Chapter 182: The Aftermath and the Summit Plan
The return to the village was far from a festive march. Though the victory over the giant eagle swarm and the fall of their sovereign marked a milestone for the tribe, the sight of wagons carrying thirty bodies covered in leather shrouds and dozens of wounded soldiers dampened any celebration.
At the vanguard, Ignis trudged with a heavy stride, serving as a draft beast hauling hundreds of steel-hard wings. The presence of the giant fire bear, now fifteen meters long and covered in fiery runes, left the gate guards wide-mouthed as they opened the main entrance.
Kellar wasted no time. The moment they crossed the perimeter, he organized the medics to treat the wounded in the main hall, prioritizing the recruits from the new battalion who had taken the direct brunt of the Eagle King’s talons.
Hours later, after supervising the preparations for the burial of the fallen at sunset, Kellar gathered his inner circle at the war table: Brak, Lennis, Helga, and Grok, whose left arm was bandaged.
"We lost thirty good warriors," Kellar began, resting his hands on the map of the mountain range. "Ten veterans and twenty of our new recruits. It’s a heavy blow, but thanks to their sacrifice, the mountain territory has been cleared."
Lennis crossed his arms, looking over the terrain notes.
"Eighty percent of the swarm has been wiped out, My Lord," Lennis chimed in. "The remaining few hundred that fled to the distant peaks are disoriented and leaderless. They won’t descend into the valleys anytime soon."
"Which means the mountain is ours," Helga said, adjusting her rifle strap. "What’s the next move, Shaman?"
Kellar traced a line across the map, marking the cliffside area where the remnants of hundreds of shattered nests and carcasses lay.
"We cannot let all that wealth rot in the heights," Kellar declared. "Ignis only devoured the viscera of a fraction of those beasts. There are hundreds of carcasses scattered across the cliffs with steel-hard feathers, talons, bones, and mana-rich meat. We must inspect the collapsed nests; if the Eagle King was gathering so many beasts, it’s likely we’ll find eggs, hatchlings, or rare resources in the high caves."
Brak framed a smile, catching the command.
"A second excursion," Brak said. "Only this time, we aren’t going up there to fight."
"Precisely," Kellar confirmed. "A large-scale harvesting expedition. We will equip fifty gatherers with reinforced wagons, climbing ropes, and butchering saws. Lennis, you will lead the cargo logistics. Helga, take the healthy riflemen to secure the perimeter in case any scavenger beasts move in."
"Understood, Shaman," Lennis replied. "We move out at dawn."
Kellar stood tall over the table, locking eyes with his officers.
"We will take control of that mountain," Kellar concluded. "We will transform this loss into the raw materials that will render our tribe invincible."
Kellar left the command hall and walked toward the rear courtyard of the fortress, where Ignis lay resting after his feast. The fire bear raised his head and let out a low rumble as his master approached. Kellar reached out to touch his runic hide, eager to verify the scope of his mount’s growth, and opened the animal’s status window.
[STR: 300]
[DEX: 75]
[REC: 400]
[INT: 20]
"Damn... one hundred more points in Strength and Recovery, and twenty-five in Dexterity," muttered Kellar, amazed by the numbers. "I wonder how many points the Eagle King had to display that power."
A soft brush against his leg pulled him from his thoughts. Looking down, he saw Frejya, watching him with her golden eyes. Kellar smiled and patted her head.
"Good job keeping order during the chaos," Kellar told her.
Prompted by curiosity, he activated Frejya’s status window as well to check her progress.
[STR: 250]
[DEX: 500]
[REC: 150]
[INT: 45]
Kellar’s eyes went wide with disbelief.
"Holy shit! You gained fifty points in Strength and Recovery, and your Dexterity jumped by a hundred! How is that possible?" Kellar gasped.
Frejya licked a paw before replying, projecting her thoughts into Kellar’s mind.
"My Dexterity increased because I managed to evolve not long ago," Frejya explained. "I had my doubts about becoming a tribal familiar, but now I receive energy directly through the totem. Every time I get hungry, I just need to ask the totem to feed me; it’s convenient. As for my Strength and Recovery, they increased, though I don’t really know why."
Kellar nodded, fitting the pieces of the puzzle together.
"Ignis evolved by devouring the corpse of the Eagle King," Kellar mused, looking between both beasts. "Each one evolves in their own way, but it seems we benefit from the tribe’s milestones... I need to check myself."
Eager to see the impact of the battle and victory on his body, Kellar pulled up his status screen:
[STR: 200]
[DEX: 150]
[REC: 120]
[INT: 67.5]
[Tech Points: 0]
[Tribal Evolution Points: 4836]
Kellar clenched his fists and framed a smile as he took in his attributes.
"I’ve grown quite a bit myself," he muttered under his breath.
That flash of progress brought to mind a detail he had overlooked amidst the chaos of battle. He recalled receiving floating notifications during the slaughter against the swarm, which he had brushed aside due to the urgency of the moment.
Curious, Kellar navigated his interface menu and opened his archived messages. One of them stood out with a crimson glow:
[Overlord Club Evolved Lvl 2]
Puzzled, Kellar reached behind his back and unhooked his war club, which was slung over his shoulder. Holding it up, he noticed the transformation. The club, originally rough wood with a few tiny fangs embedded in it, had turned a deep black that resembled forged metal. The fangs had multiplied, appearing larger, curved, and far more menacing.
As he focused on the weapon, the system displayed its updated details:
[Overlord Club: Upon the death of the great Overlord, the weapon lost all divine energy, falling to the rank of a mortal weapon. After absorbing sufficient blood in battle, it has managed to recover part of its energy.]
[Overlord Strike: Multiplies impact force x2.]
Kellar froze for a second before a spark of excitement lit up his eyes. With only a fraction of its former power restored, the club had unlocked Overlord Strike, a skill that would double the devastating damage of his blows.