novelraw Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Chapter 100
By the time the Bloodhorn Reconnaissance Unit located the vanguard camp of the Poison Talon Eagle tribe at the edge of the snowy mountains—
"Enemy intercept squad spotted inside the canyon—!!"
A mounted scout returned and shouted urgently.
Tasker didn't even flinch, his gaze fixed in the distance.
In front of him stretched the Bruktal Canyon, hemmed in by jagged rocks. The chilly gusts flowing from the narrow, gloomy entrance seemed to graze his skin.
"Our way home, it seems."
The warriors behind him chuckled at the half-hearted joke.
Tasker raised his axe overhead while still on horseback.
"Warriors of Dakir! Forward!"
"Ouu—!"
Their enemy: shameless people who colluded with a foreign religion to seize control of Northland.
That's why this force, composed of warriors from dozens of tribes large and small, called themselves the "Warriors of Dakir."
They now had a focal point in Tasker, and a clear cause. As two or three more tribes had joined during the advance north, their morale soared.
It felt as though they could reclaim Ortega in a single charge.
Fweeeee—
A dismal wind blew through the narrow path of the canyon. The floor, littered with rough stones and small pebbles, made walking difficult.
With a determined resolve, the Warriors of Dakir pressed on through the canyon.
'After the canyon, ortega Plain will appear.'
Ortega Plain.
Tasker vowed to wage his final battle there.
'If you are truly a Northlander, lycan, face me with honor.'
He had learned in detail about everything that had happened while he was detained in the safe zone. He understood the state of Northland.
That's how Tasker first came to know about Lycan.
He'd been a man who didn't even have a seat at the tribal council. He was a young chief who'd only recently gained prominence after the coalition that destroyed the Sabertooth Tigers.
'I'll tear you apart.'
This wasn't mere revenge.
He had brought in another god—not Dakir, but a god from the Empire—and confused his own people.
Never before in Northland's history had anyone dared do such a thing.
Yet the forces backing that lunacy had ended up occupying Ortega.
This was a holy war to punish them.
'Since when have the souls of Northlanders been so corrupted?'
Tasker swallowed his bitterness.
"Tasker, there they are."
Kanuk spoke at his side. Tasker focused on the front.
Across from them stood Northland warriors, arrayed in formation, blocking the narrow path. Most wore traditional Northlander gear, but some wore black robes.
Standing at the front, a lone warrior held a massive dao sword.
He pulled off his hood. His long-haired face was covered with tattoos on one side.
"Tasker! I am Leif, chieftain of Shadowclaw! The second son of the late Chief Ulfriks!"
"Brave Ulfriks! Why tarnish your father's name? To be the son of such a tiger-hearted father and yet a wretched cur—how disgraceful."
"Don't run your mouth, fool. My father loathed Dakir to his very bones! He just couldn't show it."
Tasker dismounted.
The two men stepped forward, facing off, their warriors standing back.
Leif stared Tasker down, chin tucked.
"Barbarian. Do you really think this is a blessing from Dakir?"
"Of course. Barbarians are living proof Dakir watches over us."
"Ignorant fool. It's nothing but a damned curse—a curse that endures for generations!"
Leif's eyes burned red.
They circled in half-arcs, then clashed in the center.
The power and side effects each barbarian gained from their mark varied. Some traded life for strength, others gained talent at the price of crippling defects.
Leif had gained greater strength than most, but suffered continual minor ailments as a lighter aftereffect.
"My father was tormented by the voices of evil spirits every night!"
Invisible specters whispered how much time remained to him, night after night.
Suicide—a forbidden taboo.
Ulfriks fought because he wanted to die.
But he couldn't make it happen. The power granted by his mark was too strong.
Ulfriks, chieftain of Shadowclaw. He was known as Berserker Ulfriks.
"Ooooooh—!"
Leif swung his dao. Its blade shattered the canyon pebbles.
Tasker gripped his beloved twin axes.
"Do you think your father was lost?"
"No! He was stolen from me! By Dakir!"
Leif roared. Tasker's gaze became icy.
"All Northlanders suffer, leif. It's because of sins from a past life. That's why we fight so desperately now, to win rest in the afterlife."
Tasker didn't mention his brother, the great high chief. As he recalled, mukesh's side effects had not yet manifested.
'Maybe that's why Brother left Northland. He wouldn't have wanted anyone to see him weak.'
For an instant, Tasker pondered.
He, too, could have hated Dakir like Leif did.
But what was different?
Pride in the Sabertooth Tigers?
Not wanting the great Mukesh to suffer disgrace?
A sense of duty to stand in his place?
'Did none of my conviction come from myself?'
That, at least, he knew for sure.
Slash!
Leif's head flew through the air, a fountain of blood erupting from the stump.
Tasker let out a thunderous shout.
"Wipe them out, every last one!!"
Bwoooooooooo—
A dull horn blast resounded.
The warriors' war cries soon rocked the canyon.
* * *
"Huff, huff..."
Tasker, drenched in blood, breathed hard and ragged. The heat of battle would not subside.
Corpses were scattered everywhere.
"Tasker, enemy annihilation confirmed. Our losses are minimal."
Kanuk reported. Raising his torso, Tasker looked around.
"The moment we get out, we make camp with our backs to the canyon."
"Yes, sir."
The frenzy had yet to leave the other warriors as well. Forgetting to pay their respects to the dead, they hacked and impaled corpses, using 'confirmed kill' as their excuse.
Tasker watched these scenes with exhausted eyes.
"S-save me! Please, I beg you?!"
Shouts rose from up front.
Warriors dragged a Northlander in black clerical robes before Tasker.
Tasker and Kanuk simply gazed down at him.
"I didn't want this either!! H-honestly, I just obeyed the chief because I was forced! It's true! Please, believe me?!"
The black priest sobbed, begging frantically.
A bold voice rang out beside them.
"Tasker! Let's offer this one to Dakir. We needed a sacrifice anyway, didn't we?"
It was Northland tradition, during war, to conduct sacrifices to Dakir.
They would wound an enemy warrior just short of killing them, then display them at the very front of the line. The suffering sacrificial victim would inspire terror in their enemies.
With his blood-covered face, Tasker's expression was unreadable.
He gave the black priest a silent look.
"Spare me! I'm a descendant of Dakir too!"
"Filthy traitor! Disgusting!"
Someone kicked the black priest in the back. He scrambled up and grabbed Tasker's pant leg.
"T-Tasker?! Please, please have mercy?!"
"Mercy? Mercy, you say..."
Swish!
Tasker brought down his axe without a second look.
The black priest's head thudded to the ground.
"Tasker! What are you doing? He was supposed to be a living sacrifice!"
"I'll offer Dakir Lycan's head. That's all."
Tasker shoved his way through the crowd. Kanuk followed.
"Refusing a living sacrifice. Dakir will be angered."
"If the scent of blood wanes, Dakir's favor will fade as well."
The warriors whispered among themselves, voicing their misgivings.
Two Red Raven warriors pressed in next to their chief, ketil.
"Tasker is acting strange. He used to be the fiercest of Mukesh's brothers."
"Something's off about him since he came back from the Empire's lands."
"It was weird from the start, the way he praised that Imperial as a 'godslayer'."
Ketil narrowed his eyes at the whispers on both sides.
Tasker led the Warriors of Dakir out of the canyon.
As he'd ordered, they made camp with their backs to the rocky walls.
Night deepened.
Within the central command tent, Tasker and the chieftains held council.
"The enemy had to break up their forces everywhere to handle all the rebellions. That means they can't have many troops here."
"After tallying up their losses from today's fight and the number of new warriors who've joined us, our manpower is about equal. We've no reason to fear their numbers."
"Our forced march must have caught them off guard. With morale high, we should press the attack now."
"The black priests' reputation was probably puffed up by the Pontiff. You all saw for yourselves—there's nothing special about them."
The hardliners raised their voices.
Even when they'd retreated from north to south, ambushed by the Snow Leopards, they'd suffered and harbored a grudge. Now, battle-hungry, they relished the prospect of a fight.
"We're sure the enemy has superior numbers. Charging in blindly would be a mistake."
"Right. We can't afford to lose hard-won troops pointlessly."
"Lycan's clever. Who knows what tricks he'll try. We should send a strong scout party first to check their position."
"Their main force is the barbarians. I heard all sorts of monsters have gathered. Details are scarce. Launching an all-out attack in a short time is reckless."
The moderates were determined too. They analyzed the situation coolly.
If Dakir's Warriors were wiped out now, there would be no force left against the Snow Leopards.
"Ran and Maya aren't here yet?"
Head down, Tasker spoke, massaging his forehead.
Kanuk, standing beside him, started at the mention but quickly answered coolly.
"Yes. They join us in a day."
"I see."
The chiefs fell silent. Avoiding each other's eyes, their gazes wandered back to Tasker.
"Tasker."
Ketil spoke up, sitting directly across from Tasker.
Tasker lifted his head, exhaustion clearly etched in his face.
"Do you truly intend to bring that Imperial into the holy war?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just that. I heard he tricked the Pontiff and used the Pontiff's faith against him, didn't he?"
As Ketil spoke, he glanced at Kanuk.
Kanuk had been covering for Ran, trying to quell any dissatisfaction about the Imperial, and working behind the scenes to keep morale from falling.
Ketil continued,
"But wasn't that all for the Imperial's own kind? Why trust a scheming Imperial that much, enough to mention him at a time like this?"
Tasker lifted his chin, looking down.
"What's your complaint, ketil? Speak plainly."
"Hehe. No complaint. Just worried the Imperial will stir things up, slip through our grasp."
"That's not your concern, ketil."
"Good, then."
Tasker raised one knee and leaned forward, glaring fiercely at the gathered chieftains.
"If anyone has grievances, speak plainly, like Ketil did. I'll hear you out, anytime."
Some of the chieftains nodded. Tasker radiated intimidation.
"I don't intend to wait around."
As Tasker's gaze drifted slowly, it stopped on Ketil.
"We move out the moment dawn breaks tomorrow."
***
**New Names, locations, skills and Techniques Introduced:**