Chapter 187: Harvest of the Peak
Kellar walked toward the back of the cavern, discovering a colossal crater where the Eagle King could have easily fit and nested. As he stepped deeper into the gloom, a greenish glow began radiating off the stone walls. In the center lay a mammoth nest made of bones from various beasts and foul-smelling straw, heavily blanketed and embedded with large, glowing green stones.
Kellar approached one of the boulders and laid his hand on its warm surface to examine it.
[Wind Stone: Craftable material infused with the power of wind. Forms naturally and can imbue weapons and armor with wind attributes and abilities.]
The moment he read the prompt, a rush of new information surged into his mind. It detailed the exact process required to forge with these elemental minerals; it appeared his Forging skill was not limited to common steel, but contained deep technical knowledge regarding elemental smithing.
"We found a goldmine," Kellar said, his eyes gleaming with resolve. "We need to extract these minerals no matter what."
"Should we bring gunpowder to blast the crystals out?" asked Krag, measuring how deep the gems were set into the rock matrix.
"No," Kellar said, shaking his head. "The cave won’t survive an explosion; the structure is unstable from the battle. We have to dig the crystals out manually. Outside of any eggs we might find, we need to haul as many of these rocks as possible. Ignis, try prying those rocks out."
Ignis reared up on his hind legs, let out a low rumble, and drove his claws straight into the cliff face. The massive bear ripped out a chunk of green rock as if it were soft timber, letting it crash onto the nest floor below.
"Taking a large amount of rock won’t be an issue," Kellar analyzed, watching how easily the bear carved through the stone. "The real problem will be securing the location. If this site drew that eagle in, it could attract beasts just as powerful."
Grok scratched his chin, taking in the size of the peak with a frown.
"We don’t have any more people, Great Shaman," Grok chimed in. "Do we move the Red Forest garrison over here?"
"No, we can’t neglect the Red Forest," Kellar answered, clenching his fists. "This place is invaluable, but without the resources from the Red Forest and the Mountain Fortress, there’s no way we can keep manufacturing weapons."
Kellar clicked his tongue in frustration, staring up at the cave ceiling.
"Damn it... we need more people."
A window of golden light flashed directly before Kellar’s eyes, accompanied by a chime inside his mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You have managed to domain a territory vast enough to be called a small kingdom. Resources are abundant.]
[New Quest: A Kingdom in Distress]
A great force covets your resources. Prove that you deserve what you have claimed and defend your kingdom.
[Objective: Defend your domain for the next 30 days.]
[Reward: Your name shall spread to every corner of the world.]
Kellar knit his brows, reading the line with annoyance.
What do I want to be famous for? thought Kellar, letting out a mental scoff. Will that fix my manpower issues or defend these walls for me? Still... the notification is timely. Since the merchants left, they must be the threat. They have maps of our routes and know we’re establishing ourselves. I need to reinforce the northern pass.
Without wasting a second, Kellar closed his eyes and activated [Eyes of the Tribe Lord].
In an instant, his consciousness soared above the peaks, granting him a real-time overhead view of every corner of his domain: the Red Forest, the Mountain Fortress, the main village, and the newly conquered Eagle King peaks. He scanned the boundaries of his territory looking for irregular movement, but the borders remained quiet. There were no immediate signs of attack, and the skill offered no hint as to when within those thirty days the incursion would begin.
Snapping out of the vision, a dull thundering caught his attention from outside the cave.
Kellar walked toward the peak entrance and saw the hunters working together. Since the Wind Stones were hard, dense, and heavy, carrying them by hand down vertical cliff faces was out of the question. The men had picked out the largest green boulders and, leveraging the height, were hurling the rocks down the mountainside so they would roll into the lower valley, where the harvesting convoy could haul them away.
"Watch out below!" bellowed Brak, pushing a green monolith that went tumbling down the crags, carving a groove into the snow before coming to a rest near the lower trail.
Kellar watched the hunters’ method as the green boulders bounced down the mountainside, kicking up plumes of dust and snow.
"That’s a great idea," Kellar said, approving the initiative with a nod before turning toward his runic mount. "Ignis, don’t destroy them too much; keep them as whole as possible so it’s easy to pick them up below."
Ignis roared in response, a low rumble that shook the cave walls, adjusting the force of his claws to pry loose entire boulders rather than pulverizing them.
For a couple of hours, the summit was a hive of activity. Ignis’s claws and the warriors’ chisels carved tons of Wind Stones from the main nest, sending them down in a controlled avalanche toward the valley floor.
Kellar checked the sun’s position in the sky and raised his hand to halt the extraction.
"That’s enough," Kellar said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Leave everything as it is. Let’s hope the smell of the Eagle King lingers and keeps smaller beasts away until we find a way to fully subdue this place."
"Understood, Shaman," replied Grok, signaling the squads. "Everyone, fall back!"
The group proceeded with the descent. Kellar mounted back onto Ignis’s shoulders, scaling down the wall with the same agility they had used to climb up, while the riflemen and hunter squads navigated the sturdier ledges to reach the base.
Upon reaching the lower slopes, the harvesting convoy led by Lennis was already deployed. Reinforced wagons lined the trail, and dozens of gatherers were loading the giant eagle remains and the green boulders that had rolled down from the peak.
"Load everything up and let’s move!" ordered Lennis.