Chapter 153: The Red Forest Outpost
Kellar mounted Ignis’s back, feeling the vibration of the massive bear beneath his seat. Now measuring eight meters long and four meters tall, advancing through the cleared pass was like moving atop a walking fortress. The bear’s figure carved an imposing path as they left the gates of the Mountain Fortress behind.
The trip along the highway took less than forty minutes at a rapid march. Along the way, the mobile squad of riflemen was already keeping the perimeter under control, gunning down any lesser beast that attempted to approach from the forest’s dense flanks.
Upon reaching the central clearing—home to the rich volcanic soil and the black resin deposit—Kellar found Lennis supervising the crews at a breakneck pace. With the support of the twenty soldiers and the volunteers, the foundations of reinforced timber and stone for the new outpost were already well under way.
"Great Shaman!" Lennis greeted, stepping forward with several construction sketches in hand. "We’ve marked the defensive perimeter with wooden stakes and basic trenches. The extraction crews are already filling the first barrels with resinous sap from the burned trunks."
Kellar dismounted with a light leap and walked toward the edge of the cleared area, running his fingers through the dark, nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich soil.
"Excellent work, Lennis," Kellar said, scanning the surroundings with his shamanic perception. "Make sure the housing structures for the stationed garrison are completed before nightfall. Once the frosts break, this area will become our primary agricultural center."
As Lennis coordinated the builders, Brak approached Kellar, keeping his right hand rested on the hilt of his saber.
"Great Shaman," Brak reported in a low voice. "The scouts completed the two-hundred-meter sweep to the west. They found blood trails and deep tracks heading further into the higher mountains. They don’t belong to the small monkeys; they belong to something much larger that fled after the giant gorilla died."
Kellar narrowed his eyes, recalling the strange gut feeling he had felt since that morning.
"Lay explosive traps one hundred meters out," Kellar instructed in a cold, decisive tone. "Plant mine charges along the approach. If something comes out of those mountains that the garrison can’t stop, blow it sky-high."
"Understood, Great Shaman!" Brak replied, immediately turning to organize the pyrotechnics team. "I’ll have the squads set the charges right away."
Kellar walked toward the leather map unfolded over one of the resin barrels, tracing key areas of the territory with his finger while Brak and the military commanders listened intentively.
"Listen closely," Kellar ordered, raising his voice above the noise of the logging. "We won’t limit ourselves to this clearing. We will leave a permanent garrison at this collection post and establish another near the riverbank. I need you to scout deeper into the jungle underbrush; it is highly likely there are more beasts lurking in that dense growth."
Kellar paused, looking directly at Brak.
"However, you will maintain controlled recon groups. Send five soldiers as immediate reinforcements toward the Mountain Fortress area to bolster exterior surveillance. Furthermore, any military personnel who have fallen behind in learning to read and write will begin their literacy training in rotating shifts starting today; I want no illiterate soldiers in my ranks."
Brak took quick notes on his slate while Kellar continued pointing at the dense forest.
"Patrol the designated sectors, but set explosive charges in blind spots to obliterate any threat that tries to take us by surprise. No one advances blindly into this territory. First, you must log, clear the vegetation, and open up the road before taking a step inward."
"Understood, Great Shaman!" Brak replied firmly. "We will establish the riverbank camps and begin clearing the timber right away. The explosive charges will be set before nightfall."
"There is one absolute order everyone must memorize," Kellar declared in a low voice. "Under no circumstances do you enter the Ash Valley. A giant and incredibly terrifying beast dwells there."
One of the captains took a step forward, bewildered by the warning.
"Great Shaman..." asked the captain, adjusting his rifle belt. "With our firepower, couldn’t we just annihilate the metal centipedes?"
Kellar stared at him in silence for a few seconds before answering.
"It’s not about the centipedes," Kellar said, lowering his voice. "I didn’t want to say it yet, but you need to know the truth: there is a dragon in that valley. If we make it angry before we are ready, there won’t be a place in this world that can protect us from its wrath."
The word dragon hit the group like an icy hammer. Panic swept across the captains’ faces, who turned pale. Several swallowed hard and hurried to promise that no one under their command would set a single foot near the borders of that cursed territory.
"I swear no one will cross that boundary, Great Shaman!" exclaimed one of the captains, his voice trembling slightly. "I’ll put warning signs and guards at the perimeter if necessary!"
Brak, however, gazed in the direction of the Ash Valley with a steady hand on his hilt.
"It’s only a matter of time..." Brak muttered thoughtfully.
"A matter of time for what, Commander?" asked the captain beside him, panic still lingering in his eyes.
"For the shaman to find a way to end it," Brak replied, turning to the men with a confident grin. "I assure you, we will be dining on dragon meat very soon."
A wave of laughter erupted among the officers and soldiers present breaking the tension that had gripped the outpost.
Kellar let out a short laugh and patted Brak’s shoulder before looking back at the rest of the officers.
"That’s the spirit," said Kellar, hardening his expression to regain the group’s full attention. "Someday we will slay them, but in the meantime, it’s best not to look for trouble. I’m telling you this so you understand something crucial: if there’s a beast of that size in that place, there could very well be one in this area as well. That is why clearing the underbrush must be controlled."
Kellar pointed to the resin barrels and the first timber structures recently erected in the clearing.
"Lennis will stay here to coordinate the construction," Kellar continued in a firm, unyielding tone. "He has the detailed blueprints and knows exactly what to do. Do not overreach or take blind initiatives; simply follow his orders to the letter."
"Yes, Great Shaman!" the captains responded in unison, standing at attention with respect.
With the perimeter secured, explosive traps being installed, and clear logging and exploration orders underway, Kellar mounted Ignis’s back and set off on his return journey, leaving the Red Forest outpost running at full capacity.