pain as he placed his weight on his hands and tried to crawl away from his nemesis.
His vision was blurry. He tried to find one particular person among the crowd of onlookers to activate a special oath that could only be performed upon eye contact with the target, yet he could not find that person.
Curses rained through his mind. Shame overwhelmed him as he heard whispers from his people, wondering how he had become so weak.
’I am not weak, idiots.. this bastard is the devil.’
If he had the strength, he would have screamed that thought out loud. But he didn’t.
Just as he crawled one step further, Floki caught up to him casually and gripped him by the neck, lifting him like a game animal he had just caught.
Kellan struggled. He wanted to punch and fight his way out, but that was fruitless, as Floki gave him no breathing space to do so.
Floki did not bother to start a cliché conversation with his victim.
He wanted everything to proceed faster. He wanted to obtain his crystal of authority, fuse it with his own, and see the wonderful effects the system had foretold.
So he walked closer to the onlookers.
The soldiers flinched and moved back. Some of them threw down their weapons and knelt in terror.
The villagers froze in place, and the area became eerily quiet.
The only sound that could be heard was the loud, deliberate chewing of Breeze as he ate his meat.
Floki ignored him. Understanding Breeze’s personality or motives was like solving a puzzle of a thousand pieces.
He faced the people instead.
[Elite Authority] passively activated itself as he began to speak to them.
"Your chief has wronged my people. He has deprived them of their basic human rights, taken them away against their will, enslaved them for you all, and forced himself on the women.."
Floki listed the vile things Kellan Blackstone had done in his pursuit of power.
"In retaliation, I plan to do the same thing and even worse.."
He quickly added.
He immediately saw their expressions twist with worry.
He saw some men quickly grab their wives and daughters, and children close their eyes in fright.
His speech also caused a reaction from Breeze. He stopped eating his chicken and, for the first time, looked at Floki with a deep look of disgust on his face.
The soldiers near him sighed in relief, believing a change was about to happen in the current situation.
’What is his deal? Is he going to act now?’ Floki wondered.
His question was quickly answered. Breeze’s expression returned to apathy, and he went back to consuming his chicken.
Floki decided to stop trying to figure him out and focused on the crowd, who were now looking at him like some sort of monster, obviously due to his last threat.
"Of course, I am not a disgusting human being like your piece of shit of a chief. Though I will not promise his own salvation, I can promise salvation to those who are not followers of his evil way," Floki continued, watching a bit of the tension leave the crowd.
"But for that to happen, I need your crystal of authority." He demanded.
The crowd went dull once again for unknown reasons.
"Hahaha.."
Kellan began to laugh manically in Floki’s grasp, though his voice sounded strained and raspy, each word coming out as a painful rasp, obviously due to his vocal cords and jaw that had been shattered from the beating he received.
The reason for his laughter soon became clear to Floki.
Breeze stood up swiftly and tossed the chicken he was eating aside.
Then he drew out a longsword from his inventory and began walking steadily toward him.