Chapter 158: Nomre’s Victory
Nomre spat blood onto the dirt and let out a wild laugh, unfazed by the barrel aimed at her chest.
"Death penalty!" mocked Nomre, taking a step forward with a defiant stance. "Is that all you’ve got? A bunch of cowards who need a piece of iron to command respect!"
"Don’t push your luck, woman," the convoy soldier warned sternly. "You don’t know what you’re talking about."
"I know exactly what I’m talking about!" shouted Nomre. "I’ve been eating magic beast meat for weeks! I feel the strength rushing through my veins! None of you is a match for me in a real fight!"
The soldier who had fired the warning shot into the air calmly reloaded his rifle, resting the butt against the ground while looking at her with disdain. Then, he handed the weapon to a comrade and stepped forward, removing his leather helmet.
"You think eating beast meat for a few weeks makes you invincible?" said the soldier. "That means nothing against the Great Shaman’s forces. Let me show you the difference."
Nomre lunged at him, throwing a brutal punch. The soldier side-stepped the blow with ease, pivoted on his heel, and delivered a kick to the back of her knee. Nomre hit the ground, but the soldier acted fast: he grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her back, and slammed her into the mud, pinning her down firmly.
"Let me go, you damned dog!" roared Nomre, writhing in rage.
In the middle of the struggle, she managed a desperate elbow strike that threw the soldier off balance for a second. Nomre ran toward where another guard had left a spare rifle resting against some crates, snatched it off the ground, and scrambled to her feet, raising the weapon victoriously while aiming it directly at the head of the soldier who had subdued her.
"Hahaha! Who’s the dog now?" shouted Nomre, her eyes wide and unhinged. "Back off, everyone, or I’ll blow this wretch’s brains out!"
The soldiers around her exchanged glances and began to step back slowly, raising their hands with mock panic.
"Please, don’t shoot!" begged one of the guards in a trembling voice, exaggerating his posture. "It’s a very dangerous weapon!"
"That’s right! Fear me!" mocked Nomre, relishing the moment. Without hesitating, she pulled the trigger hard.
Click!
A dull metallic sound echoed through the air. Nothing happened.
Nomre frowned, confused, and frantically pulled the trigger several more times.
Click! Click!
The soldiers erupted into roaring laughter, openly mocking her ignorance as she stared at the rifle without understanding.
"Idiot," said the soldier who had beaten her, stepping forward unhurriedly. "You don’t even know how to reload the cannon."
Kellar arrived at the scene with a calm step and stopped upon seeing Nomre holding the useless rifle with a distraught face.
"What’s going on here?" asked Kellar.
The convoy soldier stood at attention immediately before the Great Shaman’s presence.
"The woman tried to flee and snatched a rifle from an officer, Great Shaman," the soldier explained. "She doesn’t know how to operate the mechanism and intended to threaten us."
Kellar looked her up and down, taking note of her reinforced physique and the rage contained in her eyes.
"It seems you have plenty of strength, I’d like to recruit you," said Kellar in a measured voice. "But that would only set a bad example for the tribe."
"You’re a damned bastard!" Nomre screamed out of her mind, spitting into the mud with fury as she pointed at him. "A pussy hiding behind his soldiers and metal weapons! You’re nothing without your army!"
Kellar didn’t even blink at the insults. He raised his right hand and extended two fingers toward her.
"First suffer a little," said Kellar coldly. "[Curse of Pain]."
The shamanic skill activated instantly. Nomre let out a gut-wrenching shriek and fell to her knees in the mud, writhing while clawing at the skin of her chest and arms. She felt as if thousands of flesh-eating ants were crawling inside her muscles and bones, biting her fiercely from within.
"It will last an hour, let’s hope that calms her down," said Kellar, lowering his hand. "Instead of taking her to the barracks, take her to the mine. Tell Vael to take her to a special place deep at the bottom."
"Understood, Great Shaman," replied the soldier firmly. "We will prepare everything immediately to set out."
Kellar frowned slightly.
"Weren’t you setting out in the morning?" asked Kellar.
"But, my lord," said the soldier hesitantly. "You just ordered..."
"Don’t worry, I didn’t mean you had to do it immediately," Kellar interrupted. "Follow the established schedule and take a rest before setting out in the morning. As for these bitches, tie them up and leave them in the cold without food; I want them tamed."
Kellar turned toward the injured officer who was still covering her blood-stained face with her hand.
"Come closer," said Kellar.
The officer took two steps forward and removed her hand, revealing her severely crooked nose from Nomre’s elbow strike. Kellar grabbed her firmly by the chin and, with a swift and precise movement, snapped the bone back into place.
A gut-wrenching crunch echoed through the alley, and the woman choked back a scream of pain, gritting her teeth as tears welled in her eyes from the sharp impact. However, just a few seconds later, she exhaled a deep breath of fresh air and looked up in surprise.
"Thank you, Great Shaman," said the officer, her voice still trembling as she touched the bridge of her nose. "I can breathe much better."
Kellar wiped his fingers on the edge of his tunic and cast a stern look over all the guards and soldiers present.
"Let this serve as a lesson to everyone," declared Kellar in a firm, commanding voice. "Never underestimate anyone. You must train your bodies daily. Rations of beast meat will build your physique and strength, but if you are careless, power will be of no use to you."