Chapter 188: Shadow on the Horizon
The wooden gates of the village swung wide open to receive the returning expedition. As dusk settled, the greenish glow radiating from the elemental rocks piled high on the wagons caught the entire town’s attention. Villagers gathered along the road in awe, staring at the volume of materials brought back from the peaks.
Helga and the other women stepped out to greet Kellar at the entrance of the Command Hall. Seeing them, Kellar issued deployment orders without delay.
"Take the eggs to a secure location," Kellar instructed the hunters. "Surround them with the Wind Stones to aid their incubation and keep them warm."
"I’ll take care of it, Great Shaman," Mentz interjected, stepping forward. "I’ll ensure they remain safe and monitored."
Kellar nodded and turned toward the quartermaster.
"Lennis, prepare everything to study these new rocks. By morning, we start testing to find their practical uses in forging."
"Understood, Shaman," Lennis agreed immediately, rallying the craftsmen.
Kellar dismounted from Ignis and stepped up to his women, kissing each of them, starting with Mila.
"I missed you," Kellar whispered, cupping Mila’s face.
Before he could enjoy the moment, his vision flashed violently in blood red. A sudden surge of tension made him take a step back.
"What the hell is that?!" Kellar gasped, clutching his brow.
"Kellar! What’s wrong?" Mila asked in distress, as Helga and the others tensed up.
"I don’t know..." Kellar gritted out, his jaw tight. "But it has to be bad, very bad."
[Warning! Defend your territory.]
Without hesitating a second, Kellar activated [Eyes of the Tribe Lord]. His consciousness soared over the region’s map, scanning his domain at high speed until his focus locked onto the area right beside Ash Valley. From deep earth fissures, a horde of beasts poured out: giant metallic centipedes and deep red beetles led the vanguard, while massive lizards that looked as if made entirely of molten lava marched right behind them.
Kellar snapped back to reality and let out a bellow that echoed across the entire plaza.
"Everyone to arms! Brak! Grok! The whole army follows me, even the wounded! We need every available person!"
The initial shock transformed into fierce discipline. Everyone who heard the command—even the injured warriors who hadn’t gone up the mountain—ran toward the armories to grab their rifles. Simultaneously, Mentz’s crew rushed to the main storerooms to fetch ammunition and gunpowder. In under ten minutes, the supply wagons were loaded with war munitions.
With the combat column organized in record time, the entire army set off at a forced march.
"Where are we heading, Great Shaman?!" Brak asked, catching up with long strides, his face pale with tension.
"Everyone run toward Ash Valley, we are under attack by the beasts!" Kellar shouted over the noise.
Hearing "Ash Valley," everyone froze. They knew the shaman’s rule: never go near Ash Valley, only gather from the perimeter, and never venture inside. Now, whatever had been lurking inside was emerging.
Kellar turned to Helga as he kept pushing forward.
"Helga, lead the reinforcements! Everyone who can run fast, charge with me!" Kellar ordered.
Ignis accelerated to full speed, shaking the ground with every stride. The veteran hunters picked up the pace, sprinting at their limit to match the giant bear’s speed, while the soldiers behind pushed themselves to maintain the rhythm.
In the middle of the rush, Kellar called out through the mental link:
«Freyja! Let’s go, let’s go!»
The white feline answered in a lazy tone inside his mind:
«What’s going on? I was sleeping...»
«Catch up to us at Ash Valley! Run, we are in danger!» Kellar urged her, desperation bleeding through the connection.
The white cat leaped up the instant she felt his tension.
«On my way,» she replied.
In a flash, a white blur shot out from the forest straight toward Ash Valley.
High atop one of the observation posts guarding the outer perimeter near the mountain pass, the evening breeze blew bitter and cold. The sentries monitored the surroundings as they did every afternoon, scanning the horizon where the shadows were beginning to stretch.
One of the guards narrowed his eyes as he spotted an anomaly in the distance. A pair of flickering red glows emerged through the trail’s haze.
"Do you see that?" the guard asked his companion, who had just climbed onto the wooden platform carrying a pair of warm stew bowls.
The other sentry set the bowls on the railing, leaned forward, and locked his eyes in the indicated direction.
"Yeah, that’s weird..." the companion said after a few seconds. "What could it be?"
"I have no idea, are they scouts?" the first one muttered, knitting his brow. "Maybe it’s another merchant caravan."
"From Ash Valley?" the second replied, shaking his head. "I don’t think so; if they came from there, it would be suicide."
"If they can travel through areas as dangerous as the forest surrounding us, they should be able to travel through there, don’t you think?" the first guard reasoned, tightening his grip on his rifle.
"It’s possible..." the companion admitted, feeling a pang of unease as the reddish glows failed to slow down, instead multiplying at an alarming speed. "Light the alert, it’ll be better to be prepared. Without Chief Helga here or Commander Brak, we can’t make a call."
"You’re right," the sentry agreed.
Without wasting a second, he grabbed a lit torch from the tower bracket and brought it to the tar and dry-cloth pyre set at the peak. Within seconds, a flame and thick black smoke rose above the post to signal the guard network that visitors were approaching.
The officers tasked with security approached the base of the tower, shouting up to ask what was going on.
"We’ve got company!" the sentry called out, pointing a tense arm toward the horizon.
The lead officer quickly scaled the wooden platform and stared out into the distance, locking his eyes on the glowing spots surging forward without pause. As they drew closer, the white-hot specks began to spread out along the trail like a tide of shifting embers.
The officer gritted his teeth, gasping in horror:
"Shit, there’s way too many of them...!"
Without wasting a second, he leaped down from the watchtower, screaming at the top of his lungs:
"Sound the alarms! Too many are approaching!"
Upon hearing the order, the watchmen began lighting every fire signal along the defense line. One by one, the tar pyres ignited in a rapid chain reaction across the peaks.
Far off, from the depths of the Red Forest, a lookout tasked with monitoring the Mountain Fortress spotted the fifth and final signal burning brightly against the dusk sky.
The tracker spun on his heels and bolted toward the main camp like a man possessed.
"Everyone get ready!" the lookout roared, bursting through the huts. "They lit all five beacons at the Mountain Fortress! We’re being invaded!"
Upon hearing the alarm, every soldier left behind in the Red Forest dropped whatever they were doing to grab their rifles. Among those present were several women who had come to the camp to spend the evening with the soldiers; Namre’s companions watched in awe as every soldier snatched up their weapons and bolted at full sprint toward the fortress.